Laptop Issues

Posted by John Klein III on November 23, 2015
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Laptop

So this is the laptop that I use, to make all of these great posts.  My wife bought this laptop with her student loan, maybe in 2008 or 2009.  It has lasted us for longer than it should have.  Just like her 2003 Pontiac Sunfire, it made several trips from Yuma, Arizona to Helena, Montana – and back, but it finally died on us, earlier this year.  Now I’m driving a 2008 Chevy Uplander, we were suppose to buy a second car with this year’s tax refund but we didn’t have enough to get a second reliable car.  Not that the van is that reliable as the gas gauge already needs repair and the back latch door needs to be fixed, as it doesn’t stay open anymore.

The laptop has its own problems as well.  The battery is all but dead, we have to keep it plugged in, whenever we want it to use it.  I keep writing ‘we’ but my wife gave up on it and refuses to use it now.  Recently, the track pad started not working, and I like to use the keyboard, whenever possible, but sometimes, one needs the cursor and that sweet sweet right clicking option.  Which leads us to this post.  Now the right click doesn’t work, I read that buying a mouse will fix that.  I’m hoping to be able to buy a cheap mouse at Hastings, next time I’m there but the laptop may die before I get that chance.

Before the trackpad started giving up, the monitor doesn’t work, every time.  I’m in the process of constantly pushing it backwards and forwards, as well as trying to put it against the bottom frame.  This that doesn’t work, a rotating it back and forth will jiggle it to work again.  The monitor not constantly working, was my wife’s last straw.  Now she just uses her iPad for everything.

So I have 372 drafted posts, so you dear reader, shouldn’t see a lack of output for quite some time but it is getting harder to write on a machine that doesn’t want to work.

I’m not saying that in 372 days, I’ll quit the blog but it is a concern to me – if I can’t write successfully.

My wife has told me not to expect a new laptop for Christmas or my birthday, in January – so I’m not sure what my next step is going to be.

I keep thinking about it and hoping this posts makes it so that I can clear my head of the subject.

I did buy a mouse and it seems, for now, to have given the laptop new life.  So that is a relief!

CSBG – Vote for Deadpool’s Greatest Stories

Posted by John Klein III on November 22, 2015
Posted in: Voting. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/18/vote-for-deadpools-25-greatest-stories/

Brian Cronin is at it again!  He is also doing a Captain America 75 Greatest Stories but I don’t really own ten comics that feature him, that much.  Deadpool, I barely have a list of ten so I can make this with confidence.

TEN GREATEST DEADPOOL STORIES

1.  Deadpool Volume One 27
2. Deadpool Volume Two “Want You To Want Me” issue 16, in particular
3. Deadpool Volume Three 27 “Wedding of Deadpool”
4. Deadpool Volume Three 38 “Zenpool AXIS tie in”
5. Ultimate Deadpool (Ultimate Spider-Man 91 – 94)
6. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe
7. Cable and Deadpool 30 Civil War Tie-In
8. Deadpool Art of War
9. Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars
10.New Mutants 98

You have until November 30th, to get your votes in.  I don’t really have an order, so I went with the order I have already for February’s Deadpool Month, well, I’m squeezing in some of his issues, while also doing my annual Lockheed Month.  I still can’t decide if I want to call it Deadheed Month or Lockpool Month, or just keep using both names – which is what I’m sort of settling on.

I actually had to stop at 9 as I didn’t have a tenth.  The rest of the issues I own are Handbooks or Uncanny X-Force but Cronin states that we are not to nominate that title.  I had to just throw his origin story into the mix, which I did own at one point but sold – like years ago – for almost nothing, I’m sure or maybe ten dollars.

I’m definitely sure that most of my list won’t make the final cut, but I like to throw in my votes, as one never knows.  I should put more Joe Kelly issues in there or even Christopher Priest, as those two wrote my favorite Deadpool, though Posehn and Duggan are up there now.  Probably say Gail Simone, so that I can have a top five list.

I would like to vote for the Captain America one, just so my issues 323 and 609, are eligible but I also suspect, that they wouldn’t make the cut anyways.  I’m tempted to make those my one and two and then do the famous Captain America stories, for the rest of my list but those stories are making it (especially as it is a list of 75 stories – so the highlights will be there).  I just don’t own that many appearances of his that count as pure Captain America and not just him as a team member of the Avengers.  He’s on the cover to lots of my comics (hence why I still have years of material for Memorial Day, July 4th and Veterans Day) but none of those are starring Captain America, that I know of.

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/17/vote-for-captain-americas-75-greatest-stories/

I figure I might as well include the link for that voting too.  Voting also stops on November 30th.

  1.  Captain America 323
  2.  Captain America 609
  3. Excalibur 59 & 60
  4. Marvel Fanfare 18
  5. New Mutants Volume One 40
  6. Uncanny X-Men 268
  7. Avengers Volume One 4
  8. Captain America 193
  9. Avengers Under Siege
  10. Captain America 276 – 279

The first five are from my collection and the last five are my lame “going to be listed, no matter what” which I don’t like doing, just so that I can brag that 5 of my 10 picks made the list, at the end.  It means more, when I’m invested in the list.  We bought Walker Dennis a Captain America poster, which is just Captain America 193, in a nice frame, and then I made a point of buying it as it was both affordable (like $20 or something) and it would be cool for him to point to the issue and the poster.  Plus, Jack Kirby writing and penciling, so that’s always good.

I do own the War & Remembrance trade (thanks to Wizard’s Top 100 Trades) but that one doesn’t count.

A commenter, Jamie, wants some JM DeMatteis love on the list, so I voted for the one he listed as I do love me some JM DeMatteis!

Actually, my bottom five isn’t too bad, so I can stand by this.  The only comic I haven’t read is the DeMatteis run, unless I have but it doesn’t look or sound familiar.

Wolverine Volume Three Issue 7

Posted by John Klein III on November 21, 2015
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Wolverine V3 7

Writer Jason Aaron

Artist Daniel Acuna

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Cover Art by Jae Lee with June Chung

Whose heads are on the spikes?  Storm, Magneto, Cyclops, Namor, who are the other two?  Colossus, maybe?

Wolverine vs The X-Men, Part Two of Three

Cover Dated May 2011

With this issue, I now own all three issues of this storyline.  So thanks to my wife for taking me to Kelly’s Komix in Great Falls in Montana.  A great store, if you happen to be in the area.

In the previous issue, the Red Right Hand killed Wolverine and sent his soul to hell.  Demons took over his body, and fans called this Wolverine, Hellverine, which is pretty clever.  That issue ended with the X-Men about to take down Hellverine, in protocols that they had at the ready.  As this day, was clearly going to come again.

Inside Wolverine’s mindscape, he heads to the giant palace where he keeps the wall around his heart.  There, he finds reinforcements for the horde of demons that are trying to snuff out the last of his soul.  We see various Wolverines – Weapon X, Patch and Horsemen Death, amongst others.

Meanwhile. Magneto is fighting Hellverine.  Hellverine recognizes Magneto from somewhere, he thinks about it as Magneto keeps throwing metal objects at his target.  Hellverine recognizes Magneto from when he was a boy at the concentration camps.  This issue came out in 2011, so Marvel is still holding onto the idea that it isn’t weird that Magneto is still walking around, making World War II references seventy years later.

Magneto is down but Namor flies and punches Hellverine into the ocean.  On the shore, Cyclops and Emma are watching to see if this works.  The ocean boils as Hellverine comes out of the water.  Two down.

Cyclops gets ready for his role in the next events.  Emma telepathically checks in on Doctor Nemesis and Fantomex, who are on their way.  Melita, Logan’s girlfriend at the time, puts a special gun to Emma’s head.  Which is completely unnecessary.

Wolverine V3 7 Kitty 1

Oh, that’s right.  This is before Gillen fixes Kitty’s fishbowl slash retread of Fantastic Four vs X-Men status quo.  So silly that this was a thing and that it lasted a while.  From Uncanny X-Men 522 to 538, sixteen issues so a tad over a year.  It was a long time.

Along with Shadowcat, Jubilee, Storm and Rogue are on the scene.  Which, if you are going to pick four of X-Ladies, those are the four to go with.  Domino could have made it five but Melita is going to fill that fifth slot.

Emma isn’t interested in these ladies, she just wants to help Scott survive what is coming next..

Cyclops starts optic blasting Hellverine but it isn’t slowing the demon down.

Wolverine V3 7 Kitty 2

Rogue punches Hellverine and once he is in the air, Storm controls the winds and carries Hellverine to Angel Island.  My wife informs me that it use to be a military base and it shouldn’t be that populated.  She is currently me now and believes it could have been Treasure Island and Angel Island is more like the Ellis Island of the West Coast.  It is one or the other.

Emma informs Scott that they are going to do one more desperate brain raid.  She didn’t think she could do it on her own but with the others, there is a chance.  Emma has Scott promise to pull her plug, if she comes back brain dead, before her looks start to fade – it is the important things to discuss before a big fight.

Shadowcat informs Cyclops that they are not going to give up on Logan, as he wouldn’t give up on them.

There is a page, that shows all of the ladies, minus the one important one.  This page also has an image of the full island.  After showing my wife, she confirms that Angel Island is the Ellis Island, as the Bay Bridge would have been shown in the image, if it was Treasure Island.  So Treasure Island is the military island and Angel Island was very popular during the twenties.  Both are not that well populated, so we are still okay.

Once they land, Emma tells Storm that Hellverine needs to stay close to Emma’s body, as she needs the connection to be as strong as possible.  Melita wonders if they have to hold hands and Emma laughs at her, they are not starting a pagan commune.  Emma just needs them to close their eyes and clear their minds.  Full full, clear eyes, can’t lose!

In Wovlerine’s mindscape, Weapon X is taking demons out, James Howlett, in a giant nightgown, is even in the fight.  Demons are being snikt-ed all over.  During this, Logan has been wearing samurai armor.

Wolverine V3 7 Kitty 3

Acuna keeps to that style for the ladies’ mindscape armor.  I like how the general individual’s color scheme is respected.  Emma is in white, Jubilee in yellow, Rogue in green, Kitty is in purple.  Which makes sense, oddly, but typically, blue is her go to color, especially if Jubilee already has claimed yellow.  For some reason, purple and Shadowcat makes sense, even though she hasn’t really worn the color, that much.  Melita is in red.

There is a house ad for Uncanny X-Men 535 & 536, Gillen and the Dodsons are bringing back Breakworld, so Kitty’s fishbowl days are now numbered in months.

Wolverine V3 7 Kitty 4

Laying on their backs, in the sand, that can’t be comfortable.  Jubilee is on her side, and that makes sense to me.  Storm has Hellverine floating about in the sky and Doctor Nemesis & Fantomex are still on their way.

Wolverine V3 7 Kitty 5

How excited must Kitty be, finally being out of the suit and no fishbowl head garb?

Nightcrawler, who is dead, so is able to dance around Logan’s mindscape.

There is a two page house ad for Fear Itself, which Matt Fraction was given the crossover keys to do.  The only portion of the crossover I read, was the Uncanny X-Men issues that gave us Juggerlossus.  It starts in April 2011, and the cover has a corner dedicated to the upcoming crossover.  The tie-in issues that are promoted are – Fear Itself : The Home Front 1 / Invincible Iron Man 503 / Journey Into Mystery 622 / Avengers 13 / Secret Avengers 13 / Iron Man 2.0 5.

Issue ends with Nightcrawler finding Logan’s Phoenix door, so things are about to pick up for the conclusion.  Which spoilers, Wolverine gets his body back.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume Two Issue 4

Posted by John Klein III on November 20, 2015
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume Two Issue 4

Writer Brian Michael Bendis

Artist David Lafuente

Colorist Justin Ponsor

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Cover Dated January 2010

New World According to Peter Parker, Part Four of Six

I will be reviewing issues four and six of this storyline, as we conclude Jessica Jones month.

Ultimate Spider-Man V2 4 Recap Page

So this volume takes place right after Ultimatum, New York City is quite happy with Peter Parker and it appears everyone is living at his house.  Peter is dating Gwen and the Kingpin was killed by Mysterio.

The Mall, Closing Time.  Mary Jane and Lucy are walking away after a long day at work.  Brad comes running after Mary Jane, Lucy heads off.  Brad is their boss and he decides that it is cool for a freshman in college to date a sophmore in High School (it isn’t).  She starts trying to politely turn him down with this dumb face with a gun strolls up.  He also wants to date Mary Jane (I don’t get it, either) and Brad runs once a gun is brandished.  Mary Jane starts trying to turn this guy down.

There is an ad for Kia Motors The Soul, so go out and get one of those!

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume Two Issue 4 Shroud 1

Just then, the Shroud comes crashing down onto the car.  The gunster opens fire but the Shroud isn’t affected by bullets.  We will learn who the Shroud is in issue six.  The Shroud gets the cover treatment too!

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume Two Issue 4 Shroud 2

The Shroud makes very short work of the gunster.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume Two Issue 4 Shroud 3

The Shroud has a private moment with Mary Jane and decides to open up about how stupid criminals are.

Mary Jane goes into reporter mode, wanting answers.  Mary Jane figures that the Shroud must be her age and most likely, a fellow student at her school.  The Shroud points out that Mary Jane hasn’t said, thanks, so she does.  I do like how Mary Jane gives the Shroud a chance to provide a superhero name.

Peter Parker’s Home, Queens.  Johnny is explaining to Peter that he lives there now.  Peter can’t believe it and has so many questions.  Aunt May loves having a full house.

There is an ad for Nissan’s Cube.

Johnny isn’t thrilled about having to do chores, having to learn what they are.

Midtown High School, the Next Morning.  Mary Jane talks to Peter, telling him there is a new superhero in town, she saw them last night.  Peter mistakes “saw them” as her meaning that she is dating them.  Mary Jane isn’t sure if the Shroud is a boy pretending to be a girl or a girl pretending to be a boy, a fake voice is differently at work.

Peter starts to quiz Mary Jane on what the Shroud’s powers are and such.  It takes him a bit before he comes around and makes sure that Mary Jane is okay.  She is quite shaken up and starts crying that she attracts losers as she is a loser and regrets breaking up with Peter.  Gwen is lucky enough to overhear this.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume Two Issue 4 Jessica Jones 1

Apparently, Mary Jane has been turning boys away, as she has been pinning for Peter.  Gwen is cool and Mary Jane is a mess, so Peter wouldn’t even think about backsliding.  Gwen wants to have some real girl talk with Mary Jane.  Gwen and Peter want to be friend with Mary Jane but she doesn’t return any of their calls.

Another plus in the Gwen column?  She lives under the same roof with Peter, so that’s pretty nice.  Though Aunt May has a no “hanky panky” rule.

Jessica Jones sees her friend, Mary Jane, and starts talking to her.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume Two Issue 4 Jessica Jones 2

Jessica wants Mary Jane to be her reporter, as the Hulk is destroying the Queens-borough Bridge.  Peter tells his ladies that he has to go, and Mary Jane and Gwen say at the same time – Don’t Get Hurt!!  So that’s going to be awkward.

Spider-Man gets to the bridge and tries to calm the Hulk down.

There is an ad for the very excellent Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic, for the Gifted arc.

Spider-Man starts going on the attack, except that the Hulk is only a mere hologram.  There is a huge explosion and we learn that Mysterio was behind the charade.

We will learn later in Spider-Men that this Mysterio is really the Proper Mysterio and this is his avatar, which is fun that isn’t even hinted at here.

The Dark X-Men miniseries is starting around this time, as this is printing around the beginning of the Utopia era of the X-Men.

. . .

Post 875!!!

Deadpool’s Art of War 4

Posted by John Klein III on November 19, 2015
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Deadpool's Art of War 4

Writer Peter David

Artist Scott Koblish

Colors Val Staples

Letterer VC’s Joe Sabino

Special Thanks to Raunak

Cover Dated March 2015

The previous issues, Deadpool has helped Loki lead a battle to Asgard.  After conquering that realm, they came to Earth, which upsets Thor and all of the combined heroes.

I tried reading, Sun Tzu’s Art of War, but I just couldn’t get into it.  Deadpool’s writing of the book, reveals to me that I’m still not ready to read it.  Deadpool is having to rewrite the book, as he apparently killed Sun Tzu, in the past.

Onto the issue.  Loki has brought some Orges to New York City and Loki, himself, is standing on a walking giant Whale.  All the whale needs is a pair of overalls and it could have been Blow-Hole from The Tick.

  • Deadpool’s Art of War – Chapter 10 : There are six problems that can arise for an army that extend from poor leadership.  Flight, Insubordination, Collapse, Ruin, Disorganization, Rout.

Deadpool's Art of War 4 Magik A Deadpool's Art of War 4 Magik B

The gathered heroes, including Magik (making her sole appearance, this issue), Cyclops, and Tempus, of the New Xavier School.  From the Jean Grey Schook, Warren and Storm are representing.  Invisible Woman, back when the Fantastic Four were wearing red and black costumes.  It isn’t a bad look, but I didn’t recognize her until I saw Reed Richards in the same color scheme.

  • Deadpool’s Art of War : There are six kinds of grounds to worry about : accessible, entangling,, narrow passes, temporizing, precipitous heights and great distance from the battle.

Deadpool is fighting Captain America, who is trying to calm Deadpool down.  Deadpool is having to deal with making Loki all powerful and coming to Earth.  Spider-Man successfully knocks Deadpool out.

Thor is leading the heroes of Asgard against Loki’s army.

  • Deadpool’s Art of War, Chapter Eleven : There are nine varieties of ground : Dispersive, Facile, Contentious, Open, Intersecting Highways, Serious, Difficult, Hemmed-in, and Desperate.

Deadpool is back in the fight but isn’t doing so well.

There is an ad for Black Vortex, I can’t recommend it enough.

  • Deadpool’s Art of War, Chapter Twelve : There are five ways to attack with fire – Burn soldiers in their camp / burn their stores / burn their baggage / burn their weaponry / drop fire among them

Deadpool writers this as Human Torch is fighting off some ogres but is taken out.  Namor saves him before he can hit the ground.

  • Deadpool’s Art of War, Chapter Thirteen : Raising a hundred thousand men for battle can be a drain.

Reed, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Thing, Hulk, Iron Man, Storm, Beast, Jean Grey, Scott Summers and Wolverine are fighting a horde.

Thor and Loki are fighting, Thor goes down a moment.  Deadpool, with swords, comes at Loki.  Thor gets back up, grabs Mjolnir and strikes down lightning onto Loki – taking him out of the fight, for good.

Later, Deadpool is trying to sell his book.  The first publisher laughs him out of her office.  He takes it to Marvel and editor, Jordan D. White (who likes to put himself into comics, as he is in Deadpool Volume Three Issue 45 / 250).  White recommends they get Peter David to write it, which he will later do.

 

Marvel February 2016 Solicitations

Posted by John Klein III on November 18, 2015
Posted in: Solicitations. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

http://www.newsarama.com/26821-marvel-comics-february-2016-solicitations.html

As we are still getting brand new number ones, I’ll be stating if I’m passing on those or not, as well.

SPIDER-MAN #1
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (w) • SARA PICHELLI (a/C)
Hip-hop variant COVER by Adi Granov
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
CLASSIC VARIANT COVER BY MARK BAGLEY
Miles Morales has been doing the super hero thing for a while, now, but after SECRET WARS, he’ll be a full-fledged member of the Marvel Universe. Swinging next to The Invincible Iron Man, The Mighty Thor and the All-New Captain America as a card-carrying member of the Avengers is an adventure, but it’s not all fun and games for New York City’s main Spider-MAN! What happened in the eight month gap? It all starts in SPIDER-MAN #1!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Makes sense that Bendis would be the one to start filling in with what happened in the eight month gap. I wonder if there will be references to Ultimate Shadowcat in this series? I may have to track it, to see. I imagine, that Marvel is going to want as clean of a break, as possible from Pre-Secret Wars 2015 Marvel and All New All Different Marvel. It is nice that Miles gets the Adjectiveless Spider-Man series name.

AVENGERS STANDOFF: WELCOME TO PLEASANT HILL #1
NICK SPENCER (w) • MARK BAGLEY (a)
COVER BY DANIEL ACUNA
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
VARIANT COVER by Matt Rhodes
Hip-hop variant COVER by TBA
The prelude to the Spring’s blockbuster AVENGERS event!
Hello there and welcome, new resident. You’ve sure made the right choice in moving to Pleasant Hill– a friendly small town where burdens are lifted and the sun is always bright… so hide your eyes. Don’t let it see you looking its way. Hide if you must. Otherwise it will burn right through you. Pleasant Hill is the kind of place where folks look out for one another. Everyone knows who their neighbors are. But who are you, neighbor?
40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99

So they already have an Avengers event plan? I sure hope that All Different All New Marvel will space out crossovers. As I don’t really want a Space Crossover and the X-Men / Inhumans crossover, happening at the same time. Let one be in one quarter and the other, in another, please! I’ll be passing on the event.

POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #1
DAVID WALKER (w) • SANFORD GREENE (a/C)
Hip-hop variant COVER by Theotis Jones
BLACK PANTHER 50th ANNIVERSARY VARIANT COVER BY SANFORD GREENE
Variant COVER by CHRIS VISIONS
Classic Variant COVER by TREVOR VON EEDEN
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
IRON FIST ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
POWER MAN ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
BLANK VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
THE ORIGINAL HEROES FOR HIRE, BACK ON THE CLOCK!
We KNOW you’ve been waiting to see LUKE CAGE and DANNY RAND back together and back to STREET-STOMPING basics! POWER MAN and IRON FIST are tracking a mystery with all the ingredients of a classic Heroes-for-Hire tale. Expect old friends, hired goons, crime lords, weird magic, plenty of power, a flurry of fists and as much bromance as you can handle! It’s Power Man and Iron Fist reunited, and writer DAVID WALKER and artist SANFORD GREENE are making it feel so GOOD!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I do like these two characters together, I may have to read this in the store.

 X-MEN: WORST X-MAN EVER #1 (OF 5)
MAX BEMIS (W) MICHAEL WALSH (A/C)
Bailey Hoskins has just discovered he’s a mutant. For someone who’s never been special, never stood out, discovering he’s “gifted” is truly a gift—entry into the halls of Xavier’s School for Gifted Children and into the ranks of the world-famous X-Men! Unfortunately…Bailey might just be the worst X-Man ever. Max Bemis, frontman of the band Say Anything, kicks off his first Marvel miniseries by teaming with stellar artist Michael Walsh (SECRET AVENGERS, HANK JOHNSON) to bring us the story of a misfit among misfits.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

We are already getting out of continuity titles? So bizaree. I’m not sure if Magik or Kitty will be in this, but I’ll add it to my order, just in case. They are not n the cover, of the first issue.

THE VISION #4
TOM KING (W)
GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA (A)
Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
• Just as everything is coming together, everything goes to hell.
• After finally finding love for The Vision, Virginia must respond to the one person who threatens that love – and her response will shock the Marvel Universe.
• A not-to-be-missed ending that builds to next issue’s breathtaking climax.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

It would be awesome if the threat to their marriage was Wonder Man. That guy just doesn’t want Vision to be happy.

THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #3
GREG PAK (W) • FRANK CHO (A/C)
variant COVER by MICHAEL CHO
VARIANT COVER BY TBA
PREPARE TO MEET YOUR FOOM!
• Amadeus is on the hunt for the biggest, greenest, baddest monster on the block – besides himself, of course!
• And an unlikely ally lends a hand!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Fing Fang Foom is in this issue! That is totally awesome!

SQUADRON SUPREME #4
JAMES ROBINSON (W) • LEONARD KIRK (A)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
VARIANT COVER BY Bob McLeod
variant COVER by LEONARD KIRK
Things Get Weird!
• The Squadron descends into the newest, weirdest corner of the Marvel U!
• But how many of them will make it out?
• Plus: A beloved Marvel character returns amid much pomp and FANFARE!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I wonder who the beloved character is? With the state of ANAD Marvel, it could be any number of characters. Looking at the variant cover, is it Thundra, or is she already part of the team? Is she that beloved?

CAPTAIN MARVEL #2
Tara Butters & Michele Fazekas (W) • KRIS ANKA (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
VARIANT COVER BY PHIL JIMENEZ
• Between hosting a contingent of alien ambassadors, passive aggressive power struggles with her Flight Commander, Abigail Brand, and an insatiable itch to be on the front lines, Carol Danvers A.K.A. Captain Marvel struggles to find her footing on the new Alpha Flight Space Station.
• To top it off a mysterious ghost ship has entered protected Earth space…And it’s bearing the Star of Hala.
• Talk about a rough first week on the job…
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Nice to know that Brand is present in a title.

DRAX #4
CM PUNK & CULLEN BUNN (W) • SCOTT HEPBURN (A/C)
DRAX AND THE TEMPLE OF FOOM!
EARTH’S TOUGHEST COMPETITOR CM PUNK CONTINUES HIS GALAXY RUMBLING DRAX SERIES!
• DRAX faces FIN! FANG! FOOM!
• The fiend kidnapped children and put their little hands to work digging. But for WHAT?! Prepare to be SHOCKED! And AWED!!!
• Drax is ready to PUNCH out an escape route, barring any WEIRD mystical surprises. (FYI, we consider a dragon in hot pants to be pretty normal, so what could weird possibly even mean???)
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Wow, Fing Fang Foom, in two titles, in the same month? Now, that’s exciting! The first issue was pretty good.

Marvel February 2016 Solicitations Guardians of the Galaxy 5 Art Adams
Art by Art Adams

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #5
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • VALERIO SCHITI (A)
Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS
• Last Raccoon standing!
• The Guardians face their toughest battle ever and aren’t going to make it out the same way they came in!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Oh man, their first mission looks to have been too much for them! That cover is pretty incredible!

GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #3
DAN ABNETT, DARRYL “DMC” MCDANIELS & EDGARDO MIRANDA-RODRIGUEZ (W)
CARLO BARBERI & JUAN DOE (A)
Cover by GARY CHOO
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
variant COVER by JUAN DOE
ALL TOGETHER BEHIND ENEMY LINES!
• The only way out is in, as all the Guardians sneak aboard the ominous Structure.
• The gene-cruited Newcomers are swarming: they’re gearing up for something and that can’t mean anything good!
• Plus, The Thing and Groot are in search of a singularly powerful object located in New York City in a story by DARRYL “DMC” MCDANIELS, EDGARDO MIRANDA-RODRIGUEZ and JUAN DOE.
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

So Grimm can be in back up features, of this title? I may have to add this to my pull list, to make sure I don’t miss when Kitty gets her chance.

STAR-LORD #4
SAM HUMPHRIES (W) • JAVIER GARRÓN (A )
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
A GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND! A FALL FROM GRACE FOR PETER QUILL!
• Is young Star-Lord pirate enough to betray his species and steal the ASTERION ONE?
• Peter came to space to be a pilot, a pirate, avenge his mother’s murder by Badoon, and chew gum.
• Well, he’s all out of gum! And already did those first two things!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

It’ll be interesting, to see how many of these new series make it to issue seven, much less, twelve.

ROCKET RACCOON & GROOT #2
SKOTTIE YOUNG (W) • FILIPE ANDRADE (A )
Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
variant COVER by BRIAN KESINGER
IN THE SHORT SHADOW OF THE RAKZOON EMPIRE
• Lord RakZoon’s not the brutal dictator they think he is at home—oh no, no, no.
• He’s a Rocket Raccoon! ROCKET RACCOON!
• Can Groot and his body art remind Rocket who he is before he casts his best friend into the torture dungeon?!
• Also, WHO GAVE ROCKET A TORTURE DUNGEON???
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

This does sound like fun.

HOWARD THE DUCK #4
CHIP ZDARSKY (W) • JOE QUINONES (A)
Cover by JOE QUINONES & KEVIN WADA
Variant Cover by KAMOME SHIRAHAMA
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
• She’s obsessed, she’s powerful, she’s ALMOST the new herald of Galactus! And like the rest of the universe, SCOUT is after Howard. But with an eye to ending the hunger of the Devourer of Worlds!
• Plus: The Silver Surfer! The Stranger! The Guardians of the Galaxy! All in a story of Howard on the run we’re calling … FOWL MOVEMENT!
• Oh god, are we really calling it that?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

The Guardians of the Galaxy!?! I have to get this issue! That’s how you write a solict!

SILVER SURFER #2
DAN SLOTT (W) • MIKE ALLRED (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY CHIP ZDARSKY
• Why is Silver Surfer fighting the ever-loving blue-eyed THING?
• Who is this Alicia Masters person, and why hasn’t Norrin told Dawn about her before?
• Where did that alien armada come from?
• What can they really do to planet Earth that is WORSE THAN DEATH?!
• And WHEN, exactly, IS Clobbering Time?!
• Right now, True Believer! RIGHT NOW!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

What is Grimm doing on Earth? Will the other Guardians appear?

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #7 & 8
DAN SLOTT (W) • MATTEO BUFFAGNI (A)
CoverS by ALEX ROSS
Issue #7 – VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
• Cloak and Dagger are serving MISTER NEGATIVE in his war on Spider-Man! But how?!
• Things get even worse as Mister Negative inverts Peter Parker himself!
32 PGS. (each)/Rated T …$3.99 (each)

Apparently, the easier concept to write Cloak and Dagger in, is to reverse their powers and color schemes. It is a novel idea but it just happened in a Secret Wars 2015 tie-in too.

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #5
RYAN NORTH (W) • ERICA HENDERSON (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
• Squirrel Girl has been sent back in time to the sixties, which would be fine I guess, except now the future is ruled by Doctor Doom!
• Anyway, that’s not her fault, but she’s still fixing it because she’s just THAT GOOD.
• The final battle between Doctor Doom, Squirrel Girl and… an old-lady version of Squirrel Girl from the future?? Yes! Meet the sensational character find of 2016: AN OLD LADY!
• Fun fact: Besides adults literally fighting each other, this issue also features SEVERAL jokes!
• Don’t miss the hit comic featured on Entertainment Weekly’s Must List (which was several months ago for everyone reading this, but it was just yesterday when this text was being written and we’re all still very excited about it!)!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

This is a fun solict!

ANGELA: QUEEN OF HEL #5
MARGUERITE BENNETT (W)
KIM JACINTO & STEPHANIE HANS (A)
Cover by STEPHANIE HANS
• The ferocious finale of the conquest of Hel as Angela and Sera clash at last with the tyrannical Queen Hela in all her glory!
• Holy crow, are we glad comics don’t have special effects budgets. (Marguerite owes Kim, Stephanie and Israel so many drinks.)
• And the splash page you’ve all been waiting for…
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I wonder what the splash page fans have been demanding is? Whoever writes Angela’s solicits needs to be named!

ALL-NEW X-MEN #4 (NOV150892)
DENNIS HOPELESS (W) • MARK BAGLEY (A/C)
STORY THUS FAR VARIANT COVER BY TBA (SEP158784)
DEADPOOL VARIANT COVER BY TBA (NOV150887)
CLASSIC ARTIST VARIANT COVER BY TBA (SEP158785)
“FLESH WOUNDS” STARTS NOW!
• Reunited at last, the All-New X-Men hit the road on a mission to write their own futures and be the heroes they believe mutantkind needs most.
• But for one X-Man, being a hero means perpetually leaping into harm’s way, even when it means suffering grievous injury.
• When the unstoppable All-New Wolverine runs up against the immovable Blob, will her self-destructive instincts get the better of her?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ALL-NEW X-MEN #5
DENNIS HOPELESS (W) • MARK BAGLEY (A/C)
• Which is more stubborn: A teenage X-Man or a homicidal villain whose power is literally to render
himself immovable?
• Find out here, when the ALL-NEW X-MEN take on THE BLOB!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Wow, look at Blob getting his own arc!

OLD MAN LOGAN #2
JEFF LEMIRE (W) • ANDREA SORRENTINO (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• For Old Man Logan, home is a wasteland in the distant future, one overridden by hillbilly Hulks who extort and torture civilians for fun.
• But now, mysteriously finding himself in the present, Logan is hellbent on preventing that future from coming to pass.
• And the best way to keep the Hulk population from surging in the future is to eliminate them altogether in the present…starting with Amadeus Cho, the Totally Awesome Hulk!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

Pretty smart to put the old Wolverine up against the new Hulk.

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #5
TOM TAYLOR (W) • DAVID LOPEZ (A)
Cover by BENGAL
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF A CLONE
• Wolverine will have to go where she’s never gone before in order to save the lives of her mysterious three “sisters!”
• Along her journey, Laura will have to team up with an ally she never expected, and one who has seemingly sworn off the life of a super hero…
• Say hello to the original Wasp, the one and only JANET VAN DYNE!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

That’s fun, to get X23 out there, getting her team-up resume boosted with a Wasp addition.

DEADPOOL #7
GERRY DUGGAN, CULLEN BUNN, BEN ACKER, BEN BLACKER, MIKE HAWTHORNE, Tim Seeley & MORE (W)
SCOTT KOBLISH, Danilo Beyruth, MIKE HAWTHORNE, Tony Harris & MORE (A)
Cover by TONY MOORE
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
SECRET COMIC VARIANT COVER BY SCOTT KOBLISH
Hip-hop variant COVER by TBA
• Twenty-five years ago in February 1991, the New Mutants encountered a blabber mouthed mercenary who tore through Xavier’s mansion and into the very heart of the 1990s. Now, that self-same degenerate is one of the most popular heroes in the world, an Avenger, and maybe the smelliest and grossest person that tumblr swoons over. Come see how Deadpool reacts to life at the top of the world…(hint: he does not handle it well). PLUS: A full array of stories from Deadpool’s new allies, the members of the Mercs for Money! Oh…and I think there is, like…some other Deadpool thing this month people are excited about? I forget what.
96 PGS./Parental Advisory …$9.99

Even his solict is breaking the fourth wall!  They, also, keep finding ways to make a Deadpool comic cost ten dollars.

EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #7
JEFF LEMIRE (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)
• As one team of X-Men stages a daring rescue mission in Weirdworld, another team stages one in the psyche of their teammate!
• Something happened to Nightcrawler that left his mind in turmoil. Determined to bring their friend back to sanity, Storm and Jean Grey enter his mind…but are they prepared for what awaits them there?
• Meanwhile, Old Man Logan, Colossus, Iceman and Magik discover just who it is they’re on a mission to rescue in the wilds of Weirdworld…and the truth might tear the team apart!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Hey, Magik is heading to Weirdworld, I bet she excels there!

UNCANNY X-MEN #3
CULLEN BUNN (W) • GREG LAND (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY GREG LAND (NOV150890)
• With mutantkind in extinction’s crosshairs once more, Magneto leads a team of the deadliest X-Men to fight for the fate of their species!
• But can the Master of Magnetism curb his killer instincts long enough to find out who’s trying to speed up mutantkind’s descent into the grave?
• Plus: Fantomex! Triage! And an X-Man you probably thought you’d never see again…
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
PREVIOUSLY SOLICITED – ORDER WITH CODE (NOV150889)

So we must be skipping Uncanny in January, then? Oh that Greg Land! Triage is in this title, I guess he is the resident healer but he seems out of place on that team. Did he ever talk directly to Magneto, in Bendis’ series?

GUIDEBOOK TO THE MARVEL CINEMATIC
UNIVERSE – MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS
Written by MIKE O’SULLIVAN & THE OHOTMU TEAM
Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
This is what it’s all been building to! The MCU Guidebooks reach the end of Phase One as the Avengers assemble! Our comprehensive coverage of the fan-favorite Marvel Studios films and Marvel Television shows continues as we reveal everything you need to know about Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Featuring fact sheets, movie-to-comic comparisons and production stills, this issue is packed with profiles of the mighty Avengers themselves: Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man and Thor! Also featuring allies including Phil Coulson, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Erik Selvig, Jasper Sitwell and S.H.I.E.L.D.; enemies including Loki and the Chitauri; and equipment including the Helicarrier and Loki’s scepter! Plus the World Security Council and more! Relive the big-screen thrills of 2012’s Marvel’s The Avengers right here, and continue building your indispensable library of Cinematic Universe reference books!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I was able to skim through the Iron Man that came out recently. They do use some comic book art but the handbook entries are all about the films so I’m passing on these.

STAN LEE: MARVEL TREASURY EDITION SLIPCASE HC
Written by STAN LEE with LARRY LIEBER, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH & TOM DEFALCO
Penciled by JACK BINDER, AL AVISON, JOE MANEELY, STAN GOLDBERG, STEVE DITKO, JACK KIRBY, DON HECK, JACK DAVIS, DICK AYERS, SOL BRODSKY, WALLY WOOD, JOHN BUSCEMA, GENE COLAN, JIM STERANKO, NEAL ADAMS, GIL KANE, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH, JOHN ROMITA SR., MOEBIUS, MARCOS MARTIN & BRUCE TIMM
Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL, JACK KIRBY, DON HECK, STEVE DITKO & GENE COLAN
Face Front, True Believers, and treasure this super-sized celebration of the incredible career of Stan Lee! More than 70 years of stories featuring dozens of Lee’s beloved co-creations — including Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Avengers, Daredevil and Nick Fury — all in his signature, senses-shattering style! These astonishing tales of suspense, horror, fantasy, romance, comedy, cowboys, super heroics and more prove beyond doubt that Stan is “The Man!” Collecting INCREDIBLE HULK (1962) #1, AVENGERS (1963) #1 and #15-16, X-MEN (1963) #4-5, SGT. FURY #8, FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #2-3, DAREDEVIL (1964) #7 and #47, CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #109, THOR (1966) #179-181, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #96-98, MARVEL PREMIERE #3, SAVAGE SHE-HULK (1980) #1 and SILVER SURFER: PARABLE #1-2 — plus material from CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #3 and #16, MYSTIC COMICS (1940) #6, SUSPENSE #29, BLACK KNIGHT (1955) #1, MILLIE THE MODEL #100, LIFE WITH MILLIE #10, AMAZING ADULT FANTASY #9 and #11, AMAZING FANTASY (1962) #15, TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) #35, TALES OF SUSPENSE #39, RAWHIDE KID (1955) #33, PATSY WALKER #119, STRANGE TALES (1951) #135, THOR (1966) #146-152, SILVER SURFER (1968) #3, OUR LOVE STORY #5, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #365 and #634-645, MARVEL 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION and the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN newspaper strip.
816 PGS./Rated T+ …$200.00
ISBN: 978-1-302-90118-9
Trim size: Vibranium-sized

Hastings has this pretty sweet new hardcover biography of Stan Lee, written by him and Peter David (and a third person) but done in comic book fashion! That seems pretty neat. From the few page flips I did, it seems to be mostly about Stan’s life and not so much his comic book work. Probably due to copyrights.

 SHANG-CHI: MASTER OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC
Written by STEVE ENGLEHART, DOUG MOENCH, LEN WEIN & MORE
Penciled by JIM STARLIN, PAUL GULACY, AL MILGROM, KEITH POLLARD, JOHN BUSCEMA, SAL BUSCEMA,
ROSS ANDRU & MORE
COVERS BY TERRY DODSON & JIM STARLIN
One of the most groundbreaking Marvel Comics of all is collected for the first time! Born to be the world’s most fearsome fighter, Shang-Chi’s life takes a major turn when he discovers the truth about his father, the villainous Fu Manchu! So begins the epic story of the Master of Kung Fu! On a quest to end the reign of his pernicious patriarch, Shang-Chi pits his deadly hands and furious feet against incredible foes like Tiger-Claw, Razor-Fist, the mysterious Midnight — and even the macabre Man-Thing! But will his mastery of martial arts be enough in a throwdown with the Amazing Spider-Man? Collecting SPECIAL MARVEL EDITION #15-16, MASTER OF KUNG FU (1974) #17-37, GIANT-SIZE MASTER OF KUNG FU #1-4, GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN #2 and material from IRON MAN ANNUAL #4.
696 PGS./Rated T…$125.00
ISBN: 978-1-302-90129-5
Trim size: oversized
SHANG-CHI: MASTER OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC STARLIN COVER (DM ONLY)
696 PGS./Rated T…$125.00
ISBN: 978-1-302-90146-2
Trim size: oversized

Could this be a response to the rumors that Iron Fist’s Netflix series is going to be replaced with Shang Chi?

STAR WARS: DROIDS & EWOKS OMNIBUS HC DROIDS COVER
Written by DAVID MANAK & GEORGE CARAGONNE
Penciled by WARREN KREMER, JOHN ROMITA SR., MARY WILSHIRE & ERNIE COLÓN
Covers by ERNIE COLÓN & WARREN KREMER
The most lovable stars of a galaxy far, far away, in a complete collection of their adorable all-ages adventures! Join Wicket and his Ewok friends Teebo and Princess Kneesaa in their forest home of Endor for colorful capers filled with rainbow bridges and rites of power! And in stories set years before they find a home with the REBELS, follow C-3P0 and R2-D2 in their search for a master! The quest will stretch across space and beyond, as a crazy chronal crossover sees them meet the Ewoks again for the very first time! Plus: Get a fresh perspective on the epic events of the film that started it all in a tale that could only be called “Star Wars According to the Droids.” As Threepio might say, “Oh my!” Collecting EWOKS #1-14, DROIDS #1-8 and EWOKS UK ANNUAL 1989.
536 PGS./All Ages …$100.00
ISBN: 978-1-302-90085-4
Trim size: oversized

I’ve read Ewoks 10 and if I want to read the full story, I need to eventually read Droids 4 (though it isn’t necessary as Ewoks 10 covers everything we needed to know) but $100 isn’t way too much to read that issue. I believe there was some light teasing of what issue five was going to contain but I’ve gone this long without reading those issues.  Cute art but that price needs to come down. But it is 24 issues so it is possibly price right but I’m not sure how many super die hard fans will buy this.

SQUADRON SUPREME CLASSIC OMNIBUS HC
Written by ROY THOMAS, STEVE ENGLEHART, JM DEMATTEIS, MARK GRUENWALD, KURT BUSIEK,
LEN KAMINSKI, TONY BEDARD, JEPH LOEB & MORE
Penciled by SAL BUSCEMA, JOHN BUSCEMA, GEORGE PÉREZ, WAYNE BORING, DON PERLIN, BOB HALL,
PAUL RYAN, PAUL NEARY, MIKE MANLEY, JOHN HEEBINK, CARLOS PACHECO, ANTHONY WILLIAMS,
JIM CALAFIORE, GREG LAND & MORE
Cover by GEORGE PÉREZ
Get the full story of Marvel’s most superior super-team! They’re the mightiest heroes of their dimension, but what happens when the Squadron Supreme encounters the Serpent Crown — and the Avengers? Then, in one of the most celebrated limited series of all time, the Squadron expands its ranks — and takes control of their United States in a bid to create utopia! But when the team members find themselves stranded in the Marvel Universe, will their New World Order fall — and their dimension be destroyed? Guest-starring the Defenders, the Exiles, the Ultimates…and the Squadron Sinister! Collecting AVENGERS (1963) #69-70, #85-86, #141-144 and #147-149; THOR (1966) #280; DEFENDERS (1972) #112-114; SQUADRON SUPREME (1985) #1-12; CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #314; SQUADRON SUPREME: DEATH OF A UNIVERSE QUASAR #13-16 and #51-52; AVENGERS (1998) #5-6; AVENGERS/SQUADRON SUPREME ANNUAL ’98; SQUADRON SUPREME: NEW WORLD ORDER EXILES (2001) #77-78 and ULTIMATE POWER #7-9.
1240 PGS./Rated T+ …$125
ISBN: 978-1-302-90065-6
Trim size: oversized

This is as complete as that story gets! I believe the copy I own, only includes Captain America 314, as one of the proper twelve issues, has them come to Earth and chat with Captain America.

SECRET WARS: LAST DAYS OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE HC
Written by AL EWING, CULLEN BUNN, NATHAN EDMONDSON, G. WILLOW WILSON, DAN SLOTT, NICK SPENCER,
ROBBIE THOMPSON & DENNIS HOPELESS
Penciled by LUKE ROSS, LEE GARBETT, PAUL DAVIDSON, GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA, PHIL NOTO,
ADRIAN ALPHONA, MITCH GERADS, MICHAEL ALLRED, RAMON ROSANOS, TANA FORD & NATACHA BUSTOS
Cover by ESAD RIBIC
Before SECRET WARS arrives, everything must end! In the final hours of the Marvel Universe, everyone is a Mighty Avenger! Facing Ragnarok, King Loki makes his move! Magneto, once Earth’s enemy, fights to be its savior! Black Widow meets her fate still seeking redemption! On the brink of disaster, Ms. Marvel meets Captain Marvel! Punisher goes out with a bang! Silk seeks her family before the sky falls! Ant-Man dances with destiny! And Spider-Woman gets pulled back in! But when the entire universe is extinguished, what’s next for the Silver Surfer? Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE MIGHTY AVENGERS #8-9, LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD #14-17, MAGNETO (2014) #18-21, BLACK WIDOW (2014) #19-20, MS. MARVEL (2014) #16-19, PUNISHER (2014) #19-20, SILVER SURFER (2014) #13-15, ANT-MAN: LAST DAYS, SILK (2015A) #7 and SPIDER-WOMAN (2014) #10.
840 PGS./Parental Advisory…$75.00
ISBN: 978-1-302-90124-0
Trim size: oversized

Pretty smart to collect these as one trade. Magneto 21 was so great. I would have thrown in Deadpool 45 and Miles Morales 12 as those issues also feature the Incursion that ends the two universes.  Miles, naturally, sees it from the Ultimate side.

SIEGE: BATTLEWORLD TPB
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Penciled by FILIPE ANDRADE, CARLOS PACHECO & MORE
Cover by W. SCOTT FORBES
They can’t ever win. They can’t afford to lose. Together they stand on the Shield — the wall that stretches around Battleworld, protecting the more civilized domains from the dead lands filled with zombies, Ultrons and the Annihilation Wave. Anyone who crosses Lord Doom gets sent to the Shield, where Commander Abigail Brand and her unlikely allies — including Ms. America, the bowslinger Lady Katherine, Kang, Leah, the Endless Summers and Leonardo da Vinci — will fight to the death to keep their planet safe. And they’ll have to do exactly that, because the Shield is about to come under siege like never before. And if the Shield falls, so too will Battleworld. Plus: Abigail Brand, the X-Men and Avengers face the uncanny threat of Unit, the galactic genocidal fugitive! Collecting SIEGE (2015) #1-4 and UNCANNY X-MEN (2011) #9-10.
136 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9549-8

Buy this, the entire series was terrific!

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX TPB
Written by SAM HUMPHRIES, BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, GERRY DUGGAN, JOHN LAYMAN & KELLY SUE DECONNICK
Penciled by KRIS ANKA, ED MCGUINNESS, VALERIO SCHITI, PACO MEDINA, ANDREA SORRENTINO, MIKE MAYHEW, DAVID BALDEON, JAVIER GARRON & DAVID LOPEZ
Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde have stolen the ancient Black Vortex, which offers cosmic power to anyone who peers within. Peter’s father, the deposed emperor Mister Knife, wants it — and so does the son of Thanos. Could this dark mirror deliver unto Thane the Mad Titan’s full legacy? To keep their prize safe from mounting threats, Peter and Kitty will need all their allies — including Captain Marvel, Nova and the time-torn original X-Men. But with the fate of the universe at stake, will the heroes succumb to temptation, embrace the Vortex’s gifts — and be corrupted by absolute power? Collecting GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX ALPHA #1 and OMEGA #1, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2013) #24-25, LEGENDARY STAR-LORD #9-11, ALL-NEW X-MEN (2012) #38-39, GUARDIANS TEAM-UP #3, NOVA (2013) #28, CYCLOPS (2014) #12 and CAPTAIN MARVEL (2014) #14.
312 PGS./Rated T+ …$39.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9909-0

I say buy this too, as the crossover was pretty nice.  Angel’s transformation seems to be the only one that is sticking but it was a good story.

CIVIL WAR: FANTASTIC FOUR TPB (NEW PRINTING)
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI, DWAYNE MCDUFFIE, STAN LEE & PAUL POPE
Penciled by MIKE MCKONE, NICK DRAGOTTA & PAUL POPE
Cover by ADI GRANOV
Whose side are you on? One member of the Fantastic Four lies hospitalized, a casualty of the Civil War that has fragmented the superhuman community! Another member of the team is secretly helping the opposition. It had to happen: Amid the tumult and tensions, the Fantastic Four break up! Who will toe the line, who will join the resistance, and who will leave the battlefield altogether? Is this the end for Marvel’s First Family? Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #538-543.
176 PGS./Rated T …$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9564-1

CIVIL WAR: CAPTAIN AMERICA/IRON MAN TPB
Written by ED BRUBAKER, CHARLES KNAUF, DANIEL KNAUF, CHRISTOS GAGE & BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by MIKE PERKINS, LEE WEEKS, PATRICK ZIRCHER, JEREMY HAUN & ALEX MALEEV
Cover by ALEX MALEEV
Captain America has fallen into a conflict with his government and his friends, and the people close to him are paying the price. Sharon Carter’s life is torn apart as her superiors use her divided loyalties against her. The Winter Soldier comes face-to-face with Cap, but which side will he choose? Then, get inside Tony Stark’s mind and learn why he feels that only he can lead the charge for superhuman registration! In the midst of the war, Captain America and Iron Man meet secretly. Is there any hope of working out their issues before further tragedy occurs? And in the war’s aftermath, the two heroes meet again in a heart-wrenching epilogue that cannot be missed. Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA (2005) #22-24, WINTER SOLDIER: WINTER KILLS #1, IRON MAN (2005) #13-14, IRON MAN/CAPTAIN AMERICA: CASUALTIES OF WAR #1 and CIVIL WAR: THE CONFESSION #1.
224 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9563-4

CIVIL WAR: WOLVERINE TPB (NEW PRINTING)
Written by MARC GUGGENHEIM
Penciled by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Whose side are you on? In the aftermath of the Stamford tragedy, Wolverine makes it his personal mission to take down the man responsible: the explosive Nitro! But as soon as he begins his hunt, Logan discovers that someone else is stalking the same prey: a mysterious trio whose identity, and disturbing mission, will come as a shock! If Logan’s unsettled by who these guys are, then just wait until he confronts the man they answer to! And when Wolverine discovers that Nitro’s actions are tied to a much larger conspiracy, he won’t rest until he’s exposed the true culprit. To avenge the Stamford victims, this is one mystery that Wolverine is dying — and killing — to get to the bottom of… Collecting WOLVERINE (2003) #42-48.
168 PGS./Parental Advisory …$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9570-2

CIVIL WAR: BLACK PANTHER TPB (NEW PRINTING)
Written by REGINALD HUDLIN
Penciled by SCOT EATON, MANUEL GARCIA, KOI TURNBULL & MARCUS TO
Cover by MICHAEL TURNER
The royal couple, King T’Challa and Queen Ororo, embark on a diplomatic tour that will have them spanning the globe — and beyond! Stops include Latveria (Dr. Doom), the Moon (Black Bolt and the Inhumans), Atlantis (Namor the Sub-Mariner) and the Civil War-ravaged United States, for a meeting with none other than the point man for the U.S. government’s implementation of the Super Human Registration Act: Tony Stark, T’Challa’s former Avengers teammate! Will the Black Panther and Storm decide to get off the sidelines of the superhuman Civil War and get involved? Collecting BLACK PANTHER (2005) #19-25.
168 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9562-7

CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE TPB
Written by PAUL JENKINS
Penciled by RAMÓN F. BACHS, STEVE LIEBER,
LEE WEEKS & MORE
Cover by JOHN WATSON
Reporters Ben Urich and Sally Floyd are determined to uncover the secret truth hidden in the heart of the superhuman Civil War. But to find it, they’ll have to brave the front lines of the battle — and that’s a very dangerous place to be. Through interviews with heroes, villains, government officials and power players on both sides, Sally and Ben inch ever closer to unraveling the true motivations behind the war — but some secrets should never be brought to light. Plus: Speedball is public enemy No. 1, jailed and blamed for the Stamford disaster that kicked off the war. Determined to defend himself, he soon finds that he has further to fall than he ever thought possible — and that the road to redemption will take him to a very dark place. Collecting CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #1-11.
360 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9565-8

CIVIL WAR: X-MEN TPB
(NEW PRINTING)
Written by DAVID HINE, FABIEN NICIEZA & PETER DAVID
Penciled by YANICK PAQUETTE, AARON LOPRESTI, DENNIS CALERO & STAZ JOHNSON
Cover by JUAN DOE
Enough is enough! The tension between the X-Men, the refugees of the 198 and the Office of National Emergency’s Sentinel guard dogs has finally reached a breaking point. As the superhuman Civil War rips apart the Marvel Universe, the X-Men also find themselves crumbling from the inside out. Will they admit defeat, or will they finally start to fight back? As a very prominent member of the team breaks ranks to join the Pro-Registration movement, and a member of the 198 plots bloody vengeance from within, the original X-Men go rogue in a search for the truth. But the truth might just get them — and half of the world’s very few remaining mutants — killed! Collecting CIVIL WAR: X-MEN #1-4, CABLE & DEADPOOL #30-32 and X-FACTOR (2006) #8-9.
232 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9571-9

CIVIL WAR: NEW AVENGERS TPB
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by HOWARD CHAYKIN, LEINIL FRANCIS YU, OLIVIER COIPEL, PASQUAL FERRY
& JIM CHEUNG
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
Civil War has erupted across the Marvel Universe, and no team will be more affected than the New Avengers. The team’s individual members grapple with issues of loyalty, trust, ethics and integrity as the team splits right down the middle! Captain America goes underground, Iron Man goes establishment, and both men become targets! Will Luke Cage stand by his beliefs or his family? Conflicted and compromised, where do Spider-Woman’s true loyalties lie? And can the Sentry reconcile his past and his future? Which side will each of the New Avengers choose, and what will that choice cost them? The super-hero Civil War is poised to tear Earth’s Mightiest heroes apart — and the shake-ups will shock you! Each standalone story in this volume is illustrated by a genuine comics superstar! Collecting NEW AVENGERS (2005) #21-25.
120 PGS./Rated T …$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9573-3

Odd timing with these trades. I get that that the sequel is coming, Marvel has a movie titled “Captain America : Civil War” but does everything that had “Civil War” on its cover, need to be printed? Looking at these titles, I suppose they are just reprints with new covers so it doesn’t take too much to make these new editions.    But still, shouldn’t these come out in May?  Maybe April, when the hype machine is in full swing?

Of these, I only own the X-Men and some of the Black Panthers issues.

. . .

So I will be buying –

Guardians of the Galaxy 5            $4

Extraordinary X-Men 7            $4

Howard the Duck 4                        $4 (pending Kitty’s appearance)

So three comics for twelve dollars, minus the three dollars for my Hastings Employee discount, brings my grand total to nine dollars. Still pretty great!

I guess $3.99 is the running price for all Marvel comics. Hopefully they can resist the temptation of a price hike but for now, it isn’t too bad. Three comics under ten dollars is super affordable.

. . .

I have to add –

Spider-Man

X-Men : Worst X-Man Ever

to my pull list.  I also have to add Howard the Duck, as there is no way to only add the one issue.  For once, Marvel’s need to keep relaunching titles, means I shouldn’t get too many additional issues pulled for me.  I can just put them back, as well.

CSBG – Left Unresolved – Kitty Pryde and the NEO

Posted by John Klein III on November 17, 2015
Posted in: Websites. Tagged: . Leave a comment

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/08/left-unresolved-that-time-kitty-pryde-went-missing-and-no-one-seemed-to-care-that-much/

Brian Cronin wrote an excellent article regarding X-Men 100, 109 and 110 – that covers Claremont’s usage of Kitty Pryde, having her leave the book, having the plot disappear, and her return.

I sort wish this was written, when I was originally writing my reveal for X-Men 100.  As I had to scan all of my own pages for that review.

X-Men 100

At least, others will have the great resource.

I didn’t know, from the comments, that I needed to buy Gambit Volume Three Issue 20, so that’s on my Wishlist now.

All New X-Men 40

Posted by John Klein III on November 16, 2015
Posted in: Review, Websites. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

All New X-Men 40

Writer Brian Michael Bendis

Artist Mahmud Asrar

Colorist Rain Beredo

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

This issue will go down in history for a particular moment but we will get to that.

Utopia Island.  Former Home of the X-Men, San Francisco Bay.  A group of salvagers have arrived on the island.  They suspect that the X-Men left behind a slew of valuables when they left the island nation.  They suspect that the Avengers nor SHIELD has had the time to go back and pick up those islands.  Which is odd, as SHIELD clearly has enough soldiers employed that can go to locations like Utopia and start grabbing important pieces of equipment.

There is a noise from a cave and someone or some group, knock out all of the

All New X-Men 40 Magik 1

The New Xavier School.  Location Secret.  Today.  The All New X-Men are finally back to their school, after a little visit to the Ultimate Universe and then their adventures in outer space during Black Vortex.  They all have been missing their world, Scott has been gone longer than them, though.

Magik arrives, with some brown lunch bags.

All New X-Men 40 Magik A

Magik brought some burgers, which Scott has disparately been missing Earth food.

Hank and Magik get the dialogue exchange of the year.

     Hank : And they don’t freak out when you magically appear in line at a fast food establishment dressed like that?

Magik : I usually get everything for free magically appearing dressed like this.

So great and it answers a very long never before asked question.  How does Magik get so much stuff, so easily and so fast?  Dressed that way, dudes are constantly willing to do anything for her.  Rightfully so.  Magik is so great and she really needs an ongoing series, I could make one last for fifty issues, easily.

Magik informs the team, now that Shadowcat (getting her first of two references, in this issue) is staying in space – Magik will be their instructor.

Scott calls Illyana “ma’am” and Magik, in turn, calls him “Baby Tyke-lops” which is a name that should really stick.  Bendis has a great handle on Magik.

Jean picks up on the fact that something is going wrong inside the school, because she’s a nosy bitch.

All New X-Men 40 Magik 2

Magik is going inside to figure it out, she tells the team to stay outside.  So this issue takes place during Uncanny X-Men Volume Three 32, so Black Vortex takes place between 31 and 32.  So Last Will and Testament of Xavier, Black Vortex, Issue 32, next is this issue and then Uncanny X-Men, so Kitty Pryde must come back to Earth in the next hour to make issue 33 set up.

Bobby, like a jerk, salutes Magik’s unbelievable hotness.  But he isn’t being, like a real jerk about it.  More like a 14 year old boy who is standing in front of an unbelievable hot lady.  Jean, for no good reason, decides to pull Bobby aside.  Bobby stands behind his comment, Magik is hot and he feels the need to address it.  Jean knows Illyana is hot and there is no doubt that Illyana knows it too and makes it work for her.

All New X-Men 40 Jean Outs Bobby 1

Then the page that set the world on fire, one April 21, 2015 day.  Jean tells Bobby that he is gay.  Not him, under his own control, comes out to a dear friend.  No, Jean, goes into his head, and decides to dictate what Bobby is.  Jean, the worst person around.

Jean mind rapes the information from Bobby.  Mind you, she and Bobby have never been close.  They are not complete strangers but they are not close at all.  Jean may be a tad closer to Warren.  She’s always been close to Hank and Scott.  I do like how All New Bobby and Scott were getting close.  If someone was going to tell this story, I would have had Bobby come out to Scott.  Like a scene where Bobby is updating Scott on everything that they did, and then end it with how he is preparing to come out as a homosexual.  Bendis choose to go this route, as Jean is the star of this title and she needs to get all the big moments.

Bobby puts up an ice wall.  We cut to the other members of the team, and they are pretty uninterested.  Back to Bobby and Jean.  Bobby points out that his older proper self is not gay.

Bobby isn’t sure why people like her so much, and I don’t get it ever.

All New X-Men 40 Kitty mention

Bobby isn’t sure how his older self cannot be gay, as well.  Some of the forty pages of Uncanny X-Men 600, will be dedicated to the two Icemen talking about this.

Jean points out that Iceman never had any lasting relationships.  Bobby points out his relationship to Kitty Pryde, BobKat.  This reminds me of the issue of All New where Bobby saw his older self and Professor K making out, and he was disgusted by it.  There also was the issue where Scott and he went on a double date and he was displeased with the lady he was stuck with.  Then there was the issue where Bobby felt like a Disney princess.  Which I like how Bendis has been dropping hints about this.

We get to the main panels that turn me off from this idea.  Bobby tries to say that he could be bisexual.  Jean pretty much, both, insults all bisexuals everywhere – with the comment that most people are bisexual.  Then she identifies Bobby as being more . . . full gay.  As if, full gay, was a term.  But if Bobby wants to self identify as bisexual, let the boy self identify as bisexual.  I mean, really, did Jean spend all of her time, since coming to the present, studying up on modern day sexuality, instead of looking into the ethics of being a telepath?  That sounds about right.

All New X-Men 40 Bobby calls Jean a nosy bitch

We get to the page that makes this whole nonsense okay.  Bobby appreciates that he finally got to voice some of the thoughts that are in his head.

Jean promises to keep his secret, but you know, she could have done that and never talk to Bobby about any of this.

What redeems this, is that Bobby calls Jean by my new favorite name for her – nosy bitch.  I usually don’t like to refer to women as bitches but that’s pretty much what Jean is now, so I’m going with it.

Bobby tries to make the situation light and asks if Jean suspects that Warren could be gay.  Jean shuts that idea down.  Then they laugh about how Tyke-lops is a great nickname.

SHIELD Hellicarrier.  Floating World Headquarters of the UN Peacekeeping Task Force.  Present Location : 1,000 Feet Over London, England.  Some SHIELD soldiers (are all of them called, agents?) tell Commander Maria Hill that there has been a situation.  She instantly wishes that it isn’t mutant related and when they tell her it is, she starts slamming her head on the desk.

We get to the actual good part of the issue, Warren flies in and swoops X23 into his arms.  They have a very nice chat and get some things said.  He explains why he accepted the cosmic power upgrade.  Once he came to the present, he learn how horrible his future was.  He knew, the first chance he got, if he could make a permanent change, he wouldn’t have hesitated to take the opportunity.  Now that he has this new sense of confidence, he can tell X23 that he loves her.  They kiss, which is probably better than how he thought this conversation was going to go.

Utopia Island.  Former home of the X-Men.  San Francisco Bay.  A SHIELD jet begins to land, when like their Hellicarrier, it crashes down onto the surface.

All New X-Men 40 Utopians

We finally meet The Utopians!  They are not the Ultimate X-Men in the Proper Marvel Universe.

They are – The Morlock’s Masque / Elixir / Meltdown / Random / Madison Jeffries / Karma

Pretty decent line up there, I like how they have a color scheme.  How did they get Masque from the New York City tunnels to across the nation?  I also like how Meltdown is the leader of the group.  I guess Elixir survived being nearly killed in Logan Legacy.  Madison Jeffries, I suppose, never left the island.  Random, maybe they are paying him to be there?  Random hasn’t been seen in three years, since his short stint in Generation Hope, issues 15, 16 and 17.  Surprisingly,

http://comicbookdb.com/character_chron.php?ID=4926

Random has been in at least one comic, every year from 2005 to today.  He took 2004 off, had one appearance in 2003, took off 2002 – pretty decent.

Karma, was just not doing much after Astonishing ended.

. . .

As this is obviously months later, I wanted to cite some websites so that people can remember how much conversation was sparked with this issue.

Here are the two threads I was most active on :

Brian Cronin’s “Thoughts on All New X-Men 40 and Whether Flawed Characters Are a Sign of Flawed Writing

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/04/22/thoughts-on-all-new-x-men-40-and-whether-flawed-characters-are-a-sign-of-flawed-writing/

Uncanny X-Cast’s Facebook Group’s Issue Discussion

https://www.facebook.com/groups/4045322485/permalink/10153236850637486/

I post some links in there that made me think I should add them to this post.

Bryan Singer’s Reaction to All New Iceman’s coming out

http://www.newsarama.com/24259-bryan-singer-brian-bendis-talk-about-iceman-outing-in-all-new-x-men.html

 Brian Michael Bendis’ “In Portland, no one cares about this type of stuff”

http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/bendis-on-icemans-outing-says-im-not-done-with-this-story-yet

I’m sure there were hundreds of website reviews about the news item, itself, but these were the ones I stuck with or referenced.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108

Posted by John Klein III on November 15, 2015
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Ultimate Spider-Man 108

Writer Brian Michael Bendis

Penciler Mark Bagley

Inker Drew Hennessy

Colorist Justin Ponsor

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Marvel Knights, Part Three of Four

Cover Dated June 2007

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Recap Page

This storyline was all about Daredevil getting a group together to take down Kingpin – legally.  During this storyline, Peter had started dating Mary Jane, but hadn’t quite broken up with Kitty Pryde – yet.  To crank up the drama, Kitty now goes to Midtown High.

Ultimate Spider-Man 106

I reviewed the first issue, above.  Which I’m not sure how other people feel about my jumping around with my comic book collection, but I sort of like the tracking of it.  In fact, I have issue 109 typed and ready to go but it is tied with another event (or something).  I did 106 for Daredevil Month.

This issue opens with Kingpin, looking over his sick wife.  A henchman makes the mistake of talking to him about business and Kingpin stops him – never in front of Vanessa.

We get inside Moon Knight’s mindscape, with his personalities.  His inner 12 year old girl (we all have one, right?)  voice isn’t happy that they are about to taken on a new identity.  Which we get this issue, with the debut of Ultimate Ronin!  That Bendis, he doesn’t waste an idea.

Kingpin wantss to test Ronin, and he beats up one of Kinpin’s henchman.  That isn’t the test, Kingpin wants Spider-Man brought to him.

Over at Midtown High, Mary Jane has prepared an audition tape for the school news channel.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Jessica Jones 1

Jessica Jones, making her one page appearance here – Issue 106 is her first appearance.  She doesn’t really make that many appearances, so we are not ending this Event Month with great attention to the character.

As much as I am a huge fan of Bagley’s, I do feel like Lafuente draws a better version of the character.  I chalk it up to Lafuente drawing teenagers like teenagers.  Which Bagley is great with but they do look like young adults.

Mary Jane is a month away from turning 16, so she is older than Peter, way to go!  From Jessica’s reaction, I take it that these other students are seniors, at most.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Kitty Pryde 1

Peter can’t believe that Mary Jane used her Spider-Man connection to make her video, but good for her for finally getting something out of the relationship.

Peter and Mary Jane start flirting when Kitty turns the corner and they all have an awkward silence.  Oh Peter, with the trying to introduce the two ladies.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Kitty Pryde talked about

Liz Allen, being mutant-phobic (ironically), doesn’t want Kitty to be there.  She will turn around, or I will advocate for a brick to be thrown at her head.

Ronin arrives at the school.

There is a four page (very glossy) ad inserted into the comic for Nova’s new ongoing – launching out of Annihilation.

Ronin drives a school bus through the front of the school.  We start the interchange of seeing his mindscape and the fight, so Ronin has two fights but don’t worry, he is very well trained.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Kitty Pryde 2

How awesome that is Kitty Pryde who is first to confront Ronin?  Pretty awesome!  Poor Kitty, though, she probably would want him to pound away on Spider-Man for a bit, but she has to defend the creep.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Kitty Pryde 3

Kitty is able to allow the bullets to phase through her, so she gets the first real hit.  For some reason, Kitty feels the need to explain her powers to her opponent, she is an Ultimate version of a Claremont character – after all.

She has an awesome power and additional training from Wolverine, she is a super threat!

Ronin unleashes a fire extinguisher onto Kitty, knocking her out.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Kitty Pryde 4

The little girl voice instructs the Moon Knight personality to fight Ronin but he doesn’t last a round.

Spider-Man is not happy seeing his better girlfriend knocked out.

There is a house ad for World War Hulk’s Prologue, starting in Incredible Hulk 106 and the oneshot, World Breaker.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Kitty Pryde 5

Spider-Man unleashes on Ronin, as he does, Ronin starts to lose against Moon Knight.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Kitty Pryde 6

Spider-Man checks on Kitty, as she starts to come around.  Ronin gets up and throws a dart at Spider-Man.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Kitty Pryde 7

Ronin straight strangles Moon Knight – which I’m not even sure what the implications are of a split personality fella killing one of their own personalities.  It seems rather intense.  Now that Moon Knight is dead, Ronin cuts loose on Spider-Man.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Kitty Pryde 8

The police start arriving and Ronin grabs the limb Spider-Man, figures out his webshooters and takes off.  Mary Jane gets everything on tape.

Ultimate Spider-Man 108 Kitty Pryde 9

The cops on the scene state that SHIELD are not coming until they get positive ID on those involved.  Kitty starts to get to her feet and raises her hands.

The issue ends with Ronin presenting Spider-Man to a very pleased Kingpin.

Back cover ad is for Spider-Man 2.1, which I would recommend purchasing as it has so much more than the original released DVD.  I love commentaries but the technical one on this DVD put me to sleep all three times I tried to listen to it, which was a handy trick when I couldn’t do it on my own.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume Three Issue 26

Posted by John Klein III on November 14, 2015
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , . 4 Comments

Guardians of the Galaxy V3 26

Writer Brian Michael Bendis

Artist Valerio Schiti

Colorist Jason Keith

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

It isn’t build as such but this issue and All New X-Men 40, work as Black Vortex epilogues.

Planet Spartax.  After J’Son was dethroned, and Kitty (single-handedly) saved the citizens of Spartax – the people had a choice on who their new leader should be.  For some reason, probably because they didn’t know how to spell her name, they voted Star Lord to be their president.  The problem, now, is that Quill is nowhere to be found.

Togth, who seems to be the head of the Spartax election council (or some type of committee), elected Quill president, without consulting him.  Another council member, Glogug (who gets name checked early in the issue) is very upset about this.

Guardians of the Galaxy V3 26 Kitty 1

In some seedy bar – Pryde and Quill are making out, hard.  Shouldn’t Lockheed be part of the Guardians of the Galaxy, now?  Or is he back to being Illyana’s best friend?  People want to know!

Quill would like to marry Pryde, right here.  She is tempted, but not really.  Both of them can’t believe they are going to get married.  Quill hints that she is Kitty-Pryde-soon-to-be-Kitty-Quill, but she shoots that down, she is keeping her name.  She would have to, as she is best known as “Kitty Pryde.”  I don’t help with typing “Kitty Pryde” instead of ‘Shadowcat.’  That is on me.

Pryde tells Quill that she is Jewish, he has a great of “yeah?” as if it doesn’t change anything – and it shouldn’t, except for maybe an additional custom or something with the wedding ceremony.  Kitty states that once her mother finds out that Peter isn’t, Theresa Pryde is going to kill him.  I do like how Bendis keeps trying to build up Mrs. Pryde in the fan’s expectations, even though Kitty and Theresa don’t really keep in touch -that we’ve been told.  Theresa was never into technology and that was a main interest of Kitty’s, so they didn’t really have any common ground.  Kitty being a bit of a daddy’s girl, didn’t help either.  I imagine that is primarily due to writers having story ideas for Carmen.  Theresa really needed her own version of “Kitty Pryde and Wolverine.”

I do feel like there is a missing panel in that bottom row, between the second and third panel.  Like, maybe Quill was meant to add another “yeah?” after her last thing in the second panel.  As her “oh yeah” in the third panel comes out of nowhere.  Maybe it is just me.

I imagine I don’t like referring to her as “Shadowcat” in the same comic as “Star Lord” as Star Lord, is a silly name.  He is simply “Peter Quill” to me as I do enjoy typing “Pryde and Quill.”

Kitty states that Peter is in for a verbal beat down from her mother.

Rocket speaks up, as something is on the television that Star Lord should see.

Guardians of the Galaxy V3 26 Kitty 2

There is a giant message on a screen, President of Spartax, Peter Quill is missing.  Kitty is taken back by this message.  Rocket didn’t know that Quill was missing.  Kitty starts asking Quill the hard questions.  He didn’t know he was missing.  Kitty is mainly concern about him being the President of Spartax.

Guardians of the Galaxy V3 26 Kitty 3

Rocket reveals that the Guardians knew he was elected President.  Kitty can’t believe someone not running for an office can obtain that office.  That isn’t how it is done on Earth, and it is so funny that the space crew think that the way Earth does it is too complicated.

Here is my question, did they all leave Spartax at the end of Black Vortex Omega and went to another planet?  I guess that makes sense to celebrate at a fun location but wouldn’t the Spartaxians want to celebrate Kitty as she saved the entire planet, on her own?

Guardians of the Galaxy V3 26 Kitty 4

This is my favorite page of the issue!  Such great pacing by Schiti.

Quill really doesn’t want to be the President of a Planet.  He overthrew his father, J’Son, in a previous storyline so that’s why Spartax wants to reward him with leadership.  If he doesn’t want it, they should be looking towards Pryde.  If Quill doesn’t want it, though, I can see her not wanting to force him into a First Mister of Spartax, role.

Guardians of the Galaxy V3 26 Kitty 5

For some reason, I like the idea of Kitty not wearing her gloves, in this issue.

The Royal Chaperone Guard, as this must have happened at least once before, arrive to bring Quill to Spartax.  He is only the President Elect, so he can’t boss them around.

Drax is ready to fight for his friend’s right to not be forced into a leadership position.

Guardians of the Galaxy V3 26 Kitty 6

Quill gets Drax to calm down.  Pryde offers to help them escape, but Quill really doesn’t want to run.

Then we get to the genius part of the issue.  Quill doesn’t want to go alone so he wants to bring his fiancee.  Apparently, that is only an Earth term, as one of the guards recommends Quill pay her off and come along.

Quill also gives his fellow Guardians fancy titles –

Drax, Secretary of Defense
Gamora, Cosmic Consigliari
Rocket, Secretary of Raccoon / Spartax Relations
Groot, Secretary of Agriculture
Agent Venom, Royal Bodyguard (Flash comes up with this on his own)

These are his Cabinet members.  Pryde wonders what happens if Quill can not turn down the position.  If he can’t, she gets a princess wedding.

Guardians of the Galaxy V3 26 Kitty A

Planet Spartax.  This is where we officially get the two delegate names – Glogug (the green gentleman) and Togth, the pink haired lady.  They have told the news that Quill was returning home (even though he should have just been there).

Guardians of the Galaxy V3 26 Kitty B

It looks like millions of people have arrived.  In a previous issue, we were informed that Spartax is the size of one and a half Earths.

Quill gets a private meeting with the delegates.  He really doesn’t want to be president.  Togth informs him that he is seen as a hero.  Without the Kree and Skrull empires around, Spartax stands at a special place in history, that they are the leading empire.  They try to sell him on the idea that Quill can implement real change.

Guardians of the Galaxy V3 26 Kitty 7

Kitty is being shown to her room, she is already trying to turn it down, as it isn’t really her style to be pampered.  Her official title will be, Official Partner of Spartax, which is pretty nice.  Her room is gigantic.

The other Guardians are also well treated.  Rocket is getting a special bath, he doesn’t like his feet touched.  Groot is in a lovely garden that he can plant himself in.  Drax is “training” the guards.  Flash is taking in the view when a rumble beings to occur.

Back in the meeting, Togth likes the idea of the Guardians being a sort of Galactic Council.  All of Quill’s reasons for not wanting to be President are immature and he is having to deal with that.

The rumbling gets so active that everyone has to take notice of it.

The issue ends with what looks like an Incursion.  Which I guess makes sense, if Earth and the Ultimate Earth are colliding, then the other planets will as well.  As far as I know, and I could be wrong, there is no Ultimate Spartax, so this could not be it.

I can only imagine that I am going to be buying these upcoming issues as Kitty is clearly a member of the team.

Can’t wait to see what issue twenty seven has to offer!