Punisher Max

Ever notice how artistic some comic covers can be? Punshier MAX issue number 22 is no exception:

Noticing right off the bat the RIP and Punisher symbol in the tree (not to mention the Aaron/Dillon across the top), I am guessing this is Aaron's last issue on the Punisher MAX story line that I have been hearing about. Garth Ennis had written on it for a long time, which I have never personally read but knowing the author it is a perfect title for him. Then Jason Aaron picked it up and has been writing the last 22 issues with artist Steve Dillon. I love Steve Dillon; have ever since Preacher. Once you let his art style grow on you, you are hooked for life.

I looked up a Jason Aaron picture--I am half loving him, half terrified of him. If he is smiling, he is just lovably adorable. If he is not, well....

So! To the issue.

Is it just me or does dead Frank Castle remind you just a little of a young Sylvester Stallone?? Ah, probably just me--if you tossed an eye patch on him, I would have sworn he was Jesse; pair of sunglasses, he'd be a ringer for Cass :P

Love classic Nick Fury. I didn't catch on at first though I probably should have because of the eye patch. But the way he speaks of Frank...it is nice. You don't usually hear even the good guys have too much positive to say about the old guy, even if they are doing the same thing--fighting for what they think is right with whatever abilities they had.

I know it's not the 616--it's MAX--but people keep questioning Fury and suspiciously going without roundhouse kick to the face.

Wow, that was a powerful scene with Elektra.

I liked that issue. Nothing spectacular, not particularly emotional, but I think it was fitting in it's way. Frank died as he lived, fighting till the last breath. Felt a little short, but I don't know if I would have kept at it had it been too too long.

Probably done for a while. Need both hands to do other things. But I will try to read and write more today or tomorrow, maybe.

--andie--

Justice League

Justice League, issue 5

I am less familiar with DC than I am Marvel, obviously. I mean, when your husband gets you into comics, you naturally jump on to titles that he is all ready interested in, and Michael tends to favor Marvel story lines and characters. Despite this, I do know--Geoff Johns is one of the big shots, one of the really good writers comics have today. One of my favorite comics ever was written by him (it was a retelling of Hal Jordan's origin story, which I enjoyed immensely).

While the wind rages something fierce outside, I am going to dive back in.

First, I gotta ask...who is the black guy with the metal arm?

No, no--not him; the other guy....

Okay, I am evidently going to have to be clearer.

This guy. He is prominently featured on the cover, in front of some of the more recognizable characters, so I am intrigued. Even more so as I do not recognize him.

Right quick: who are Flash and Superman fighting? It looks like he took out the rest of the team, and my first thought was that he looked like a baby sentinel from the Marvel X-Men universe.

(note right here: there is apparently a lymph node called the sentinel so you should exercise extreme caution when typing "sentinel" into google with no elaboration).

Okay, it is Darkseid? Somehow I missed that memo, along with the recap page. Are they not doing that any more? Now that I know it is him, I am surprised that my mind jumped to sentinel when skrull, Thanos, or Apocalypse might have been more of a natural assumption. Maybe it was because of the unusual coloring.

Hal Jordan is either incredibly brave and badass, or else suicidal. One thing is for certain, he is not a good team player yet--he is overly confident, doesn't work well with others, rushes in haphazardly and without plan...makes for an interesting character.

I do like the idea of Green Lantern/Hal Jordan and Batman/Bruce Wayne becoming close friends. I don't know how their relationship was prior to the new 52, but Bruce wouldn't normally unmask in the middle of a fight, wouldn't give people pep talks to motivate them, would probably be the one struggling the hardest not to try and take on the world by himself...

Great issue. I actually really enjoyed myself. It feels freeing to read a story that is not bogged down by more history than you could ever comprehend or ever conquer, especially with several new stories being churned out every month...that actually is neither here nor there; my point being: it is nice not having to stop every couple of panels to go "what the fuck? When did that happen? Weren't you dead?"..you get the idea.

I may take this series from the beginning. Certainly seems interesting enough. Do wish they had stuck with their original intent of giving Wonder Woman pants; at least that way she would have been noteworthy enough for me to mention before the very end.

--Andie--

oh! And the guy....? Cyborg. So now I know.

Avengers Academy 25

Apparently just to fuck with my "alphabetical order", Michael sent me "Avengers Academy" issue 25 right after I did "Avengers: X-Sanction". Yeesh :p

Can I just say: I love that Hazmat and Mettle are together. I have a huge soft spot for Mettle, and I like that he found love; it reinforces the idea that there is someone for everyone.

Awwwww.

These issues always feel chaotic at first, but accessible--if you keep going, everything will start to make more sense, whether you have been following the series or not. I like that.

Great issue, great ending. Couldn't even write about it because I was so engrossed.

Notes: Reptil is a pretty neat character in the future; my thought was that he was going to turn evil in order to protect Finesse, but he was a daddy and a hero, and totally adorable.

I don't recognize a ton of characters but it didn't feel like I had to to read the issue. It must have sucked for Pym to lose Wanda and then lose Jocasta; it was cruel of her to fake her own death, and arrogant of her to try and disassemble something that does not belong to her. Whatever else she is, Pym is much more intelligent and wise than she; as being a member of the Avengers, of course he knows that gathering many powered beings in one place is going to attract danger. It is the very nature of the job. And if he has paid attention to any of the x-men news over the years, he knows the risks it would pose to teenagers--I think that he took all of these considerations before starting this initiative.

All that being said: these characters were at particular danger for becoming villains. Just like Pym, like Quicksilver...like so many of those who have powers or abilities or intelligence, but improper guidance and lack of support system. On their own, not only were they more vulnerable than they would be in a group, they were also susceptible to negative influences. Leaving them to their own devices, or causing them to cast in with other teams that were unprepared or unaware of their particular tendencies would not make their powers or their back stories change at all; it would just make them feel alone in a crowd.

He positively influenced all of those kids' lives, and gave them all what they so desperately needed--someone to believe that they are the good guys; someone to guide them and believe in them, and to constantly work toward giving them a better life.

Jocasta is cold, heartless, and--let's face it--a fucking robot made by the killing machine Ultron. I don't think that she has the capacity to understand this on any conceivable depth except for the shallow interpretation she offered in the issue: gifted individuals together are going to cause some drama.

Anyways, I am hoping this is not the end of a very good series. I wish I had followed it with more regularity, but my ability to read anything of late seems to be limited to eBooks free and available on my phone (one handed, after all). Hank Pym is one of the more interesting characters Marvel has ever boasted, and to see him finally coming into his own badassery out of the shadow of the "big shots" like Cap and Iron Man and Thor was really nice. He is like so many of us--good, but maybe not good enough when compared to...fill in the blank there.

Maybe I will get the whole series. Anyone know of any TPB's currently out?

Crumbs! It's time to make lunch. Hope to write more after I eat!!

--Andie!--

Avengers: X-Sanction 3

Yay, new comics!!

Going in alphabetical order, I am going to start with "Avengers: X-Santion" issue 3 of 4.

This one is written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Ed McGuinness; I read the first in the series and even wrote a post about it, but I have not read the second. Probably don't really need to have read it--the recap pages are usually adequate.

The cover makes me giggle because it looks like Cable is Rulk's teddy bear/lovey--it doesn't look like fighting so much as cuddling. It could also look dirty, if it weren't for the ferocious look on Red Hulk's face.

No offense to the character, but I think red hulk has lost all novelty for me. I am just tired of seeing him, and I am certainly tired of writing his name.

Recap page raises mixed emotions: I would have liked to have seen the fight between Iron Man and Cable, but on the same token, I assume that it was handled about as delicately as anything Loeb does. He probably creamed Iron Man with little to no fight, which I would have hurt to see.

Why does Cable call Red Hulk "Talbot"? Everyone knows that Rulk is General Ross; which brings to mind that Cable did a half-assed job of tracking down the Avengers. If Talbot is transformed into Rulk at some point and he is the reason that Hope cannot save the world (-sigh-) then maybe Cable needn't have come back. Talbot's dead; good show, old boy.

Should I have been impressed by Blaquesmith showing up? Because as far as neat guest appearances, not that titillating. Also, since when is gunning someone down "the old-fashioned way"? I guess Cable is from the future so maybe psyonic attacks are more common in that era, but he also uses very high tech machinery...ehhhh, anyways.

Who is Tyler?

Hope has an ugly drawn heiny. It is weird to conceive of Scott being Cable's father when it feels like Nathan is considerably older....

Wolverine is acting weird. I can guess that because of the way his lettering is done.

I gotta be honest: the whole series has felt like a cluster fuck. I mean, they wanted to get from point A (X-Men and Avengers are on amicable terms) to point B (X-Men and Avengers fighting), so they are just going to confuse and anger key players and toss them in a room together? Feels weak, doesn't it? Four issues is not enough to completely demolish alliances and start a huge battle between friends. You need some sort of powder keg that is building for a while, then explode in a huge event--Stamford, Connecticut for example.

It feels like this whole story line could have been completely done without. It is possible I am allowing my apathy with everything Loeb does taint what is a decent story arc, but like everything else I have read written by him in the last few years, it feels like we are not accomplishing anything--that from the start of the issue to the end, we established little to nothing of consequence, it is just a distraction to keep you interested until they do something else.

I dunno. Not my favorite.

--Andie--

Avengers X-Sanction

First issue I am reading today: "Avengers X-Sanction", written by Jeph Loeb, illustrated by Ed McGuinness.

First impressions before I start reading--Ed McGuinness is so fabulous. I really love him. Not even Jeph Loeb can ruin it.

They have worked before, I remember. They collaborated on the Red Hulk series....

...in which the artwork shone, but suffered from a severe case of Loeb-asthenia. The series dragged on and on and on and on, even though everyone speculated from the first that it was (shock! Spoiler!!) freaking Thunderbolt Ross. I personally thought it would have been a much neater twist if they had made it Talbot, but ya know--I'm not the writer. The highlight of that Rulk series though was the artwork. You could take just about any page and it was frame-worthy.

Now, say what you want about Jeph Loeb, but his books darn well sell. Maybe we are all just gluttons for punishment and are waiting to see what offense he is going to force down our throats next (Ultamatium), or maybe we are just waiting for him to strike gold again like he did with the Batman: Long Halloween. He is a proficient writer, I will admit. He just too often uses his powers for evil.

So! Before beginning this comic, I am prepared for it to be anything from spectacular to absolutely nonsensical, but I guarantee it is going to do it prettily.

The cover raises some questions. For example: Cable is dead. Has he been resurrected? Is this series the one in which he will be resurrected? Is this -gasp- ZOMBIE CABLE?!!

Oh, I guess that has all ready been done. Darn.

And what is Captain America smelling there that is distracting him from bear-wrestling Cable?

He is definitely making poo-face.

The recap seems to support my either Cable is coming back in this series, or he is making a brief but short lived comeback for some action hero-esque "unfinished business". Why does Rulk say "Lock and unload, Avengers!"? Is he trying out a new catch phrase? Because as far as slogans go, this one is awkward and absolutely nonsensical. Or is he just trying to be pun-ny? That is even worse--it's embarrassing. You try that shit in real life and you're going to get the groans or uncomfortable silence while you wallow in your own idiocy. I like to imagine that is what happened to Ross when he pulled out that shiny gem; my theory seems to be supported by Iron Man blatantly pretending he didn't say anything at all.

Lethal Legion. Is this a preexisting group, or is it a new form of villainy? I am digging the classic-comic style name. Sinister Six, Legion of Doom...it fits in with the crowd.

Cable on the rooftop is somewhat neat, but even with the gigantic gun with the high-tech attached, he still manages to look like this:

And as far as I can tell, Captain America brought Falcon along to observe everyone else's awesomeness. "Falcon! Stay high!" But that'll teach Sam to second guess Cap's orders. He just got stole like...well...

The Nathan Summer's death scene was done quite well. Is he referring to Hope as his adoptive daughter or biological daughter?

What sort of energy projection guns does Cable have there? Cap takes on at some point, but I think it would have been cooler if Steve had his old guns on him--a sort of old soldier with old ways versus the future soldier with futuristic weapons. It would have made a more jarring contrast. Which of course Steve doesn't routinely carry his guns anymore, and people may erroneously conclude that it was Bucky Cap, but I think they could have made it work. Even if he just found a pistol to use.

The time traveler's lines--"The world couldn't be saved...because Hope wasn't there to save it"--felt weak and contrived. Or intentional--if there is one single thing that one could say to Nathan and get him to do what you want him to do (like, say, destroy the Avengers for no discernible reason) it is that they are a threat to Hope. But who could possibly be behind a move like that?

Final impressions: Good first issue. I am definitely intrigued. I don't think the Avengers would take out Hope unless they have darn good reason to do so, but perhaps if they saw her as a threat akin to Scarlet Witch or the Phoenix they would attempt a preemptive strike. I can't see them actually killing her, but then again the time travelling freakazoid didn't say that she died, just that she wasn't there to say it. She could have made the conscious decision to not or be held in a detainment center by the Avengers. Or this could be all a ploy.

Something of note: since the roster of Avengers are forever and constantly changing and they were not ACTUALLY mentioned by name, there is a chance that he has completely the wrong team.

Also, what is it with Loeb writing his main character as this mega-powered guy that can stomp all over the heavy hitters? Have you noticed that, too? First we have Rulk who beats the ever-livin' fuck out of Thor, much to the dismay of comic fans everywhere. And now in this issue, Cable (who is admittedly a powerful soldier in and of his own right) getting the slip on Captain America? Sorry, I am not exactly buying it. While not out of the realm of possibility, it feels like Cap walked into an obvious trap with no precautionary measures, an odd move for someone as judicious as Steve Rogers. I know it is for the sake of story, but it would have made more sense to me if they had taken out a weaker, smaller character first if they are going to pick them off one at a time. Especially since now Cable looks to weak to take down anyone else and he still has Red Hulk, Iron Man, Wolverine, and Spider-Man.

I don't know. I am trying to not let my sense of logic interfere with an entertaining story.

0.O Andie

Ultimates vol 5, Issue #1

Here is a brief editorial recap of the Ultimate universe to date:

Mark Miller leads with Ultimates volumes 1 and 2, which were fantastic re-imaginings of classic characters with strong and intriguing story lines. I mean, Thor as a potential mental patient; Hawkeye ripping off his own fingernails to use as projectile discs of death; Quicksilver running someone so fast they disintegrate....this world really had me hooked, maybe even more so than the "616" titles, as I was fairly new to comics and it provided me a fresh start free from decades of back story and character development.

And then came Jeph Loeb.

Great writer, great story-teller who apparently never forgave his parents for lying to him about Santa and now uses his talents to ruin the innocence in the rest of us. Ultimates 3 was really not that bad. I mean, it did introduce the relatively fantastic Clint Barton ass-cape, though I attribute that more to the brilliant Joe Madureira, who did a beautiful job in that series. Thor reverting to traditional Norse vernacular was disappointing, but I could cope. Big twists that led us through issue after issue with disappointing and predictable resolutions (such as Cap being in the Black Panther costume) served more to distract from the uninteresting story lines than anything else.

So, what to do when your run on a great and successful series starts circling the drain?

You blow that shit to hell, that's what you do.

Ultimatium made me completely throw in the towel--it was the last straw, and Ultimates no longer held any interest to me. It can basically be summed up by "Everybody Dies" with the caption "Goddammit, Loeb...". Since that disaster, I have stuck to the mainstream comics which tend to take less drastic gambles and are less of a risk for me.

But for some reason, I am optimistic about this Jonathan Hickman run in Ultimates volume 5. There is something I can't quite put my finger on, but there is just something I like about Hickman.....

Hmmm....

So, after losing all faith in Marvel's Ultimate universe, let's see how this comic goes over for me! =)

Cover is okay--artwork is all right, not my favorite but far from bad. I am intrigued because it brings the big three back together: Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America. No idea who Ribic or White are, though.

I don't know who that guy in Northern Germany is on the first page is, but that helmet is freaking ridiculous. He looks like a leader of a cult, a bunch of people in white and black jumpers that harken to modern 616 FF costumes, but that is no excuse for the cyclops/cone-head look this guy is sporting. You've got to wonder what he's got going on under there.

What is the Triskelion??? And what is this condition business? Green, yellow...very odd.

I got excited when I first saw Nick Fury walk out because that means that he was not subjected to the purging of Loeb, but that kind of dimmed when we fell into the very uninteresting (to me) debriefing of current political climates. Let's be honest--this is probably exactly what Fury would be talking about first thing in the morning. He is the director of SHIELD (is he not?) and has much business to attend to...but I can't help but think "blah blah blah condition red blah blah social climate in Bangkok blah blah can't we move on to some action?!".

The artwork is a little odd. Not bad--far from bad. It's just...it's got such clean lines, and then it is distractingly dark, and....granulated, maybe? I want to turn up the brightness of my laptop, but I sincerely doubt that is the problem--I think the colorist just used a very somber palette for whatever personal reason. Not my favorite; I wish they would brighten it up a bit.

Tony Stark: Fuddy-duddy. That ankle jab was funny; lighten up.

Ha! He does have a sense of humor--refusing to call William (his new butler?) by his name, insisting upon Jarvis...awesome. I miss him too, Tony.

Odin looks odd--I am just not sold on this artist. Asgardians rabble-rousing is always fun to see though.

Who's pregnant? Why am I not following this story at all? Hickman is doing a great job of writing, so I must assume it is the artwork that is throwing me off track. Either that or Emerald's constant chatter right next to me about Christmas plans.

The final picture of wide-eyed Nick Fury is unsettling all the way to my soul. His one eye can get awfully big.

As far as I can tell, this is what happened: everything is going to shit and Nick Fury is ignorant and impotent to stop it. Thor is getting drunk in Asgard but got knocked down to Germany by Excalibur who were attacking him for drunk and disorderly behavior (though that hardly seems their business) where a cult lead by a completely absurd looking leader have set up a giant dome center of worship/home. Tony suited up and was attacked by Stark Technology, possibly relating to nuclear radiation, since I seem to remember them referencing that to some extent. He did vomit all over himself. Steve Rogers is nowhere to be found, possibly because he gave up the mantle after the death of Spider-man and his feelings of remorse and guilt and sense of responsibility revolving around that event. Clint is Fury's go-to fella, but I can't figure out what he was doing or what he was supposed to be doing, but I noticed that he seemed to have failed at it.

So, all in all, little confused. Not so lost that I don't feel I couldn't find my way again. I did notice--suspicious lack of all female characters. All of these revolved around very masculine figures. Not a bad thing, just a note.

Hmmm. I am keeping an open mind. I will give it a few more issues, see how it goes.

--Andie!--

New Comics 8-10

Getting to read some comics this afternoon =)

First one was "Batman Arkham City #4" written by Paul Dini and illustrated by Carlos D'Anda.

I have been following this series pretty regularly--I am so excited about the game coming out that the comics are a perfect way to tide me over until then. This was probably my least favorite of those released so far. It just wasn't as exciting or enlightening or anything as the other three have been; far from a bad issue. I noticed that Poison Ivy is still in that panty get-up from the last game.

I wasn't really feeling it in the last game; not really feeling it in comic form either. I don't like that often female characters are reduced to their sexuality. I know, I know: How much can I really complain when games and comics have long been considered boy territory? But still, creators should know that more and more girls are getting into these mediums, and it would be nice to see SOME characters treated with a little more respect, ya know?

And before you say it--yeah, I know that boys have dealt with bulging codpieces without complaining; but you can hardly say that the rippling muscles and protruding package of Batman really that comparable to Poison Ivy's camel toe or Selina Kyle's pleather outfit that only zips to the navel.

All minor complaints aside, I really did enjoy the issue. Hugo Strange is a great villain for me because I am familiar enough with the name to recognize him, but not enough that I can't learn more, ya know? When you pick the really big names (like Joker) as the main bad guy, you are attracting a more casual audience with the series players, but everyone and their dog has an opinion over the interpretation of the character. Since Arkham Asylum all ready hooked us, I am really excited to see a "lesser known", but not a nobody, bad guy behind the helm.

Also, I would kill for those Batman and Joker converses. Advertising is working fellas; those are badass.

Second comic: "Fear Itself #5" written by the much beloved Matt Fraction, illustrated by Stuart Immonen (whom I am a big fan of--does great action scenes).

Iron Man down there as a blacksmith, pounding the sword...pretty fantastic, visually. ...Pretty fantastic no matter how you slice it. I would love to see a sword-wielding Tony.

Okay, in both this issue and in Arkham City, I am still seeing ads of Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern promoting milk...can we PLEASE move away from these? Heck, you know what I would rather see? Chris Hemsworth shirtless drinking milk.

Want milk? Hells yes.

"You one-eyed bellowing beard you" is what I am going to call my husband from now on. Seriously--that was awesome. Tony should get drunk more--Drunk Tony was fun. Drunk Tony is Drunk Mike. I wondered briefly how proficient he would be at making Asgardian weapons while snockered off his face, but let's be honest here: he was able to pull off being Iron Man all those years that he had brief moments of sobriety. He actually seems to be a little bit better at brilliance when under the influence. I hope he doesn't fall back into the habit though--it would be a weak plot ploy, I think.

I know that Thor is entitled to his own opinion...but I had always hoped that he at least respected Bruce Banner, ya know? Calling Hulk a great pain in the ass is far from unfair, but they used to be teammates. Matters to me, even if it doesn't matter to them.

Super impressed with Ben being able to overcome the spirit thing within him and not attacking the kids. Haven't seen anybody else do it, even when Betty tried to get through to Bruce. Maybe it was just because he was dying...I mean, Mjolnir is everything that is badass.

Not sure how I feel about the Steve Rogers combat helmet look--if it at least coordinated, I would feel much more certain about it. But it is green and the rest of his costume is red, white, and blue...it sticks out uncomfortably. Awesome: "Your dad couldn't. Figure you can't either."

Hasn't Magneto all ready done the floating island "bow before me" thing? Would have been a lot more impressive if Mags hadn't beaten him to it first.

There is someone with the Avengers that I am not recognizing. Male, black and white suit, red disc in the middle of his chest, mirrored on his belt. Seems to have a mohawk on his suit, standing next to Jessica Jones.

Was The Shield just broken?!?! Surely they can make a back-up/replacement, but....but....Cap's Shield!!!!

Cap never gives up, even when the odds are insurmountable. I really respect that about the dude, I really do--it's why everyone never hesitates to follow his lead unquestioningly. But when Spider-Man asked if he could go home and be with his family for what could be the end of the world? Just because everyone you love is dead Steve doesn't mean you can be heartless. My heart goes out to Luke and Jessica since Danielle is with fuckin Squirrel Girl.

And yes--you have to proceed such a ridiculous concept with fuckin. Fuckin Squirrel Girl.

What the tits are Franklin Richards's power? Because it look like Fuck-All.

Damn--when Steve gives up, when Thor is so exhausted he collapses on his feet....we are boned. Like, totally boned.

Those are the two comics I noticed in my Dropbox--I will keep reading later; the kids are getting a little restless. Also, when did Gabriel get naked? I should go dress him.....

Ahh!

--Andie~