Secret Invasion: X-Men #1
Loved it.
Mini-series especially company wide crossover mini-series usually get completely ignored by me. But Rich (owner of Whatever... located in San Francisco's Castro district) asked me if I wanted to have it set aside anyway and figured the fates must be trying to tell me something. And I really am going to thank Rich for setting this aside for me. It actually got pretty close to selling me on the Secret Invasion crossover. Wait, strike that, it sold me on the INVASION crossover. There really is no secret when Colossuwolverclops attacks you on the street or a portion of the Skrull armada starts blasting the hell out of San Francisco. But that's not Mike Carey's fault, that's Bendis' fault. ; )
One of the big problems with the X-books right now is that the new HQ in San Francisco has been introduced, re-introduced and re-re-introduced and consequentially they get kind of muddled about the edges. But the scene of the Skrulls blowing up fisherman's wharf is fantastic, especially with Cary Nord's moody art.
I've always loved the idea of the Skrulls as shape shifters because there's nothing like a villain that could be anyone, but since they could be anyone, they never focus on who they really are. Now Marvel seems to finally be fleshing out the Skrulls beyond "they can change their form and they hate the Kree." Giving them a priest cast, and making this a holy war certainly makes their intentions more interesting. But isn't it a little dicey since it turns this whole thing into a metaphor for a terrorist invasion?
One political gripe aside, it's a pretty good story that will at least entertain. If you think you'll like it, than you probably will.
Uncanny X-Men #500
REALLY LOVED IT!
I love Brubaker's ability to ghost write in anyone's style and it definitely makes him one of the most important writers in comics. "Did you out Dardevil and send him to jail? We'll put Brubaker on it! Have the X-Men become a directionless mess since we decided to get rid of all but 200 (give or take) mutants in the Marvel universe? Lets get Brubaker to tell a year long space opera to take people's minds off it till we can think of a solution." On this book he's been doing a sort of gritty Claremont that has actually consistently kept my interest. Just good fun super-heroics with a bit of fan-service to years and years and years of X-Men continuity. Which at this point, is all I want from a book that has to appease such a massive fan base.
The plot on this issue is simple. X-Men have moved to San Francisco (see what I mean?) and an avant guard French artist is using three decommissioned sentinels in his exhibit. The X-Men are asked to act as security at the event and Magneto shows up to ruin the festivities (can't be a massive anniversary issue without him!). Everything I wanted from this issue was there. Action, humor and social commentary. My only real complaint is Greg Land. But he's a minor quibble in my book next to Simon Bianchi.
Madame Xanadu #1
Left me wanting.
I'm hoping this is going somewhere... The covers on the next few issues are intriguing.
The Invincible Iron Man #4
Losing interest.
I was really excited to get into the world of Iron Man because I feel he has a lot of potential, but I keep realizing that no one writes him the way I would. Ellis is the only one and no one else is doin' it that way. I like Ezekiel Stane though.
Ultimate X-Men #96
Mixed nuts.
This new writer seems to have finally hit his stride the issue after he completely lost me, and since this series is getting the ax anyway soon, I'm jumping ship. I'm sad that the Ultimates line is dying. But as with most off-shoots that are not main-line continuity, they have to die sometime. Here's to you Ultimate Universe, may your trade paperbacks go on to confuse the hell out of the next generation of comic book readers!
X-Men Legacy #214
Can't get enough.
Astonishing X-Men 26
GAH!
This is a great big trainwreck. I love Ellis. I really do. But lets look at the X-Men for a second. What are they and what is their place in the Marvel universe? They're heroes whose powers are genetic. Wouldn't Ellis be geeked to examine biological powers and what one can do with that angle? Wouldn't Sinister be a villain right up his alley? Instead we see some of this concept with the fire bug, but for the most part it feels suspiciously like Whedon's Space-Opera a-la Breakworld. Wonder if Ellis is going to leave Storm in an energy cloud that needs to be constantly controlled to prevent it from destroying the universe. (bigger stakes, see?) And I'll just reiterate once more, I hate Simon Bianchi. (you're gonna hear this A LOT!)
Captain Britain and MI13 #4
Always leaves me excited.
I miss the Davis/Claremont Excalibur days and this book does a good job of making me miss those days and it's a lot better then the last time Marvel tackled a British super-team. Pete Wisdom and Captain Britain on the same team is always solid gold.
Daredevil #109
Dropping this title again.
I love Daredevil, he's my favorite hero in comics (thanks in large part to Frank Miller). I identify with him more than any other character out there, and while Brubaker is doing fun stuff, I think I'll pick it up in trade format. Daredevil's always better as a novel anyway.
Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #32
Dropping this title.
Wolverine: Killing Made Simple #1 (and only)
Will always be a sucker for Wolverine.
I originally hated the idea of monthly Wolverine one-shots that mean an extra $3 bucks a month out of my pocket. But I gotta say, these keep being good. Having one Top Dollar writer and rising star artist handle the main story with two new guys handling the backup is a stroke of freakin' genius! Wolverine is a character that is handled much better as a side character or in one issue stories anyway. If a writer has a good long story to tell with the guy, then by all means, write his main book. Otherwise, we have these neat little one shots that get to show these artists and writers being the best at what they do.
Wolverine #67
Wow!
Millar, you're my hero. This is the best Wolverine story in a long time, and the best alternate universe since the Age of Apocalypse. Every issue is better than the last.
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