Thor #8

This is almost the perfect comic. Jason Aaron’s story delivers a fantastic, logical reveal, and prefaces it with some wonderful high-octane action. Russell Dauterman has somehow become one of my favorite artists, and his portrayal of the ladies of the Marvel U taking on the Destroyer is absolutely gorgeous. I read this comic sitting in my work’s parking lot, something I haven’t done in 10 years or so, but that is how excited I was to find out the new Thor’s secret identity. And thanks to the well-choreographed action that opened the issue, I had a smile on my face the whole time.

I’m not going to give it away here, but Aaron swerved me with the obvious choice over the last few months. I read this book with my daughters (we all love it) and while my 7-year-old was with me with the obvious suspect, my 10-year-old didn’t buy it. She told me that “they wouldn’t just give it away that easily.” I will say that they were both happy about the reveal, although my younger daughter especially was immediately overcome with concern for this character. It was pretty great to get to tell her “this is a comic book, buddy, I’m sure the writer has a plan in mind.” Jason Aaron has repeatedly proven himself to be one of the best writers in comics and this is just another piece of evidence building that case.

But Russell Dauterman. I didn’t know this guy at all, and he has impressed the hell out of me. The character work on all these guest-stars is stunning. Karnilla the Norn Queen became one of my favorite characters in the span of two pages! (I thought she resembled the singer St. Vincent, anyone else get that vibe?) In any case, my younger daughter immediately declared that she wants to try to get an artist to draw Karnilla at the next comicon she attends. (It’s good to have a plan, right?)

Scarlet Witch, Spider-Woman, Captain Marvel, Lady Sif, Freyja, Angela, Karnilla, Valkyrie, and the new-to-me Hildegard. What a fantastic lineup of suspected Thors and guest stars. And throughout all of this, Aaron and Dauterman keep “regular Thor” as an integral part of the story. This has become a team-up book featuring the two Thors and I love it.

I said this was almost the perfect comic. And I meant it. It is EXCELLENT. This is Marvel Comics done right, folks.

(FYI: The perfect comic book will never exist because it would be a team-up of all my favorite b-tier Justice Leaguers and Avengers.)

Original Sin #1-8

So I’m having a bit of a hard time determining exactly what the point of Original Sin was, exactly.

SPOILERS AHOY!

So the big reveal is that Nick Fury has kept on aging since WWII, and that we’ve seen dozens of his LMDs over the years, rather than the actual dude himself. That’s a pretty big reveal, I suppose. We also found out that he’s been “the man on the wall” shooting big monsters and aliens if they get too close to our precious blue marble. As is usually the case with these huge reveals, it brings up a lot of questions better left unanswered. I assume Nick Fury vs. SHIELD never happened. Nick Fury’s blood donation of the Infinity Formula that saved Mockingbird? I guess she actually got a bag of robot blood? Works for me.

If I understand correctly, he selected a crew of possible replacements (that’s the Black Panther, Ant Man, White Queen, Gamorra, Moon Knight, Dr. Strange, Punisher, Winter Soldier team). As anyone who has read the solicits for next month’s comics knows, Winter Soldier is the lucky winner, getting a new series with the high concept that he will be shooting mysterious aliens and monsters in the head before they see him. I’m not sure how that will fill 20 pages a month, but I’m sure Marvel has a plan. Some of the pairings worked better than others, honestly. White Queen, Black Panther, Ant Man, and Dr. Strange made a surprisingly likable team. Moon Knight and Winter Soldier fit in nicely too. Gamorra, Punisher, and Rocket Raccoon never quite fit in as well, though.

As is often the case with these types of books, it is hard to nail down the stars. Black Panther’s team is the closest thing we’ve got, but most of the conclusion in issue #8 features the Avengers. It is disappointing we didn’t see more of them, because Jason Aaron does a really nice job with their voices, especially Captain America. Nick Fury’s interaction with Cap has to carry a lot of history and emotion, and Aaron manages to deliver exactly what is necessary. Again, my guess is that the main reason the Avengers featured so prominently is so that Thor could drop his hammer once he proved himself unworthy.

Aaron’s pet characters make out pretty well. Dr. Midas is seemingly killed, but his hand lives on, complete with the alchemical gold power that gave him his name. His daughter Oubillete can either become the new Dr. Midas, or just take on his empire. It’s a good new status quo for a villainess with potential. The Orb makes out a bit better. He’s still got an eyeball head, but now he has one of the Watcher’s eyes embedded in his chest. Maybe that will give Orb a few new powers too.

The central mystery, “Who shot the Watcher?” has two answers. The Orb shot out one eye. Nick Fury killed Uatu and took the other. I don’t exactly understand why. I guess Uatu was tired of watching? He says “I’ve seen too much” and basically commits suicide by cop with Nick Fury, but… the why eludes me a bit. Then there is the ending. There is a weird, one-eyed dude wandering around in some purple crystal gear, and I assume it is supposed to be Nick Fury. Or is it some other weird guy who was chained up in the Watcher’s home? Does it matter? Honestly, I’m not sure!

Mike Deodato’s art is pretty solid. His character work is very strong throughout. His Moon Knight and Black Panther are particularly cool. I would have liked a bit less bling on Dr. Strange and a few other guys that don’t need all those weird little chin straps and shoulder pads. I also thought some of the action scenes looked odd. Heroes and villains looked oddly shrunken, like colorforms placed on a background. Is that just me?

So this was 8 issues with mostly at $3.99, some at $4.99. It makes for an expensive read that was decent, but not great. Frankly, I wish Jason Aaron would have stayed on Wolverine & the X-Men a few more issues rather than this FAIR comic. 

Original Sin #1

Oof. I know this comic is about space-murder, but man, what a downer.

Seriously. I’m kind of shocked that Jason Aaron wrote this one, as there is no evidence of the sense of fun and adventure that permeated his other Marvel works. I can’t blame Allan Heinberg and Ed Brubaker, because their work is usually right up my alley too. Could it be that there were too many cooks in the kitchen?

And almost nothing happens. The Avengers talk about some steak, investigate poor Uatu’s crime scene, and then the many varied players start assembling for their team-ups. Perhaps part of my problem is that everything in this issue had pretty much been revealed in interviews and preview materials. For whatever reason, the only thing that caught my interest in the whole issue was the scene when Spidey and the Thing took on the Mindless One. I’m gonna need a whole lot more of that type of stuff to come back, though.

I will admit to being intrigued at some of the team-ups. There is a lot of potential in mixing and matching the Marvel U heroes like action figures. Why shouldn’t Ant Man team up with White Queen? I sure hope Black Panther isn’t teaming up with a villain. I know that moral compromises are the fuel for New Avengers, but I dropped that book for a reason. I’m confident that Aaron is writing him to get a good moment, though. I’m not too worried.

And the angst! Geez, this was full of the portentous, dire dialogue that made Infinity bleed purple (prose). Nick Fury is worried that the killer might be a good guy! Actually, looking back, almost all my problems with this involve Nick Fury. He’s just a boring element who barely moves the plot. All he does is walk on panel and glower.

Mike Deodato’s art is pretty darn nice. I don’t care for the space suits on the Avengers, but I love the Mindless One fight. The action is dynamic and the rubble has a nice variety of size and weight. There is a tad too much Photoshop in the backgrounds, but the foreground figures are solid throughout.

I’m not an idiot, I know murder mysteries can’t be “fun,” exactly, but the comic shouldn’t feel like a chore to read. I’m reading Infinity on Marvel Unlimited, and it is really not good. If Original Sin is going to read in a similar dour fashion, I may just cut out now. 

I liked the 0 issue, though, and Aaron has written enough excellent comics for me to give this EVIL comic one more chance to redeem itself. 

Southern Bastards #1

So, this isn’t Scalped. And I’m not sure that is a bad thing. Scalped is one of my favorite comics of all time, but man, it is emotionally exhausting. You feel like you’ve had a long day after reading a collection of Scalped stories. Southern Bastards still feels like a Jason Aaron comic, but maybe one that won’t be quite as emotionally exhausting.

Earl Tubb is our protagonist. He’s an escapee from the small town in Craw County where our story takes place. He’s a man who only comes home to clean things up and race back out again, hoping his return lasts only three days, or maybe even two. Earl promises someone on the phone that he’s not sticking around, and in this first issue we never see who it is he’s talking to. That’s a nice narrative lead that Aaron can pick up on later, as is the fact that Earl’s uncle has moved into a nursing home. The Uncle is in a home, not dead, and therefore an excellent source of future drama, exposition, and plot development. Aaron knows what he’s doing.

Craw County feels like a pretty corrupt place from the start. If the pooping dog on page one or the fact that “Boss” owns everything in town, then the orange wash hanging over every panel would probably give you the right idea. It’s a place Earl wants to get away from, but just going out to get dinner starts to get him tangled up.

It’s interesting that Aaron loves these stories about men returning home to places they’d rather leave behind. Dash Bad Horse wanted out of the Rez, and Earl wants out of Craw County. While Dash had orders to stay, Earl gets involved in some local criminal enforcement from someone called “the Coach.” I don’t think the Coach will take kindly to having his boy’s smacked around with a fry basket. That’s another similarity between Dash and Earl; they are both ass kickers.

Jason LaTour does a nice job with the action, everything is clear. The book has a lot of flashbacks, most of them wordless. But the parallels between past and present are effective and striking. LaTour does a nice job with the cast, too. It can’t have been easy to give these similar characters their own look and personality, but LaTour pulls it off. You can get vibes from these characters just from the “acting” on their faces. Especially the reluctance from Earl.

This is a GOOD introduction to another compelling crime comic. But that $3.50 price tag is disappointing. If Image is boosting their prices now, my budget is going to go even shorter than it is now!

Thanos Rising #1

I hadn’t planned on picking up this book, but when push came to shove, I trust that Jason Aaron would do a good job re-telling Thanos’ origin. Once I actually go into the book, I think my trust is well-founded. I certainly don’t remember any of this from past Thanos appearances. I know the character pretty well, but my main familiarity is from early 90’s Silver Surfer and later, so I can’t say if this retcons anything or not.

Thanos is the child of Mentor and Sui-San. While Mentor seems to be oblivious to the darkness in Thanos, his mother tries to kill him almost immediately after he is born. I always thought that the Eternals of Titan had more physical variation, so Thanos’ purple gorilla look wouldn’t stick out as much as it does here. In this story, Thanos sticks out like a sore thumb. He’s a genetic freak, although most of the kids around him seem to be willing to look past that. Aaron drops in a few hints of the darkness within Thanos, but he really seems to be trying to be a good kid. Eventually, though, Thanos is manipulated into a tough situation that seems to change his entire outlook. Or it may just be unleashing his dark side.

Any good tendencies in Thanos are in spite of his distant, calculating father, Mentor. Simone Bianchi really changes up Mentor’s look; I’d never recognize this as the same guy from my old Marvel Universe handbooks. My one other complaint is the lack of Starfox. He gets mentioned a few times during the issue, so I’m hoping that Aaron is going to give ol’ Eros a good, dramatic introduction next issue.

How old is Nebula? She’s a character with a lot of Thanos-ties, so I’m keen to see if she shows up in this mini too. At first I thought the girl manipulating Thanos might be Death, but since everyone talks back to her, I’m hoping for Nebula.

As I said, Bianchi really changes the look of the Eternals. His painted look, combined with the tremendous detail on every page, make this a very beautiful comic. The facial expressions are crystal clear throughout, with fine acting even on Thanos’ insane-looking face. I like the iguana lizards that seem to be the main other occupants of Titan. Tough planet!

Good

Thor: God of Thunder #6

It is weird that Jason Aaron would have two books ship in the same week, and they’d both be villain-background pieces. What are the odds? We got Dog’s history in Wolverine & the X-Men, and this issue is all about Gorr the God Butcher.

Aaron taps into classic feelings of confusion about religion to make Gorr a lot more relatable than Dog. Gorr has a horrible life on his unnamed world. Pretty much everyone around him dies as they scrabble through their lives on an unforgiving planet. I liked the small touches like the “cave apples” and “salt worms” that give the world an alien but still familiar feel. (At first I thought the salt worm was a flower with a face!)

It is easy to identify with Gorr’s sense of betrayal, and it is hard to fault him when he takes revenge on the gods who fell right in front of him. Of course, it seems to me that the evil, dark-armored one may have passed on a weapon that made Gorr more evil than angry.

The story flashes ahead, not quite to the far future of the current storyline, but closer. We see Volstagg as a pale shadow of his former self. He’s starving after working in the mines to build something for Gorr. He points out something to Gorr that has been obvious to the reader for some time: by becoming an immortal god-killer, Gorr is now a god himself, isn’t he?

Butch Guice steps in on art this month, and it is amazing how much human emotion he’s able to get out of those alien faces. Gorr’s family looks so close to human that it is heartbreaking watching them suffer. I found the scene with the transforming sword a little bit hard to follow, but clearly the space god’s sword transforms into a more era-appropriate weapon for Gorr; a sharp stone. Now it seems to turn into whatever he needs.

I like to imagine those fallen “gods” might be a space knight and a dire wraith, but I’m probably over-thinking it!

Good

Wolverine & the X-Men #26

This issue suffers by comparison to the other recent books in this series. Jason Aaron’s mad take on the X-Men has been one of my favorite comics for months now, so when we get an issue that is merely entertaining rather than brilliant? I’m going to be a bit tougher of a grader.

This issue focuses on Wolverine’s half-brother Dog, introduced in the terrible Origin limited series. I don’t have a problem with the idea of an evil brother; it’s a staple in fiction. But when Sabretooth is already out there in so similar a role, it’s tough not to compare Dog to the more established villain.

Dog’s past is entertaining and sad, there is no doubt. It is easy to see why he turned out to be such a jerk. I even like that Dog articulates every villain’s belief: he’s the hero in this story, Wolverine is the villain.

The problem is, in order to make Dog a legitimate threat to Wolverine, Aaron has to equip him with all sorts of neat futuristic weaponry. It just doesn’t work for me. Dog’s look doesn’t lend itself to future weapons, the incongruous match of future tech and old-timey clothes make for a confusing villain. His powers don’t match the look, basically. I’m still anxious to see how the brothers resolve this confrontation; I just don’t care for Dog as much as I could.

Ramon Perez is very impressive once again this month. His art switches back and forth between the pastel-style of Wolverine’s “Origin” series and the more modern look he established last month. I love his cartoony style when drawing Wolverine. Logan’s eyes are particularly expressive. I will say the backgrounds are lacking, but the dynamic foreground action during the fight distracts from the lack of setting.

Fair

Thor: God of Thunder #5

Well now that’s weird. I absolutely loved this issue when I started reading it, because it promises the beginning of the Gorr, the god-butcher’s comeuppance. In the past, present, and future, Thor is out to turn things around and start bringing it to the new villain. I finished the book eagerly anticipating the final showdown with the Butcher. But it seems I’m wrong, this is the conclusion of the first arc. 

It is labeled as “Part 5 of 5” yet as far as I can tell, there is no resolution in sight.

In the past, Thor’s Viking companions show their grit and loyalty in facing down the Butcher. Thor manages to bust free and really do some damage to his captor. In the present, Avengers-Thor is on the warpath, hunting down Gorr and his underlings as they attempt to change the universe by traveling through time. Thor is having none of it, and once again wallops Gorr a bit. Gorr’s got a master plan, but I don’t think he’s got quite the upper hand he thinks he does against Thor.

In the future, old Thor needs some help. Good thing Avengers-era Thor is doing some time-travelling, huh?

I have really enjoyed this story, but I must confess I’m ready for a full on confrontation. I want our hero to get his licks in and be able to do something besides chase the god butcher around the galaxy. I think that time is coming; I just think it should have come at the conclusion of this arc rather than in a later one.

Esad Ribic’s art is wonderful, but surely he can’t keep this up? I need to check out the solicits, I don’t think this level of painted work is too quick to produce. Although looking back, there are definitely some shortcuts in the backgrounds. Most panels just have different colors. I didn’t notice that on first read, though, because they colors are used to effectively to feature the foreground characters. This book is like a Brom painting come to life!

Good

Wolverine & the X-Men #1-8

Wow. Just, wow. I’ve been a fan of Jason Aaron’s writing for awhile now. I knew he could do heartbreaking crime like Scalped, and I knew he had a great angle on straight up action, like Wolverine. But I find myself shocked at this first arc of Wolverine & the X-Men. I started picking up the title during AvX, and it is still a good comic. But the opening chapters introducing the location, staff, and students at the Jean Grey Academy are simply brilliant.

The weakest aspect of these opening issues is the new Hellfire Club. I appreciate what Aaron is trying to do, but I don’t love the idea of a group of kids taking over for big time villains like Sebastian Shaw. That said, the Club’s plans have been great fodder for stories. I’m shocked that Aaron can actually make the following plots flow naturally: Krakoa’s attack on the school, Sabretooth (I thought he was dead?) going after Abigail Brand to upset the Beast, and best of all, Kitty’s pregnancy, and Wolverine and Quentin Quire doing some intergalactic gambling to raise school funds. That’s just crazy!

Of the many plots, I think the combo of the Brood attack and the gambling for funds is my favorite run. Kid Gladiator has some great dialogue, and Warbird’s attraction to Iceman is a great twist. I also remain stunned at the strange attraction between Iceman and Kitty Pryde. I never would have predicted that either, but it actually works.

Chris Bachalo is a known quantity. His pages dealing Krakoa’s attack on the school can be a bit murky, but the sense of design and action is always strong. His Bamf’s are hilarious, and his hunched over Wolverine looks tired even when he first appears. I think Bachalo does better work in costume, so some characters like Kitty Pryde or Iceman sometimes get lost on the page. (That never happens to Beast, though!)

Nick Bradshaw, however, is shiny and new. I was impressed when I first saw his art, and I remain stunned. Kid Gladiator and Warbird look wonderful. I love the design of the traveling space professor, and Bradshaw’s Brood are spooky, even when microscopic. Bradshaw brings the comedy to life in Aaron’s scripts. Plus, Broo actually looks cute! That’s hard to do!

Excellent

Wolverine & the X-Men #24

Ah, time for the “breather” issue. The time when a comic can take a break between bigger storylines. Of course, in Jason Aaron’s run, the stories have been action-packed, but never depressing. Even when things seem to be at their worst, there is still a sense of joy in this comic that really sets it apart. 

This issue is all about characters pairing off and maybe making a go of it as a couple. (Much to Toad’s dismay.) Aaron has been laying the groundwork for Iceman and Shadowcat for a while now, and they do seem to work nicely together. I’m not sure there is much of a future there; Shadowcat especially has too much on her mind. But I like that Iceman is even involved; he rarely gets in these love triangles. 

The weirdest pairing is the one featured on the cover. I never really realized (or perhaps it is a new reveal) that Storm and Wolvie have a bit of a romantic past. She sure insinuates as much when the two of them team up in the new Danger Room. When Wolvie gives her back the old Mohawk look, things really heat up. Poor Black Panther, I can only assume that the one person he didn’t want his ex-wife hooking up with was the ol Canucklehead. Or maybe Namor. Can’t be sure! 

One pairing that seems strange at first, but actually works, is bad boy telepath Quentin Quire and the young Jean Grey. Quentin is confident and a better guy than he lets on, and Jean is running from the whole Cyclops-type good guy. I don’t think the two of them will get far, but I like the idea that these two would find each other. They could probably be a good influence in each other’s lives! 

David Lopez really brings his A game to the book. I’ve always liked his work, but this really stands out. His Storm is simply stunning. He really sells the acting between Iceman and Shadowcat on their date, too. I can’t remember the last time I saw such expressive faces.

Good

Thor: God of Thunder #4

I think I heard that this run of Thor was featured on Big Bang Theory, right? Interesting choice. Jason Aaron is still telling the story of the God Butcher, a nasty customer chopping his way through the pantheons of the cosmos. Aaron’s approach is quite interesting, but not very friendly to a new comics reader. The story is still jumping around in time, and there were actually a few panels where I had to go back and re-establish where we were in the narrative.

In the past, the Butcher is taunting a captured Thor, and we know that from the other parts of the story that something interesting happens here. Something that makes the Butcher change Thor’s spot on the checklist. Current Thor teams up with a pitiful god of waterfalls to research the Butcher’s current plan. It involves time travel, so maybe that explains why we’re seeing three differently-aged Thors as the leads in this story. I love the addition of the new deity, he’s sad, but funny, like a good action movie sidekick.

The (chronologically) last segment features Thor as the last living God, fighting off waves of the God Butcher’s creatures. This Thor has essentially given up, but I’ve got to think the arrival of that guy on the last page will make a difference. Aaron has done a great job with time-switched approach. He’s created a mystery comic filled with action and the “big” settings we expect from Thor, but with a feel I’m not used to. Thor isn’t usually doing research in libraries!

Esad Ribic’s art is stunning, as always. Some of the pages with the God Butcher torturing Thor actually gave me chills. The Butcher’s design is still a bit reminiscent of Voldemort, but he’s different enough that he works. I love the rage that is apparent in his face and dialogue, what did the gods do to get him so angry?

Good

Thor: God of Thunder #2

I like that young Thor just hangs out in Midgard with Vikings.

After last issue’s split between the three eras of Thor, this one takes place almost exclusively in the past, with a young, Mjolnir-less Thor facing the god butcher. 

This thing is almost all action. There are a few fun pages as Jason Aaron sets the mood (he does it best with the shadowy form in the ocean fog), but things get bloody quickly. The butcher is already hard at work taking out Russian deities; that ends up being lucky, since Thor needs their Pegasus mounts to bring the fight. It’s pretty sweet seeing the two horses help Thor out, maybe seeking revenge for their masters?

For most of the issue, Aaron wisely steps back and lets Esad Ribic’s art speak for itself. The battle is stunning, with the god butcher sporting a pretty spooky look. He’s sort of Voldemort in the black and white spidey suit, with tentacle nipples. So yeah, it’s weird, but there is definitely long-term potential with this design. 

The story about the murderous god in Thor’s youth is a neat parallel, but I found that it actually took me out of the battle a bit. I actually read all the captions concerning Thor’s youth, then went back and absorbed the art. There were just a few too many words for me to feel the thrill of battle 

Good

Wolverine & the X-Men #21

I can safely say that I’ve never even considered Frankenstein’s monster could be a corrupting circus ringmaster. So that’s a point to you, Jason Aaron! 

This issue felt distinctly Claremontian, with its mind control, alternate costumes and abuse heaped on the faculty at the Jean Grey Academy. I did find it interesting that Warbird is counted among the main team now; I almost thought it was Dani Moonstar for a moment! 

Had we already determined that one of the new Hellfire Club members is a Von Frankenstein? I certainly don’t remember it, but it ties this current, madcap story to the ongoing tale of this title. I like the idea that the Monster basically wipes out entire towns through mental powers, but that the X-Men alone are putting up a heck of a fight. Part of what makes the whole issue so disconcerting is the en media res approach that the X-Men have already been beaten. Aaron emphasizes the power of his leads by giving almost every one of them a chance to vocalize their confusion and resistance to their new circumstances. They’re down, but not out. 

Nick Bradshaw is fantastic. Other than drawing the bustiest Kitty Pryde I’ve ever seen, I’ve got nothing back to say about his art (and I suppose that one thing isn’t BAD, exactly). The debut of Clown Wolverine is a triumph of storytelling in one panel. That goofy grin, the strange tilt of Logan’s walk and the bucket of vomit… how can the reader not be stunned at the state of our lead? 

Good