Lost Character: Clea

That is a pretty sweet costume. 

Let’s take a look at Clea, one of the top sorcerers of the Marvel Universe and Dr. Strange’s main squeeze.

Clea was Dr. Strange’s student and eventual wife, giving her lots of valuable historical ties to important parts of the Marvel universe. She is basically another spell caster like Strange; magic users have vague enough powers that there is plenty of potential for variety and innovation. She has appeared in a ton of comics over the years, including whole runs where she was a supporting character. With Scarlet Witch currently starring in magic-based book, she could pop up there pretty easily. The most natural spot for a return is in the main Dr. Strange title, of course.

Her costume could be more dynamic, as the purple swimsuit over leggings is not very exciting. Some artists have given her some nice additional flair that jazzes it up though. Leggings, shoulder pads, pouches and body armor could all make her more unique looking. She’s also sported a cape on some occasions, which never hurts.

She can do anything Dr. Strange can do!

Clea actually isn’t dead, but is currently leading the resistance in the Dark Dimension against Dormammu. A clear opportunity for future stories!

Clea’s costume would be fairly easy to create and could be as racy or conservative as the cosplayer desired. With her white hair she could be easily recognizable as well. In fact, there was a Clea cosplayer at C2E2 this year!

Costume: Inoffensive (+15 points)

Power Set: Lots of Potential (+20 points)

Importance of Death: Still Alive! (+20 points)

Really an Inhuman?: Would be hard to retcon (0 points)

Cosplay Chances: Good (+20 points)

Return Total: +75

Good enough for Spidey? Good enough for me!

12 Days of X-Mas: Uncanny X-Men #330 (1996)

Now this is some Ninja Scroll anime action! Dressed like characters in a film, Archangel and Wolverine team up with Gomurr the Ancient and Dr. Strange to obtain a sip of the Crimson Dawn. The one mystical medicine that could save Psylocke before she dies of her Sabretooth-inflicted wounds.

And let me just point out, I find it hilarious that Psylocke is all bandaged back at the X-Mansion with only her face and a large swath of cleavage left exposed. Just like the real doctors do! Ha!

Her rescuers fight their way through an assortment of mystical type bad guys, including the well-named Undercloaks. They are another set of generic bad guys, but they look a lot cooler than the mist men from last issue. The heroes also face the odd Tar, who seems pretty petty and vindictive for a super-powerful mystic deity. He zaps Gomurr just because he's lonely.

In the end, Dr. Strange somehow pulls a Psylocke min-fig out of Archangel's heart and plunges it into the Crimson Dawn. This representation of their love allows Psylocke to survive in a burst of mystical energy. Not sure how that works, but at least it wrapped up in two issues!

One weird thing is the way Wolverine constantly calls Archangel "kid." I mean, I guess it makes sense chronologically, but Angel has been around a lot longer than Logan. I don't think of Archangel as an inexperienced hero. I am enjoying the slow degradation of Archangel's metal wings. This is leading up to my favorite incarnation of Angel, the one with faint blue skin, blonde hair, and feathered wings. It seemed like the best of both worlds in the '90's and it still does now.

I hope you've enjoyed this year's 12 Days of X-Mas, I know I did. For all the hate that Scott Lobdell gets these days, these old X-Men issues are very readable. They aren't all classics, but they have well-laid subplots, decent action, good guest stars and an interesting mix of villains. Classic foes like Juggernaut and Sabretooth show up interspersed with folks like the Gene Nation and Tar. This isn't exactly a golden age of the best X-Men comics ever, but overall, they have been

GOOD

12 Days of X-Mas: Uncanny X-Men #329 (1996)

Now let's start the review of Ninja Scroll #1! Oops, that actually probably starts a little more obviously next issue, but it sure is clear what Joe Madureira likes to draw. His manga influence is clear, but this is the story where he really gets to indulge it. With Psylocke on the verge of death back at the X-Mansion, Archangel and Wolverine head out to Little Asia to find more mystical help. They end up fighting some generic photoshop smoke ninjas. The poor quality of the photoshop really pulled me out of the comic, making it hard to get through. I don't remember having this problem when I first read the comic, but tricks like this don't age well. Putting Dr. Strange floating in front of an actual picture of New York City just looks distracting, not cool or realistic.

As always, though, Mad excels when drawing the costumed heroes. Archangel and Wolverine look great, even when rocking street clothes. Dr. Strange's big scarf look is well done too.

Scott Lobdell is joined by Jeph Loeb for this arc, and I wish I could say it helped. But there is the same stilted, purple dialogue that can be extremely hard to get through. After all, when the Mandarin changed Psylocke into a ninja, she came back as "something more. And something less." Ugh.

The other thing I noticed in this issue is how overpowering the caption boxes became. This is almost Chris Claremont levels of text crowding each panel. Trust the artist to tell the story, man! Joe Mad can handle it!

I had fond memories of this issue, but on re-reading it, I don't think it quite held up to my memories. The awful photoshop smoke warrior and the captions made it a lot harder to lose myself in the action than some of my other X-Mas reads.

Fair

New Avengers #5

Until the final page of this issue, this comic is all talking. The story of cosmic destruction and universal balance could literally star any scientist type characters. Iron Man doesn’t need his armor until the last page.

I mean, I know New Avengers is going to have a more cerebral tone than Avengers, but man! Terrax the Tamer is in this issue, and he spends pages and pages talking! Terrax! Best of all, it isn’t even really Terrax; rather it is an alternate reality version of the character.

Hickman seems to have a great grasp on the core cast. I dig the way he writes Black Panther as an ever-ready bad ass. Tony Stark has that right level of arrogance, and Reed Richards thinks he’s the boss even in a room full of leaders. Dr. Strange’s mystic tomes and interactions with Wong seem dead on also.

But the whole alternate Earth conflict, complete with ominous Galactus in the distance is so abstract. There is no villain in the book so far, so all of this is just sort of happening. As I said in yesterday’s review, I might just be a simpleton, but I don’t come to comics for man vs. nature battles. I want a villain! I’m sure Hickman has one, but we should know more about Black Swan and her motivations than we do right now. I think it is a question of pacing more than anything else, perhaps in a trade these answers will come out right away.

Steve Epting draws such cool looking super-heroes, it makes me sad that they spend so much time talking. It seems obvious to me; Tony Stark in space is not as cool as Iron Man in space. Thankfully, T’Challa is rocking his Black Panther costume all the time, so there is always one cool costume hanging around. Dr. Strange wears his a lot too, actually. I like Epting’s Beast more than the version in the X-books; he’s got a bit more of the class ape-face.

Fair

New Avengers #3

It is going to be hard to talk about this issue of New Avengers without mentioning a pretty big spoiler. I have a definite opinion on the “big” event of the issue, including the callback to Identity Crisis and my problems with heroes acting like this. I’m not sure I agree with Jonathan Hickman that out of all the “leader” types in the Marvel U, only Cap is a straight arrow.

Plenty of other stuff happens leading up to the big moment. Beast is recruited into the Illuminati, taking the place of the deceased Professor X. Beast is a good fit, and he adds some nice color to the panels. His redesign is not that jarring when drawn by Steve Epting.

Black Panther is still a mover and shaker in this title, but this is a lot more of an ensemble book than the first issue. I hoped for more of a focus on T’Challa, but perhaps that is not meant to be. I can hope though; Epting’s Panther is a revelation, and I’d love to see him in more action!

Action is a key point for me in a lot of Hickman’s stories. It seems like Hickman has a fair amount of action, but it never has the same weight as in other comics. I mean, this issue has a reformed Infinity Gauntlet repel the invasion of an alternate Earth. That’s big time! But it feels like it just sort of happens in a detached way, something I’ve found in other Hickman work.

Epting brings a lot of style to the proceedings, but I think the clinical approach of the leads is wasting his talents. Sooner or later, Epting needs to be able to cut loose and draw some people punching.

But that shocking ending kept me thinking about this book for awhile. That deserves a bump in the rating.

Good

New Avengers #2

Hmm. This was a lot slower paced than the first issue. I can certainly understand why; Jonathan Hickman has a lot of information he’s trying to dump in this one.

I always enjoy Hickman’s charts and diagrams when they feel like bonus material, but I’m not sure I love it as much when so many actual story pages are used. (I think three or four pages are largely taken up by these images.) I also worry that the plot is a bit… dense. I mean, there’s a lot of comic book science being thrown around as the Illuminati sit around the table. There’s not a lot of action to go along with it.

That’s a complaint about this whole comic. There is an awful lot of sitting around and talking. Even the confrontations, while well-written, are just talk. Who hasn’t wanted to see Black Panther confront Namor? Well, there’s some sparkling dialogue between the two, but not punches thrown. I’m confident Hickman knows what the audience wants, because it is there in the dialogue. And speaking of dialogue, Hickman does a great job with both the Panther and Namor. The others don’t have quite as much a chance to shine, but I like stand-up guy Cap, too.

The closing pages show off what Steve Epting could do with a little more action; those red-washed battle scenes are stunning. Epting’s Black Panther is fantastic, looking regal and powerful even when he’s just strolling around. I can’t wait to see a full-figure drawing of Iron Man; you know that will look great. I am unsure on the current look for Dr. Strange. It looks like he’s Sorcerer Supreme again, which is good, but that third eye is gross!

I think my only issue with this book is the pacing. I had the same complaint with Secret Warriors, SHIELD, and Fantastic Four from Hickman in the past. I do like his writing; I just think it works better in trade format.

Fair

Wolverine Annual #1 (2012)

When Alan Davis tells you he wants to write some comics featuring his pet characters wandering around Marvel’s New York City, you let him. That’s the moral of this totally random, but entertaining, three-part story. (I think Davis might even be tying into his Thor one-shot from a few years ago with those animal men. Would that make this a 4-part miniseries?)

We opened with the mysterious Vincent showing up and wreaking havoc on the Thing and Human Torch. Really, any character could have served; the important cog was Dr. Strange. Then, some of the more well-known Clandestine members teamed up with Dr. Strange and Daredevil to take on the Vincent-possessed Plastoid. Finally, we get the main Clandestine characters (along with Cuckoo and Dom from the DD Annual) alongside Wolverine. Again, just about any character could serve in Wolverine’s role, but Davis does a nice job making it seem like Wolvie is actually important to the story.

I really like the Clandestine. I have every appearance of the team, and Davis’ affection for his pet characters is clear. Dom is easily the most likable character for me, but I like the liquid-metal weaponry Sam uses too. The varied power sets and neat costumes make me long for more appearances of this weird family.

I also love the ambiguity in Vincent’s fate. Was he really a bad seed? Or did some creature from outside time really take on aspects of his personality. It’s neat that the family remains split, with no clear answer. Dr. Strange can’t help, and if the Sorcerer Supreme doesn’t know, then I don’t think anyone does.

Man, Davis is one of the top artists in the business. His Wolverine is short, but built like a tank. I wish we could have gotten the orange and brown suit; Davis always did the best version of that costume. And wow, how great is Dr. Strange. Seeing him like this in his “real” look and role, I can’t wait for that status quo to reset in more mainstream titles.

Good

Daredevil Annual #1

I find that "#1" a bit suspect... I suppose it's correct for this volume of Daredevil. But man, there must be a lot of confusing Annuals out there.

Wow. Alan Davis sure draws one hulking Daredevil! The guy looks like a professional wrestler! I’m used to seeing the more slim, athletic take on the character, I kind of like this bulked up version. Davis does an absolutely wonderful job show DD’s acrobatics too. There are some wonderful panels where DD is swinging down the street or bouncing off rooftops. The best sequence of the issue is the one where DD realizes he’s being followed and tries to double back on his shadow. Great use of powers and it is a cool show of character too.

This issue is a bit easier to follow than the Fantastic Four Annual a few weeks ago. Plus, we get two of the more recognizable members of the ClanDestine. Cuckoo is a telepath and manipulator and Dominic, the acrobat. I’m not sure Dominic is actually named, though, so this would be a tough read for folks not familiar with the Clan already. But wow, anyone should be able to appreciate that Daredevil vs. Dominic fight. Two sets of super-senses make it one fantastic looking battle. I also love that Dominic’s super-sensitivity gives him a glass jaw. What a hilarious weakness.

I don’t know the Plastoid at all, but I’m happy to see Davis tying the plot into Daredevil’s past. That makes this feel like it is still a Daredevil story. I appreciate the simple nature of the Plastoid’s eventual defeat too. Sometimes, the comic book way is best!

It’s interesting that Davis seems to be working so hard to put his pet characters in the grey area of Marvel heroics. He’s doing a really good job. These folks do seem to have the greater good as a goal, but they are willing to do shady things to get there. It’s also nice seeing the mystery at the close of the issue. When Daredevil asks Dr. Strange if there really was a “ghost in the machine,” Strange answers that if the ClanDestine couldn’t tell how could he?

I’m enjoying this tour of the Marvel U and the return of the ClanDestine. Hopefully we’ll get Walter/Wallop (blue strong guy) and Sam (armor and blades lady) next time.

Good

Daredevil #16

Hoo boy, as if this title needed to win me over any more. Mark Waid was already delivering the most exciting, innovative super-hero title on the stands, and then he goes and features one of my favorite characters. That’s right, when it’s time to re-set DD’s hypersenses; it’s time to walk around in ol’ Hornhead’s skull. And Hank Pym is the man for the job.

Waid uses this set-up as a chance to parallel the extremely difficult lives these two heroes have led. It’s pretty strange, seeing the names and faces juxtaposed between the two heroes, but it’s a neat effect. And man, does Chris Samnee sell the inner-ear action, with Pym hauling around an EMP gun, blasting away at the nanobots planted a few issues ago. In fact, I need to see if I can buy one of these pages, I need one on my comic cave wall! I’m sure this isn’t a relationship we’ll see again soon. Pym and DD don’t cross paths much, but man; it sure would be neat seeing these two sad-sacks hang out!

As for the secret in Matt Murdock’s desk, it’s a creepy one. I’m not sure if I believe Murdock or not when he protests his innocence, and that’s why it is so believable that Foggy Nelson is booting Matt from the practice. It’s another great twist that leaves Murdock’s life in shambles. After getting a beating for two issues then losing his job, can Daredevil hold on to his sanity? (I hope so!)

Again, Samnee’s art is just gorgeous. His Tony Stark has a casual look that just cracks me up, and he actually makes Dr. Strange’s boring costume seem OK. I can’t wait to see Samnee take on more costumed characters.

Good

Fantastic Four Annual #33

I’m sort of torn on this one. I absolutely love Alan Davis’ work, both writing and drawing. I also have read just about every Clandestine book that he’s done (I quit the ongoing when he left.) So this was an easy sell for me. But that said, as someone who has read a lot of Clandestine, I was having a hard time remembering who all these guys are. It’s just been too long! I’ve been reading comics for decades, I hate to say it, but sometimes those little recap pages are a big help!

I remember the lady with liquid metal powers, the patriarch of the family, the blue guy and the enhanced senses guy. I even remember Cuckoo, the magician. But I’m fuzzy on Vincent, and I don’t remember those two ghosts at all. Unfortunately, those three are the biggest players in the story!

And this is barely a Fantastic Four comic. I mean, Davis has the Thing and the Torch’s voices down, they are perfectly in character. But they’re little more than observers going on a tour of the Clandestine back-story. I’m not complaining, but I could see how someone looking for a FF story would be disappointed.

Davis’ Dr. Strange makes me miss the “real” version of the character. Davis does an amazing job with Strange’s intricate costume and powers. Stories like this that take place outside the “modern” storyline really makes me appreciate the timeless looks of most characters. No need for constant references to Civil War or AvX, just give us some solid adventure!

I’m sure this will all make more sense as the story continues, and of course, I’ll be getting the next annuals too. I look forward to Davis giving us timeless versions of DD and Wolverine in the next chapters!

Good (boosted by that wonderful art!)