12 Days of X-Mas: Iceman (1984)

J.M. DeMatteis picks up Iceman during his time as a Defender. Oddly enough, this series seems to take indecisiveness as Bobby Drake’s main characteristic. He’s not sure what he wants to do with his career, what he thinks of his parents, or really, anything. The only times he seems to be more confident is during his fights.
It’s interesting that this is another one of those 80’s limited series where the X-protagonist faces off against weird fantasy or sci-fi villains. Longshot, Nightcrawler, and this mini all have that odd thing in common. Was that by some weird editorial fiat or something?

I mean, when I think of an Iceman story, it is hard to imagine the right foe is Oblivion, the personification of the concept in the Marvel U. In the big confrontation at the conclusion of the mini, Oblivion just drops Iceman down his shirt, and Iceman sort of spins around and convinces Oblivion to let him live. Wait, what?

Seriously, this is just crazy! DeMatteis has a history of  externalizing internal concepts, and I think that works sometimes. Not so much here. Even the comparison between Bobby Drake and Oblivion's daughter doesn't really hold up, even if they do go through some of the same emotions.

Alan Kupperberg’s art is clean and clear. I like his take on Iceman; it’s a very boxy design, with the slabs of smooth ice looking particularly neat in comparison to modern Iceman. Kupperberg draws some weird, weird stuff here, but I'm certain it was in the script. Oblivion's realm isn't exactly Hell, but it sure isn't Heaven.

All in all, this is actually kind of hard to grade. It's such a weird book!

Average

12 Days of X-Mas: Uncanny X-Men: Fear Itself TPB

Time for the 12 Days of X-Mas! I'm leading off with a fairly modern story, but I'll be bouncing back in time starting tomorrow. I've selected an assortment of series and one-shots starring different X-Men, and I'll be doing one per day for the 12 days of X-Mas. Hope you enjoy it! Merry X-Mas!

Kieron Gillen seems to be doing a much stronger job when he is writing this book solo. Gillen goes all-in with Matt Fraction’s jerk Cyclops. Cyke gets to fly his jerk-flag high when Juggernaut starts marching on San Francisco. The mayor of SF, normally an ally, makes the mistake of “almost” crossing Scott Summers, and he gets some great moments to show how he feels about that. (The best being when Greg Land shows Magneto looming in the background while Cyclops puts in minimal effort to allay the mayor’s fears about Utopia.)

There is almost nothing present in this collection to explain what’s happening in the greater Fear Itself storyline. Instead, this is almost like that old Chris Claremont issue where Psylocke, Rogue, Dazzler, and Longshot tried to take out ol’ Jugsy. Only when Cain Mark is amped up by the Serpent, it takes all 200 mutants to make it a fair fight. I loved the way Gillen and Land give us so many of the X-Men’s plans broken down to one panel each. Heck, Adam X gets a shot! Who even remembers that guy?

Perhaps my favorite part of the issue involves the fall of Colossus. Colossus has always been my favorite X-Man, so I’d been bummed to see Peter acting so evil recently in other books. It turns out he never really had a chance to do anything different. When Cain Marko started working for the Serpent, Cyttorak got jealous. Cyttorak wants a new avatar of destruction, and Colossus ends up being a pretty solid choice. His throwdown with Juggernaut is nicely handled by Land; some of those punches look truly epic.

Because this is a Greg Land-drawn comic, Emma Frost must appear on a certain number of pages, right? She has some good character development with some flirting with Namor and some temptation that ties pretty directly into the AvX return of Phoenix.

It’s pretty clear who Gillen is going to focus on with the Extinction Team in the new Uncanny title.

Good

All-New X-Men #4

This is more like it. It took three issues, but Bendis addresses a lot of my concerns in this chapter. The Kid X-Men face off against their older selves and then promptly return to the X-Mansion. This story was never going to be as strong if the kids were out in the world hiding from the X-Men. The whole structure of the book is the tease of seeing the young mutants interacting with their older peers (and older selves). 

I’m still not sure what Cyclops’ status is. I will admit I’m excited to see him leading the Brotherhood, but he needs some more “classic” X-Men to side with him or else Cyke is going to end up looking like the bad guy. I don’t think that’s the intent. Cyclops is a flawed, possibly broken man, but I think he’s still a hero. (Magik? I’m not so sure.)

There is no way that Bendis is going to walk onto this book and kill the Beast, right? Hank McCoy doesn’t look good at the close of this issue, and I’ve heard rumors of an original X-Man dying. I suppose it could be young Hank, but don’t ask me how that would work. Plus, I thought Beast was on the New Avengers taking Charles Xavier’s place?

Stuart Immonen stacked the deck last issue. By adding the new “swirl effect” to modern Cyclops’ blast, he’s guaranteed a way to make battles between the two Cyclops’ will remain clear. Is it me, or is the lack of sound effects a tad disappointing. I want some classic “Zapt” and other Cyclops sound effects, at least from the kid! Immonen’s artwork is beautiful and striking on its own, but some nice sound effects would really drive home the “out of their time” era of the original X-Men! 

Good

Captain America #2

Let’s start with the art. Rick Remender is writing the perfect story for his artist. John Romita Jr. has been drawing demons and monsters since I was a kid. His Daredevil and X-Men runs were filled with Blackheart’s devils and the demons of Limbo. So that means that drawing Arnim Zola’s genetic mutants are about the perfect use of his talents. 

The creatures in Dimension Z are sporting some fantastic exoskeletons and crazy whisker/face prong things. We don’t see a ton of the monsters here, but the ones we get are good ones, and Remender’s dialogue has me hoping for more. 

As I finished this issue, I was trying to figure out why I’m enjoying this story, but I didn’t care for Rogue’s solo adventure in the crazy dimension during AvX. I think it boils down to stakes. Cap is protecting Ian, a new character, Arnim Zola’s child, and Cap’s constant worry and protectiveness makes Ian important to the reader. It all happens in one issue, thanks to sped-up comic time, but man, I already worry for the kid!

Another strength is the self-reliance of Captain America. Cap has got his shield and his skills, so even if Zola has weakened Steve Rogers, he can still get by. He’s been surviving in this dimension for a year. Rogue’s powers are more passive by nature, and setting her up in a solo story just doesn’t fit as well.

Remender drops his first hint about Hank Pym’s new job as tech supplier for Cap. If this is the only home Pym has in Marvel Now, I hope we get to see him soon!

Good

Black Beetle #0

I have been burned by so very many independent super-hero books. The Heretic. Danger Unlimited. Ultraverse. Comics Greatest World. Basically most of Image’s output. So it takes a lot for me to pick up a new indie super-hero book. But I’ve enjoyed Francesco Francavilla’s Marvel work so much I felt I had to give the Black Beetle a chance. 

I’m glad I did. This is a moody, atmospheric piece that really hits the pulp target. The Black Beetle is a sort of mix of the Blue Beetle, Dr. Mid-Nite, the Spider, and Lobster Johnson. He’s got some sweet eye bubbles, and he totes a gun. This guy is not afraid to shoot Nazis, in keeping with the pulp roots Francavilla is clearly going for. 

The story is very brief, it is basically the Beetle taking on a few jetpack-wearing Nazis and acquiring a mysterious Egyptian artifact. There is enough backstory that it is clear Francavilla has spent a lot of time planning this out, this reads like a dream project. That is, the passion is clear on the page. 

Francavilla loves this color palette. This thing is all blacks and reds, with swatches of color to bring out moods and emotions in certain panels. Another of Francavilla’s strengths is panel design. No two pages look the same, the layout and panel grids on each page move and shift to enhance the story. The panels vary in size and location to increase the atmosphere of violence.

I definitely dug the first issue, but I’m sad to see the next one will be $3.99. That means I’ll probably wait on the trade for the rest of this. I’ll get the whole package for a more reasonable price. But for fans of noir and pulp, this is worth checking out. 

Good

Daredevil #21

Geez. Where do I begin? Mark Waid packs this thing with so many quotes that I’m not sure I can even pick a favorite part. Seriously, do you want me to say the cover art is dynamic and calls to you off the stand? That the interior pencils are perfect in tone, kinetic, and exciting? That the plot and dialogue are logical, original, and thrilling? I've said all that. It's still true, though.

In fact, rather than having me rave about how this is the best book on the stands yet again, let me just give you some quotes:

“Expert smuggler… smart… creative… greedy… you’ll do nicely.”

“Explain yourself before your damn heart explodes!”

“If you’re that convinced that I have been in no way compelled to atone for my sins… then you don’t know me at all.”

“I will find Daredevil… and I will crush him.”

Look at that. Those sentences end with periods, sometimes. There is no need for comic-style hysterics when the dialogue is this powerful. And working hand in hand is Chris Samnee’s fantastic artwork. The guy can transition between bright and cheerful to dark and moody on the same panel. The whole sequence with Coyote proves that. 

And yeah, that’s the first appearance of the Superior Spider-Man there, huh? With one word bubble, I’m convinced. I can’t wait to see what happens next. 

Excellent