The murder mystery that will reveal more secrets than an episode of whatever show it is that reveals a lot of secrets has begun! So with Original Sin actually getting underway, Infinite Man & Aron fist once again venture into a Marvel event to see if there’s anything worth reading in the these pages amidst all of the tie-ins and alternate covers. And if not, will their kung-fu and ultimate disc golf skills be enough to see them through until the end? See for yourself!
Original Sins #2
Writer(s): Frank Tieri, Ryan North, & Ty Templeton
Artist(s): Raffaele Ienco, Ty Templeton, & Ramon Villalobos
It’s times like these I really envy Uatu, because I wish I hadn’t looked at this issue at all. That may sound a little mean, but at $3.99 there’s no way I felt as if I got my money’s worth. Much like last issue there are several separate stories that reveal what The Watcher has seen. Though the only one brought back from last issue focuses on the Young Avengers, while Black Knight and Howard the Duck are the new additions. Each is handled by different creative teams, though Ty Templeton handles Howard the Duck himself.
Fans of the Black Knight will be happy to know that Tieri and Ienco really put forth some standout work with their part. These ten pages are the best in the issue and remind me why a lot of people really like this character. The Young Avengers tale seemed to be over before it began, though it didn’t hold my interest too long. This I found a bit upsetting because The Hood is a character that I like. Now the last time Marvel attempted to make Howard relevant during a big event was in the Uncivil War title, and look how that turned out. Was anyone really clamoring for a Howard the Duck appearance anyway?
If you’re looking to pick this one up then you must seriously like the characters in it, because it just seems like Marvel is throwing darts at a board to pick who gets put in each issue. – IM
Rating: 1/5
Fantastic Four #6
Writer: James Robinson
Artist: Dean Haspiel
Apparently Johnny has done something to Ben that transformed him into something a lot more grotesque than anything we’ve ever seen before. However, no one seems to remember it until now. Unfortunately for Johnny, Ben remembers and he’s pretty ticked off about the whole thing.
Robinson has been doing very well with the current plot in this series, which makes the Original Sin portion seem a bit shoehorned into it all. Despite how important the actions that splinter off from the event are, it’s the main plot that really shines here. Sue can’t see her children, the Avengers are refusing the FF access to their home, and the children at Camp Hammond are on the verge of losing a friend. This is where the issue shines, and it has absolutely NOTHING to do with Original Sin.
So if you’re reading this because you’re already reading Fantastic Four then I understand, but as a tie-in to Original Sin it just fails. Read it for the plot that Robinson has been establishing for the past few issues and not for yet another “failed attempt to make Ben look human” story. – IM
Rating: 2/5
Remember when Thing was ugly? No, I mean really, really spikey ugly! Seems Thing learned this, and why, when Orb’s eye-bomb went off. He also learned whose fault it was and he isn’t really happy about it.
Along with the troubles that the Fantastic Four are having anyway, this was a pretty good issue. That is really saying something, coming from someone who has a love/hate relationship with the FF and a love/hate relationship with James Robinson’s work. – AF
Rating: 4/5
Hulk vs Iron Man #1
Writer: Mark Waid & Kieron Gillen
Artist: Mark Bagley
I thought Mark Waid and Mark Bagley were busy telling awesome Hulk stories over in HULK. Well, they saved a doozie for Original Sin! A secret so epic, it tampers with an origin. Yes, a Stan Lee written origin. The title is pretty self-explanatory. It’s Hulk versus Iron Man. I would duck, if I were you. I would also pick up this quick little set. It’s good. – AF
Rating: 5/5
Return to the days of yesteryear when Tony Stark was just an alcoholic weapons contractor and no one cared if they made Bruce Banner angry. Well, due to the events in Original Sin #2 the secrets are spilling out all over the place, and the revelation here is pretty much what the title says.
This is actually a tie-in that’s more entrenched in the Original Sin event than most of the others. Now, some might be annoyed at the slight adjustment to Banner’s history, but Waid made sure that these events are more of a natural inclusion than just thrown in. We’re taken from the present to the past pretty smoothly, and are reminded how far these characters have come over the years. It’s not just a trip to the past, but as the title says we get some Hulk vs Iron Man action, and I’m sure that’s what a lot of you came for. As far as the art is concerned, Bagley gives us some solid visuals and moves the events along quite smoothly. Though most of the issue takes place in the past, there is only a little bit of action. Hopefully he’ll get some more intense sequences to draw later on.
If you have any interest in either of these characters you might want to grab this issue and see if this tinkering with history was worth it. -IM
Rating: 3/5
That wraps it up for this installment, so let us know what you think of Original Sin so far, and for more Infinite Man & Aron Fist click here!
Aron White
aron@comicattack.net
Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net
