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This week was weird for comics from my pull list; there were 4 limited series, one annual and a one-shot. So without further delay let’s get to it.
First up is…Necrosha: The Gathering (one-shot)
Publisher: Marvel
Writer(s): Craig Kyle & Chris Yost
Artist(s): Ibraim Roberson, Leonardo Manco, Kalman Andrasofszky, Mateus Santolouco (cover by Clayton Crain)
This one-shot was great and there’s no other way to put it. It contained 5 short stories on how Selene recruited her Inner Circle. The stories were about Wither, Blink, Senyaka, Mortis, and Eliphas. Without going into the specifics of all five of these macabre tales, my favorite was the Wither story. The art and plot were top notch in that one. Blink’s was a good story but I really didn’t care for the artwork at all. Senyaka was the same as Blink, it was a good plot but the artwork wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. Mortis was pretty solid all around but it felt a little cartoony to me, and in the end didn’t make a strong case for Mortis to join Selene, other than jealousy. Eliphas was my second favorite story in this issue. We had some previous background on this fellow and were left with him standing in front of Selene and her Inner Circle when we last saw him. She was going to kill him but decided to give him another chance, due to the fact that he showed her how he can raise the dead with the trans-mode virus he stole from Bastion. Overall it was a good one-shot/origin issue so definitely pick it up if you’re following Necrosha. 3.5/5
Next up is…New Avengers Annual #3.
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mike Mayhew
This Annual was actually pretty good as far as they go. It showed us what happened after Clint/Ronin got captured when he tried to single-handedly infiltrate Avengers Tower and kill Norman Osborn. First we see Norman try to rough up Clint to get the info on where the Avengers are hiding, but it doesn’t work. He then brings in Mentallo to pull the information out of Clint’s mind by force. Meanwhile Clint’s woman, Mockingbird, rounds up Ms. Marvel, Spider Woman and Jessica Jones to free her man from Osborn’s clutches. Well, without giving it away, we get to see Mockingbird kick Mentallo in the face, the team regroup in a secret underground base and the return of Steve Rogers. Nuff said. Good story and artwork to match. 4/5
Thirdly I present…Dark X-Men #2 of 5
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artist: Leonard Kirk (cover by Simone Bianchi & Simone Peruzzi)
OK, well, let me start out first by saying that I am glad Nate Grey is back. Why he’s making his return in this strange series, I’ll never know. This series to me hasn’t been very good so far, even with the return of X-Man. I just hope after this LS is over, they disband this awful team and do something great with the individual characters. Mystique is a proven character, along with Dark Beast and Nate. As far as Mimic and Omega, they can serve a better purpose in the backdrop compared to the forefront if you ask me. We did get to see Norman’s psi-division which was pretty cool. He has a crap load of psychics, mystics, fortune tellers, etc, and he put them all together in this funky looking room where they stayed glued together (for lack of a better term) and do whatever Normie tells their leader to do. The Dark team has this group try to locate Nate and when they do, the stuff really hits the fan. When it’s all said and done, you get the feeling Nate is gonna make Normie pay for what he’s done! 2.5/5
Next up is…Nation X #1 of 4
Publisher: Marvel
Writer(s): Simon Spurrier, James Asmus, Chris Yost, Scott Snyder
Artist(s): Leonard Kirk, Michael Allred, Michele Bertilorenzi, David Lopez (cover by Dustin Weaver & Morry Hollowell)
This was a pretty decent read as well. It contained 4 unique stories that really didn’t have any bearing on current continuity. Not to say they didn’t matter but they certainly aren’t Earth shattering as far as the Nation X plot is concerned. The first tale is about one of the Young X-Men, Mercury, who has been abducted by what the others call a “ghost.” Magneto agrees to help them locate their missing friend. Not much excitement in this one but it was OK. Next was “Road Trip.” Wolverine and Nightcrawler are on a trip together for some insane reason and have a good time talking about everything from “Psylocke or Domino”(whom they would rather make whoopie to first) while taking a whizz, Paul Bunyan being a mutant and Kurt playing Spider-Man Mad Libs. Great story and cool artwork as well. Iceman was front and center in the next chapter. This story featured him being his normal know-it-all self, and instead of really listening to a young girl on Utopia, he makes a joke of her feeling scared. Well, basically it comes back to bite him in the butt when the girl takes a hostage and threatens to kill her- if the X-Men don’t let her off of Utopia. Good stuff all around on this one. Finally we have, “Testament”; a quaint little story about Colossus and his ever enduring battle to be optimistic even though the world is rapidly deteriorating around him. Illyanna, his sister, gives him a lesson in learning how to forget. She feels he’s living in the past, especially when it comes to Kitty. Another good chapter in this book. Overall this was an entertaining read but didn’t seem to have a whole lot to do with anything. 4/5
Now I bring to you…Realm of Kings Imperial Guard #2 of 5
Publisher: Marvel
Writer(s): Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist: Kevin Walker (cover by Brian Haberlin)
This issue was a lot better than the first. The last one was OK but it was slower than #2 for sure. This issue showed the Starjammers and several members of Gladiator’s Imperial Guard traveling into The Fault. Their mission is to find out any and all data about The Fault, and get back in one piece. Of course, the Starjammers and the Shi’ar were sworn enemies until the conclusion of War of Kings, so you can understand why everyone is on edge. One thing of note was the fact that the Starjammers still have the Symbiot on board that attached itself to Raza a couple of months ago. We see him in the med-lab talking to the Symbiot, but when he notices someone watching, he acts as if he hates the Symbiot. The team encounters some crazy huge life-form and gets sucked inside. Once in there, they are attacked by all sorts of beasts and discover that the previous crew has been cocooned for a snack later. Great cosmic coolness as usual from this writing team. 4/5
Finally I present to you…Black Widow: Deadly Origin #2
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artist(s): Tom Raney, Scott Hanna, Matt Milla, John Paul Leon (cover by Adi Granov)
What a great surprise this series has been so far. You’ve really got to keep track of everything because there are a lot of flashback scenes of Natalia’s past. She knows that something called “The Icepick Protocols” have been activated and it means bad news for her, and anybody she’s been in contact with in her lifetime. Yeah, it’s that bad. We see her infiltrate a secret Soviet facility to learn more about what’s going on but she is confronted by a Federal Dynamo (kind of like Crimson Dynamo that hasn’t earned his stripes yet). There’s a good fight scene between the two, but she eventually slaps some plastique on his face and Ka-Boom! Widow finds what she’s looking for but by now she’s too late to stop it. Without giving it away, we see a scene with Ronin and Mockingbird in their pad having breakfast but what happens next is absolutely crazy! Let’s just say Bobbi uses her fork for something more than a utensil. Good work from top to bottom. 4/5
Well people, that’s it for now but hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze one more batch of reviews in before the Holiday. See you soon.
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net