review – Marvel Noise

Review: Mighty Avengers #20

Since returning to Earth after being held captive by the Skrulls, Hank Pym has found the his world completely changed. The superhero Civil War has divided many of his old teammates and allies. Captain America is dead. The Skrulls failed an attempted invasion of Earth which resulted in the death of the woman he loved, Janet Van Dyne, and has left his reputation in question. Now, facing life in a world he no longer recognizes and dealing with the anquish of having to bury his wife, who can Hank place the blame for all of these events on?

Mighty Avengers #20 draws to a close the Secret Invasion event for this seris and sets the stage for Dark Reign. Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artists Lee Weeks, Jim Cheung and Carlo Pagulayan deliver a heartbreaking story that, in my opinion, was Bendis’ best tie-in to this event. The story opens up in the past with Hank and the Wasp when they were on the first Avengers team discussing the discovery of the frozen Captain America and how much the world has changed since he was last seen. We also get a glimpse at how much the two were in love with each other at that time. Flash forward to the present and we find a distraught Hank Pym, along with Ms. Marvel and Wonderman, making Janet’s funeral arrangements. Upon leaving the meeting, Carol fills Hank in on all the events, including Civil War, World War Hulk and Secret Invasion, that have occurred since his abduction. At Janet’s funeral, Hank makes it very clear who he blames for these events.

I thought Bendis did an excellent job bringing out the emotion in this issue. Jan’s death in Secret Invasion #8 didn’t sit that well with me. For a character with her history, I thought she deserved a little bit more of an emotional response from the other heroes. I feel this issue gave us that emotion, especially with Hank. His response at the funeral felt very real and I thought it was well written. I loved the way Bendis compared Hank’s return with Captain America’s in Avengers #4, being a man out of his time. It really helped build on the emotional side of the story and helped me pick up on what Hank must be going through. My one complaint with this issue would have to be the events flashback pages. The art from Jim Cheung was very well done, but they just felt a little out of place with the story.

Speaking of the art, all three artist delevered solid work here. I especially liked Carlo Pagulayan’s pages for the funeral scene. Each panel was wonderfully detailed and, I may be sounding like a broken record here, really had great emotion coming from each of the characters involved. Lee Weeks opened up the story beautifully with the flashback sequence featuring Hank and Janet in their original costumes. Jim Cheung had the smallest part of the story, but as I said above, drew some really nice pages giving us a quick look back at Civil War, World War Hulk and Secret Invasion.

Bendis ends his run on this series in style and sets up for Dan Slott to take over with issue #21. I wasn’t too crazy with the other Mighty Avenger Secret Invasion issues, but this issue really made up for those in my opinion. As a whole though, I have really enjoyed this series so far and look forward to seeing were Slott and artist Khoi Pham take the book!

COVER BY: MARKO DJURDJEVIC
WRITER: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
PENCILS: LEE WEEKS, JIM CHEUNG & CARLO PAGULAYAN
INKS: LEE WEEKS, JIM CHEUNG & JEFFERY HUET
COLORED BY: DEAN WHITE AND JASON KEITH
LETTERED BY: DAVE LANPHEAR
EDITOR: TOM BREVOORT
Rated A…. $2.99

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Review: Punisher War Journal #24

After his tango with Jigsaw and capture by S.H.I.E.L.D., Frank has been living the dream at a S.H.I.E.L.D. maximum security prison. Thanks to the
Skrulls knocking out all Stark Industries technology worldwide during their invasion of Earth, Frank finds himself back on the streets and doing what he does best: killing. Luckily for Frank, and not so lucky for the Skrulls, there are plenty of targets to take out and get his kill numbers back up to where they were preincarceration. It’s all out Skrull busting (or bursting) fun as the Punisher brings his one man army to the frontlines in this Secret Invasion crossover.

Matt Fraction and Rick Reminder seem to really be having a good time with this book. I definitely know I have! I’ve starting picking this book up a little late in Fractions and Reminders run, but what I’ve read I have thoroughly enjoyed. This issue was no exception. It was a blast seeing Frank charge into battle with a bazooka in one hand, driving a big pickup decked out with Skrull skulls (try saying that three times fast) while blasting AM Gold on the radio. There was lots of action mixed with some good moments of humor. It was a little weird, and maybe just a little out of character, seeing Frank having a good time taking out the Skrulls, but it still made for an enjoyable story. I particularly enjoy the moments between Frank and Bridge. I like the banter back and forth between the two, and even though Bridge keeps trying to capture him, Frank is always there saving his butt.

I’m really starting to warm up to Howard Chaykin’s art, though it has taken me several issues to get used to his style of drawing. I really appreciate the amount of detail he puts into each page. Where as before I was a little distracted by the way he drew his characters, I found myself able to really get into this story both story and art wise.

If I had one complaint about this issue, it would be the white suited Hammerhead/Kingpin Skrull. I know they are putting the super Skrulls in outfits similar to their supervillan/hero counterparts so we will know who they are getting their powers from, but sometimes it just turns out all kinds of goofy looking. That being said, this issue was still a blast to read! Matt Fraction and Rick Reminder are doing a fantastic job, and I’m really gaining an appreciation for Howard Chaykin’s art. If your looking for a something a little different from what your used to with the Punisher, I highly recommend giving this issue a shot!

COVER BY: ALEX MALEEV
WRITER: MATT FRACTION and RICK REMENDER
PENCILS: HOWARD CHAYKIN
INKS: HOWARD CHAYKIN
COLORED BY: STUDIO F – EDGAR DELGADO
LETTERED BY: VC’S JOE CARAMAGNA
EDITOR: AXEL ALONSO
Parental Advisory …$2.99

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Review: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The Laughing Corpse #1

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: The Laughing Corpse is my first introduction to Laurell K. Hamilton’s world of vampires, werewolves and monsters. This issue definitely has piqued my interest in the series. My first impression of the character of Anita Blake is that she seems to be your typical hard-as-nails female cop (even though she’s not a cop) that you would see on tv except for a few small quirks, such as getting queasy at the sight of blood, that I found kinda funny considering her profession. This issue doesn’t give us much of a look at what her career exactly is, and since this is the first time I’ve read anything from this series, that is something I would have liked to have seen just a little bit more of. However, what we do learn from the story has me really interested to check out the rest of this series. From this first issue, I’m kinda getting a Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets CSI vibe, which is certainly not a bad thing.

Series creator Laurell K. Hamilton and adapter Jess Ruffner deliver a fairly solid story. I enjoyed the interaction between each of the characters and thought the dialog was well written. I would have liked to at least gotten a little glimpse of a vampire, werewolf or zombie since that is what got me interested in this book in the first place, but that is just a personal preference and didn’t take away any from the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the art form the team of Ron Lim and June Chung. I thought each page was beautifully rendered and the great colors from June Chung were really impressive.

In conclusion, I’m looking forward to checking out the rest of this story. These are the type of stories I usually really enjoy, so I’m hoping this one doesn’t let me down. I’m going to have to check out the first Anita Blake trade to learn a little bit more about this character.

COVER BY: RON LIM
WRITERS: JESSICA RUFFNER and LAURELL K. HAMILTON
PENCILS: RON LIM
COLORED BY: JUNE CHUNG
LETTERED BY: BILL TORTOLINI
EDITOR: MARK PANICCIA
Mature …$3.99

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Review: Daredevil #111

Daredevil #111 features the new story arc from writer Ed Brubaker and the new art team Clay Mann and Stefano Guadiano. After the events in the last arc, this issue opens up with Matt helping Dakota North find some relief for her injured shoulder through the healing hands of the Iron Fist himself, Danny Rand. Unbeknownst to the pair, they are being watched from above by a mysterious new villain who has taken a special affinity to one of Daredevils oldest and deadliest foes. Meanwhile, Matt finds some new trouble to throw onto his ever increasing pile of worry in a shocking surprise that really threw me for a loop!

I thought Ed Brubaker delivered a home run with this issue! The issue doesn’t feature much action, but I thought there were some fantastic moments between the players. The dialog was terrific and very believable. The surprise I mentioned above, and I’m not going to reveal it here, felt very real and didn’t feel forced and I loved Matt’s reaction to it all. I’m really looking forward to seeing the new villain, Lady Bullseye, in action. We get a brief glimpse into her origin and I can’t wait to see how Brubaker uses her in this story!

The art from the team of penciler Clay Mann and inker Stefano Guadiano was absolutely fantastic! I thought it fit in very well with what Michael Lark has been doing, and at times I found myself liking it even more. This is the first time I can remember reading a Daredevil issue and thinking Dakota North looks hot! Clay Mann is an artist I’m definately going to start keeping an eye on!

In all, this was a excellent start to this new arc! I’m absolutely loving what Ed Brubaker has been doing with this book, and can’t wait to see where he takes Matt next. Plus, if this issue is any indication, we may be getting a very cool teamup in the coming months. I highly recommend checking Daredevil #111 out if you haven’t been reading this series!

COVERS BY: MARKO DJURDJEVIC, TERRY DODSON, and DAVID AJA
WRITER: ED BRUBAKER
PENCILS: CLAY MANN
INKS: STEFANO GAUDIANO
COLORED BY: MATT HOLLINGSWORTH
LETTERED BY: CHRIS ELIOPOULOS
EDITOR: WARREN SIMONS
Rated T+ …$2.99

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Review: X-Force #7

X-Force #7 kicks off the new story arc from series creators Greg Kyle and Christopher Yost. The story focuses on the team as they try and regroup from their battle with Bastion and the Pacifiers. The revived X-men baddies that were revieled in the first arc are starting to make their reappearances around the world and are beginning their mission of spreading mutant hate. The team knows they are soon going to be going after those targets soon, but first they are going to have to deal with an even more dangerous threat!

If your looking for the super bloody, extreme violence and action you got from the last 6 issues, then you might be a little let down with this issue. However, what this story lacked in action I thought it did a great job of putting some more pieces in place that’s looking like will set up for quite a few stories to come for a while. We get some more insight into Angel’s recent change back into Archangel, as well as finding out if Rahne’s able to control herself whenever she see’s Warren. I thought there were some really great moments with Cyclops and Wolverine as Scott tries to figure out what to do with new X-Man Elixir who knows about the secret team after being called in to help heal Rahne in one of the earlier issues. Plus, we get the reappearance of one of the X-Men’s oldest foes. I’m really excited to see where this story goes. It builds upon what has been going on in the last arc, but then takes you in a new direction that I think will be very cool!

New series artist Mike Choi really delivers some solid work with this issue! I’m a fan of Mike Choi to begin with, so when I heard he was going to be doing this book I was pretty fired up. He definitely didn’t let me down! I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does with some big X-Force style action scenes! He draws a very cool Archangel, and since it now appears that he is a permanent member of the team, I can’t wait to see what he does with him in action.

In conclusion, this continues to be a book I’m really enjoying! I’m loving the new art team, and I’m excited to see what the new story arc has in store. If you haven’t checked out X-Force yet, I recommend giving it a shot. This is a great jumping on point!

COVER BY: MIKE CHOI
WRITER: CHRISTOPHER YOST & CRAIG KYLE
PENCILS: MIKE CHOI
COLORED BY: SONIA OBACK
LETTERED BY: VC – CORY PETIT
EDITOR: JOHN BARBER
Parental Advisory …$2.99

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Review: The Incredible Hercules #121

I’m going to be honest. After the Incredible Hulk became the Incredible Hercules, I dropped the title before I really even gave the book a chance. I have never been a huge Hercules fan. I always enjoyed him when he was with the Avengers, but as a solo character he was just never one who particularly interested me. Thus, the reason for dropping the book when the title changed. Over the last few months I have been hearing many people talking about how good the new book is. Well, curiosity finally got the best of me and I can totally see what everybody was talking about! This book was just pure comic book fun! The writing team of Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak deliver an off-the-wall fun ride that was a blast from beginning to end. I love the bits with Amadeus Cho here! World War Hulk kinda left me with a sour taste in my mouth for the character with the whole seventh smartest person in the world line thrown in our face every other panel. But here, he was was a great supporting character with some really funny dialog. The story as a whole, I just really had a good time with. There were great moments of action, a funny historic flashback, a few lessons in speaking ancient Greek and some hot, hormonally charged Amazons with guns! What more could you ask for?

How about some absolutely gorgeous art from Clayton Henry (Wolverine: First Class)! I absolutely loved the art in this book! Henry has a very clean line style that I thought was an excellent fit for this book. There was one scene in particular involving the Titan Atlas that I thought was just amazing! I think Guru-Efx should also get mentioned for their coloring work that helped make that scene so impressive.

In my opinion, this was a really great issue all around! I may have to go do a little back issue bin diving (oh, darn) and try and pull out some of the issues I’ve missed. I give this book two big thumbs up!

COVER BY:ARTHUR SUDYAM
WRITER: FRED VAN LENTE & GREG PAK
PENCILS: CLAYTON HENRY
INKS: CLAYTON HENRY
COLORED BY: GURU-EFX
LETTERED BY: VC – JOE CARAMAGNA
EDITOR: MARK PANICCIA
Rated A …$2.99

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Review: NYX: No Way Home #1

This week in selecting comics to review, I picked books that I would probably not read under normal circumstances. The first book I read was the new Venom mini and I was pleasantly surprised. Next I selected NYX. I had no knowledge of the previous series and had no idea what to expect. Having just finished the first issue, I think I get the general idea. It’s to be about some down on their luck kids with superpowers trying to get by in New York City. And that is where they lost me. I feel fairly certain this book was not written with me as part of its intended demographic; however, it was a professionally done book. Now you’re probably asking yourself if I have to be part of an intended demographic in order to enjoy something. The answer to that is, without a doubt, no. However, based on the way it was written, I’m not sure it’s intended for new readers. There were several times while I was reading that I felt as though the writer was assuming I already felt a connection to these characters, so instead of trying to develop that connection it was glossed over. All the hooks intended to create some kind of connection between reader and story seemed to rely on what has come before. Again, this may have to do with demographics; I’m not a 15-year-old girl living on my own in New York city. The narrator, Kiden, is exactly that. I remember being a 15-year-old boy and thinking 15-year-old girls were great, but now at over twice that age I’m not really that interested in the daily life and culture of the female teen world.

The writer, Marjorie Lui, captured the voice and attitude of a young girl very well, and Kalman Andrasofszky did wonders capturing and showing the body language, facial expressions, and movements of not only of Kiden but all the other people in the story. The way Lui sets up the scenes and moves the plot along is great. The transitions from scene to scene worked well, and there was no point in the story that was bogged down or confusing. Andrasofszky’s art was a high point for me. It was very realistic without going over the top. He didn’t render each hair or fill in every detail, but everything was carefully detailed giving just enough to make everything feel solid and real.

So where does this leave you, the potential reader? Well, if you’re a fan of the previous mini series, pick up this one. I think you’ll be pleased. If you didn’t read the previous series, pick it up only if the premise is interesting to you. However, I would not recommend this book as an impulse buy.

COVERS BY: ALINA URUSOV and JO CHEN
WRITER: MARJORIE LUI
ARTIST: KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY
COLORS: JOHN RAUCH
LETTERS:JOE CARAMAGNA
EDITOR: JOHN BARBER
Parental Advisory …$3.99

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Review: Invincible Iron Man #4

Ezekiel Stane has a grudge. Li’l Zeke blames Tony Stark for the death of his dear old dad, former Iron Man villain Obadiah Stane, aka the Iron Monger. Zeke is making it his life’s mission to bring down Tony Stark as well as the company he has built, and all the while using Tony’s own Iron Man technology to do it. Can Tony stop Ezekiel in time before he destroys Stark Enterprises, as well as bringing down the Iron Man himself?

The hunt for Ezekiel Stane continues in issue four of this explosive new series from writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca. Fraction continues to deliver a pretty solid story. I wasn’t as thrilled with this issue as I was the previous issues, but I still very much enjoyed it. The only problem I had story wise with this issue was that it seemed to slow down considerably compared to the other three. I was looking for more of the explosions, chases and action that made the first three issues a blast. Don’t get me wrong though, there are some really great moments in this issue. I loved the interaction of Tony and Maria Hill. I think Fraction has a really great grasp of both of these characters, especially Maria. And, being a big fan of chess, I loved the opening with Tony and Reed Richards playing chess on five boards simultaneously. Really, really good stuff there!

I would have to say my biggest problem with the book comes from the art. I don’t want to sound like I’m bashing Larroca’s work. I have always enjoyed his stuff in the past, especially when he was on Extreme X-Men. But his stuff in this issue just didn’t really hit with me. I thought his first three issues were much, much stronger. There were some moments with the some of the characters that I thought just didn’t look right to me, especially the scenes with Reed. Overall, it was still a good read. I would have liked a little bit more action, but their were some really great character moments that made up for it. If you haven’t checked this series out yet, it’s definitely worth giving a shot!

WRITER: MATT FRACTION
ARTIST: SALVADOR LARROCA
COLORS: FRANK D’ARMATA
LETTERS: CHRIS ELIOPOULOS
EDITOR: WARREN SIMONS
Rated A …$2.99

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Review: Patsy Walker: Hellcat #2

Her first day on her new job and Pasty Walker is already on thin ice. Actually, it’s kinda more like through the ice. After being attacked by a giant squid monster and dragged into icy Alaskan waters at the end of the first issue, Hellcat now finds herself in the company of a group of Shamans who inhabit the Middle World. The Shamans charge Hellcat with the task of finding their heir, who has apparently been kidnapped by the cannibalistic Windigo. Is the feisty Hellcat up to the task? You better believe it!

This series continues to be just a fun, kinetic read! I found this issue to be a little hard to figure out what was going on in certain spots, but it was such a fun story that I was able to look past it. Writer Kathryn Immonen does a great job of delivering a story that is keeping me interested in what’s going to happen next. And David Lafuenta’s art is not too bad either! His style is a perfect fit for this type of book and really adds to the fun, lightheartedness of it.

Hellcat is a character I’ve never been familiar with so this has been my first exposure to her. Immonen has done a great job of getting me interested in this character and wanting to find out more about her. I’m not sure how this version of Hellcat compares to the one that was in the old Avengers series, but I’m definitely going to be looking up some of her old stories! If you haven’t given this book a shot yet, I highly recommend picking it up and giving it a try!

COVER: STUART IMMONEN
WRITER: KATHRYN IMMONEN
ARTIST: DAVID LAFUENTE
COLORS: JOHN RAUCH
LETTERS: DAVE AND NATALIE LANPHEAR
EDITOR: NICK LOWE
Rated A …$2.99

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Review: Ms. Marvel #29

I haven’t really been following this title, and now I’m very, very sorry. I also haven’t been following every tie-in with this event, but I’ve been following some of them and this is one of the few issues that has been entirely in the present. This is what I’ve been looking for in the narrative. Battles against overwhelming odds, chase scenes, and a surprise on the last page to get you ready for the next issue. What more can you ask for?

Brian Reed tells the tale of what happens to Ms. Marvel as one of the only heroes fighting the Skrulls in New York. I don’t know where all the other heroes in the Marvel U are, but I can tell you where the Skrulls are. Well, actually I can’t because they seem to be popping up everywhere, but there are a boatload of them in this issue and Mr. Reed makes it clear that they don’t like Ms. Marvel, or her resistance to their invasion, very much.

Doing a fine job on art, we’ve got Adriana Melo on pencils, Mariah Benes on inks, and Paulo Siqueira on pages 11 – 16. They convey the scale of the invasion and the overwhelming forces the heroes face beautifully. Now, I generally try to keep my reviews on the positive side but I have to interject here that while the art is well done, it doesn’t really do anything for me. These are professional comic book artists who have achieved mastery of their art form, so I don’t want to take away from that, but I didn’t feel that this was the best this book could have or should have looked. That said, the story does move along well and is one of the best tie-ins I’ve read so far.

Recommended for anyone following Secret Invasion.

COVER: GREG HORN
WRITER: BRIAN REED
PENCILS: ADRIANA MELO and PAULO SIQUEIRA
INKS: MARIAH BENES and PAULO SIQUEIRA
COLORS: CHRIS SOTOMAYOR
LETERS: DAVE SHARPE
EDITOR: STEPHEN WACKER
Rated T+ …$2.99

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