January 2008

The Exiles may have wrapped up their series last month with their over-sized 100th issue, but writer and X-Men guru Chris Claremont sticks around to relaunch the title with a new team, new missions, and new troubles.  This folks, is the New Exiles.

New Exiles #1
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“They’re heroes used to saving lives.  Occasionally saving the world.  Now, they find themselves responsible for saving – everything.  The totality of creation.  They’re not the first to be charged with such an impossible task.  And likely not the last.  But they may well prove to be the very best.”

For those unfamiliar with the the premise of the series let’s start there.  The team consists of Marvel characters from different dimensions and realities who have been removed to correct divergent timelines and hiccups in the Marvel multiverse.  After going out in style with the #100 issue, a new team is formed.  These heroes are asked to risk there lives on countless worlds and times, to fight and possibly die unknown, to keep the Universe and time intact.  The current roster led by Sabertooth, includes Morph, Psylocke, Cat, Mystiq, Rogue, and Sage.  The team makes its home in the Crystal Palace of Panoptchron where they can monitor and jump into action in different parallel universes.

Written by Chris Claremont this is a good jumping off point for both new readers and for those jonesing for a fresh take on the series.  The issue introduces the new team, through the eyes of Sabertooth who is evaluating each of them, re-introduces the Crystal Palace and the team’s mission, and sends them off on their first mission – all done with expert skill and crammed neatly into a single issue.

Tom Grummett’s art is light-hearted, playful and fun, matching the spirit of this first issue.  It will be interesting to see how the art will adapt to more serious storylines in the future.  He certainly loves drawing the female members of the team giving them each a certain girlishness and femininity in their poses and actions.

 

To be truthful, except for newuniversal (read that review), Marvel Comics hasn’t put out too much lately to get me interested, let alone excited.  There’s a rich and complicated world here for Claremont to mold and shape how he wishes with an unlimited supply of characters and tales from multiple dimensions and parallel realities.  This is a good first issue, and I am interested to see where he takes it from here.

They’re B-a-a-a-a-ck!  The comedic duo of Booster Gold and the Blue Beetle reunite as Booster travels back in time to save his best friend.  The DCU will never be the same.

The All-New Booster Gold #6
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“Booster Gold, the future of Ted Kord depends on you!”

For five issues Booster Gold has saved the world, the DC Universe, and time itself.  But now, without the help of Rip Hunter who refuses to be a part of the endeavor, Booster travels back in time with three Blue Beetles from different time periods to save his friend Ted Kord from being killed by Maxwell Lord.

Dan Garrett, Jamie Reyes, and an unknown Blue Beetle from a future timeline show up to stop a time disturbance the Scarab has detected and help Booster save his friend’s life.  The threesome show up in the futuristic time sphere with the ability to make Solidified Time malleable enough to change.

The foursome travel back into the past to a castle in the Swiss Alps and are successful in changing time and preventing the death of Ted Kord.  The reuniting of the two heroes is great including a fun short discussion the two have while battling Lord’s troops involving his purposeful attempts to make the Justice League ineffectual.  Heh.

The issue ends with the group returning to present time with the understanding that Ted Kord must appear to remain dead in order to preserve history.  So now the greatest hero the world has never known on a mission to save time has become the two greatest heroes the world will never know.

We’ll have to wait until the next issue to see the ramifications of rescuing Ted Kord, including what actions Rip Hunter must now take and what they have to do with Booster’s ancestor, but for now I’m just happy to have the pair back and in action together.