Comics

X-Men: Red #1

/ / Comics

Making a pun out of the X-Men’s home on Mars, Marvel Comics relaunches X-Men: Red as an assortment of mutants are gathered together to keep the peace on Mars, now known to the mutants living on the terraformed world as Planet Arrako. It’s an X-Men comic with Magneto (now back to his traditional costume), so it got my attention, but for someone with only a passing interest in a minimal of recent X-Men stories there’s quite a bit of confusing plot that assumes the reader knows exactly what’s going on.

We are introduced to various entities on the planet who each seem to have their own agenda. Storm, who beat some kind of doppelganger, is now the Queen of Mars (but only sort of wants to be), Magneto is looking to be left alone. Abigail Brand is looking for a mutant police force, Sunspot is running some kind of disco casino, and Vulcan and Thunderbird are looking to cause trouble.

…

X-Men: Red #1Read More »

X-Men: Red #1 Read More »

Suicide Squad #14

/ / Comics

Amanda Waller has won. Now in control of Earth-3, she’s sent back Rick Flag and his team, and any of her own she no longer has use for, back home. However, the members of the Suicide Squad will soon discover that the absence of Waller will have large consequences to the Task Force X program which the government wastes time in defunding and attempting to destroy all evidence of its existence.

Left to their own devices, the various surviving members end up getting into all kinds of trouble as Peacemaker and Ambush Bug steal some more Bizarro Superboy clones, Rodriguez runs into some resistance while sneaking into a top-secret military base, and Mirror Master almost gets killed at least three times. The crazy antics of the Suicide Squad come back to normal bringing back some of the wacky fun of the earlier issues and suicidal new plan from the team’s leader.

…

Suicide Squad #14Read More »

Suicide Squad #14 Read More »

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero – Saturday Morning Adventures #2

/ / Comics

G.I. JOE battles Cobra Commander‘s army of enhanced Mega B.A.T.s all over the world as G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero – Saturday Morning Adventures continues. Cobra Commander uses a second wish to bolster and prevent the weapons from ever backfiring on him but he learns the hard way of the genie’s tricks as some Joes become impervious to his new weapons with the utterance of a single word.

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero – Saturday Morning Adventures #2 continues the fun of the first episode while beautifully recreating the look from the 80s cartoon. I can almost hear the actors in every panel. Despite the missteps by Cobra in this issue, they earn some big victories over the Joes including taking Duke as a prisoner and managing to use the chaos of the rampaging robots to secure Cobra Commander’s real prize. 

…

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero – Saturday Morning Adventures #2Read More »

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero – Saturday Morning Adventures #2 Read More »

Astro City: That Was Then…

/ / Comics

Kicking off Astro City‘s new run at Image Comics (where the comic originally started), Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson return with this one-shot special looking in on the teen heroes on the verge of adulthood on a camping trip in the summer of 1969. Set only weeks after burying the Jayhawks, another teen hero team who fought the good fight in Kansas City for years before eventually falling to a bigoted villain fueled by hatred, the comic features the team coming to terms with the loss and the sudden brutal understanding of how dangerous their profession can be.

As a kick-off point, Astro City: That Was Then… feels a bit odd. It’s really more of a teaser of things to come. Along with the introduction of several new heroes we do see some familiar faces as well and are teased that although the Jayhawks may be dead that doesn’t necessarily mean they are gone. 

…

Astro City: That Was Then…Read More »

Astro City: That Was Then… Read More »

Shadow War: Alpha #1

/ / Comics

DC’s nine-issue crossover event Shadow War begins here with the assassination of Ra’s al Ghul just as the ecological terrorist had decided to turn himself in and look for more peaceful means to remake the world. His public death, apparently caused by Deathstroke, leaves no remains for a Lazarus Pit and a ticked off Talia al Ghul out for revenge.

While Deathstroke maintains his innocence, the League of Assassins isn’t in any mood to listen. Nor is Robin, back in Gotham to have words with his father, in any mood for mercy. The arc, which will move through various Batman titles before finishing up in Shadow War: Omega #1, will focus on solving the motives and identity of the killer. But to have any chance at the truth, first Batman will have to save Deathstroke from the army descending on him (which probably won’t earn him any points with his son).

…

Shadow War: Alpha #1Read More »

Shadow War: Alpha #1 Read More »