Comics

All-New X-Men #31

/ / Comics

All-New X-Men #31With the instructors busy with other business, the time displaced X-Men along with the returned Angel and X-23 (whose new relationship is cause of great interest for the entire school) set off to find and rescue a young mutant just coming int her powers. However, what the group doesn’t yet know is the type of her mutation and how her uncontrolled ability to open doorways to alternate dimensions will leave on member of the team stranded in the Ultimate Universe.

Although I think it’s very possible for these characters and this comic specifically to get time/space dimension fatigue beginning so quickly after wrapping up a storyline involving villains from the future, Brian Michael Bendis’ choice to bring Jean Grey into a universe he knows so well (he did help create it after all) does open the door for some intriguing possibilities as long as the arc doesn’t overstay its welcome (a problem the title has had issues with in the past). Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Usagi Yojimbo: Senso #2

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Usagi Yojimbo: Senso #2In the second issue of the mini-series set 20 years into the future of Usagi Yojimbo, the pair of wary warring armies attempt to deal with the unexpected arrival of an alien spaceship crash landing in the middle of the battlefield. It’s obvious from their actions, attacking both sides indiscriminately, that the squid-like aliens don’t come in peace.

The invaders’ hidden motives, technical superiority, and odd tripod constructed machines pay homage to H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds and we see Usagi’s life has gotten no less complicated over the years as writer/artist Stan Sakai continues to tease us with hints of our hero’s past and regrets regarding his son.

We still don’t know what the aliens ultimately want, but Usagi Yojimbo: Senso #2 certainly sells them as a legitimate threat which only someone like our own rabbit ronin might be able to handle. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $3.99]

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Guardians of the Galaxy #18

/ / Comics

Guardians of the Galaxy #18The conclusion of the Cancerverse storyline which ended the previous run of Guardians of the Galaxy on a cliffhanger with the fate of Star-Lord, Thanos, and Nova in doubt is addressed for the first time in three-and-a-half years in Guardians of the Galaxy #18 as Gamora confronts Peter Quill about what really happened.

I’m assuming the Original Sin tie-in helps explain the lengths Gamora goes to in order to elicit the information out of Star-Lord in this issue (but since I’m not reading the event I can’t be sure). Whatever the case, the story jumps from narrated flashbacks to a discussion between the two Guardians (one of them tied to a chair).

Incomplete, the comic ends on yet another cliffhanger (this one involving the Cosmic Cube), the story works although by now most readers have long moved on. I was slightly disappointed that the comic doesn’t address the original Guardians who were a part of Cancerverse arc as I’ll always root for appearances of Starhawk and his teammates. For fans.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Super Secret Crisis War #3

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Super Secret Crisis War #3Locked in a space station in another dimension, Samurai Jack, Ben Tennyson, Dexter, Bubbles, Blossom, Buttecup, Ed, Edd, and Eddy get separated into small groups while battling the robots of Aku and Vilgax many of whom have been created to look like our heroes. This allows for some intriguing team-ups including the chance to see Samurai Jack and Bubbles fight side-by-side for an entire issue (a pairing I’d gladly pay to see more of).

Continuing the trend of the mini-series as it hits the halfway mark, Super Secret Crisis War #3 includes more betrayals and mechanations among the group as each villain decides he is obviously the greatest member of the League of Extraordinary Villains.

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Batman Beyond Universe #13

/ / Comics

Batman Beyond Universe #13Sometimes a comic can surprise you. After largely ignoring Batman Beyond Universe I decided to pick up the latest issue which promised the return of the Phantasm, flashbacks to the old Batman: The Animated Series days, and the reveal of what really destroyed the Bat-Family all those years ago.

Batman Beyond Universe #13 weaves a story that feels more like part of the Timmverse, without being overly nostalgic, rather than the increasingly watered down version we’ve seen come and go in recent years. The result is the best Batman Beyond comic I’ve read and easily sells me on the conclusion of the two-part storyline which will not only see the fallout between Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, and Bruce Wayne but also force Terry McGinnis to deal face-to-face with the man responsible for the death of the man who raised him.

Joining the comic with this issue, artist Phil Hester manages to faithfully recreate the look of both series. I particularly love the flashback art. Best of the week.

[DC, $3.99]

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