Comics

Velvet #5

/ / Comics

Velvet #5Concluding the series opening arc, Velvet #5 offers us more into the past of Velvet Tempelton than the previous four issues combined. Caused by the final line of last month’s issue where Velvet learned that Mockingbird was never a double-agent, this month involves an extended look back at the love affair with the man who would be Velvet’s partner and husband – and also the man she threw from a hotel window on orders from her superiors.

Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting also deliver a glimpse at Velvet at age 16 and the spy who trained the exceptional young woman and trained her to become one of the agency’s best before her own life went off the rails and ended in despair and death on the floor of a cheap hotel room.

For those waiting for a little more insight into who Velvet is and what makes her tick, Velvet #5 is an issue you don’t want to miss. It also lays the groundwork by alerting the character than her hidden enemy has done far more damage to her life than recently framing Velvet for murder. I can’t wait to see where her story goes from here. Best of the week.

[Image, $3.50]

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Nova #17

/ / Comics

Nova #17Seeing how next month the comic will start tying into Marvel’s new summer event Original Sin, a crossover I have no interest in or plans on reading, this will probably be my last Nova comic for a few months. Although there’s not big super-threat, there’s quite a bit going on here as Nova struggles with his family’s financial troubles, still learning to use his super-powers to save those around him, and deal with his kid sister who puts on the Nova helmet for the first time (with disastrous results).

Continuing the comic’s common theme of a young hero still finding his footing, Nova #17 features more mixed success for Sam Alexander as neither his attempt to save his home with a giant radioactive chunk of gold nor preventing an oil tanker’s explosion have exactly the desired outcomes.

The comic ends on an ominous note teasing the death of The Watcher and Origin Sin which Nova will be playing a big role in. Burnt out on crossover events, I plan on checking back with same once the dust settles. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Batman ’66 #11

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Batman '66 #11Offering an origin story for Harley Quinn, the latest issue of Batman ’66 involves the Joker and Catwoman preying on the scientific curiosity of Arkham Asylum’s naive psychologist in order to use her to not only break-out during an inmate talent show but also perfect a new invention to share the Joker’s madness with all of Gotham.

With no back-up story this time around, Batman ’66 #11 features an extended single story of Batman, Robin, and Batgirl working together to track down the escaped criminals. Although able to stop their plot, Dr. Quinzel’s noble sacrifice of putting her own mind in the machine leaves her clinically insane meaning we may get to see what a 60s version of Harley Quinn would look like sometime in the near future.

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She-Hulk #4

/ / Comics

She-Hulk #4The final issue of the new series’ opening arc only reaffirms my position that She-Hulk and Daredevil need to be working, and practicing law, in the same city as She-Hulk makes a stop in San Fransisco to pick Matt Murdock’s brain about her recent case involving the son of Victor von Doom before setting out to Latveria on her own to do something about it.

She-Hulk #4 not only gives us Marvel’s two law-practicing crime-fighters together but also plenty of Doombots as She-Hulk sneaks into Latveria and then makes a destructive appearance at Castle Doom to draw the attention of a giant Doombot and make her case for her client.

With everything else more or less wrapped up, the comic turns its attention to the mysterious Blue File teased in the first issue as She-Hulk returns home and asks for the help of both Angie Huang and Hellcat to get to the truth of a forgotten lawsuit involving herself and several heroes and super-villains. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Fairest #26

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Fairest #26“Of Men and Mice” comes to a close and Cinderella and her friends fight off a mouse invasion of the Fabletown castle which Snow White is certain was planned (it was) and executed (it wasn’t) by Prince Brandish.

The final issue of the arc certainly sees plenty of action as Cindy and her group punch, stab, kick, and skewer an ungodly number of crazed mice warriors before the arrival of Cinderella’s fairy godmother whose original spell laid the work for the current chaos and shows up just in time to help end it.

I’ve enjoyed this arc and I’m sad to see it coming to an end realizing with the end of both this title and Fables it’s likely the last major Cinderella story we’re going to get. As the character who hooked me on this world, I’ll miss her most of all. Hopefully we’ll see Cindy step in to help fight off Leigh’s intended chicanery, but if not I’m happy to see the character go out kicking some serious butt in style one more time. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $2.99]

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