Comics

Guardians of the Galaxy #6

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Guardians of the Galaxy #6As Star-Lord seeks some answers from Thanos about what the hell is happening with Earth, Iron Man (dressed in Quill’s old, and far superior, armor) and the rest of the Guardians try to help Gammora who has bitten off more than she can chew with the mysterious Angela.

Two issues in, both of which feature Angela on the cover, we’re still no closer to discovering who exactly this character is or how powerful this version of Neil Gaiman‘s Spawn character might be within the confines of the Marvel Universe. Obviously she can stand up to Gamora, but it an issue where Star-Lord survives and off-panel one-on-one fight with Thanos that’s not all that impressive.

The inclusion of The Watcher, who seems legitimately dismayed at the arrival of Angela, helps lend some weight to a character who really has done much of anything so far. In much the same way, Quill’s opening scene with Thanos sets the stage for just how much danger the Earth now finds itself. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Powerpuff Girls #1

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Powerpuff Girls #1The Powerpuff Girls get new life in the first issue of IDW’s new six-issue mini-series. Powerpuff Girls #1 features Townsville’s pint-sized heroes (Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup) saving the day from both Mojo Jojo‘s latest attack and a swamp monster causing havoc on the city’s golf course.

Fans of the show should enjoy themselves here, although I will note writer/artist Troy Little does have trouble getting Mojo Jojo speech right as it’s much more straightforward in the comic than the more byzantine and circular restating of facts fans of the character have come to know and love.

The issue comes with an amazing array of variant covers (several only available from select vendors) and sets up what will apparently be the mini-series’ big plot development as an incarcerated Mojo Jojo, tired loosing to the Powerpuff Girls, decides his big brain has been nothing but trouble and reaches out to the one man who might be able turn him back into a happy monkey – Professor Utonium. Say it ain’t so, Mojo! Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Atomic Robo Presents Real Science Adventures #11

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Atomic Robo Presents Real Science Adventures #11Dangerous technology in the wrong hands is the common theme of all three stories in Atomic Robo Presents Real Science Adventures #11. In the main tale, Nikola Tesla and his team are attacked by the Black Coat Army agents of the Triumvirate. Scattered, and with their base destroyed, the various agents eventually find themselves taken captive in the secret underground tunnels of New York City where the scope of Franklin Reade, Robert Trydan, and Jack Wright‘s plans are finally revealed.

The same theme runs through the first back-up story which features an Oval Office conversation between President Harry Truman and James Forrestal concerning the creation of a secret government science program to weaponize stolen Tesla technology.

The second back-up story, years later, involves Atomic Robo answering a distress call from the military who have gotten into a spot of trouble into the Vampire Dimension while using that same lost technology (a fact that doesn’t go unnoticed by the incensed Robo). Worth a look.

[Red 5, $2.75]

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Scarlet Spider #22

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Scarlet Spider #22With his friends held against their will by Kraven the Hunter, Kaine works his way through the traps the mad man has set for him including Kraven’s bloodthirsty daughter Ana Kravinoff who seems obsessed, like her father, with forcing the Scarlet Spider’s murderous nature back to the surface.

Although I was sad (but certainly not surprised) to find out our other Scarlet Spider wasn’t Ben Reilly, the choice of Kraven makes quite a bit of sense and allows writer Christopher Yost to play on the leftover threads of Kaine’s death and Kraven’s resurrection that tie the two killers together.

With the comic coming to an end with issue #25, and Marvel showing no real interest in using Kaine elsewhere, Yost is presented with a unique opportunity to end the comic on his terms. For at least a single issue Kaine is able to fight off what Kraven and his daughter demand of him, but given next issue’s one-on-one battle with Kraven to the death we’ll soon see whether the Scarlet Spider truly is a hero or a killer. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril #3

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Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril #3Tom Strong and Val Var Gram‘s journey to find Tom Strange on the plague infested world of Terra Obscura lead the pair into the deserts of New Egypt to encounter old friends, a pair of gods (in the form of former heroes Mystico and Scarab now acting as the living embodiment of Egyptian gods), and new troubles in the refugee slums.

While including appearances by several familiar faces, and introducing a few new ones, writer Peter Hogan and artist Chris Sprouse continue to deliver an engaging journey as Strong and Garm search for a way to help with the plague and find the one man who may be able to help save Strong’s daughter from dying in childbirth an entire universe away.

Although the get no closer to finding Strange, the pair are able to offer their support to the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. who will need their help to save the convoy which might hold another clue to bring the travelers from another world one step closer to their final goal. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $2.99]

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