Comics

Morning Glories #30

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Morning Glories #30Although the character has been around for months causing trouble for the Morning Glories Academy, Morning Glories #30 gives us our first real glimpse into who Irina is and how her past shaped her into the soldier that almost destroyed everything. Captured after her failed coup, Irina doesn’t find herself in one of the Academy’s prisons but in the comfortable home of Mr. N. whose job it is to try and turn the wayward’s soldier back to allegiances more in tune with those of the Headmaster.

Much of the comic is set in flashbacks showcasing Irina’s Hanna-ish upbringing in the woods with a harsh mother who trained her from childhood to be a soldier and killer (even going so far as hiring grown men to attempt to rape and kill Irina to further her training).

Aside from the violence of her past we also learn two important pieces of information about Irina’s past. 1) Irina is related to members of the Academy’s faculty, and 2) Casey Blevins (in the role of Danielle Clarkson) is responsible for finding Irina.

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The Flash #23

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The Flash #23As the Flash battles the New 52’s version of the Reverse-Flash, Iris West will make a startling discovery about the man behind the killings of those tied to the Speed Force and her connection to him. I have mixed feelings about our new Reverse-Flash, however, the reveal that the killer is Daniel West leaves Professor Zoom (and kick-ass yellow costume) safe from the New 52 reboot, at least for now.

After teasing us for months ago an altercation between the two speedsters, The Flash #23 with several panels of the action and the unfortunate fallout from Iris’ discovery. There is also a nice B-story centered around Barry missing dinner with Patty’s parents and the cost of living the super-hero life as even the Fastest Man Alive can’t be everywhere at once.

The reveal of Daniel West was unexpected, and we’ll have to wait until at least next month to discover his story. I’m also wondering if this isn’t the first step to introduce another member of the West family. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Transformers: Regeneration One #94

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Transformers: Regeneration One #94Galvatron tries to repeat history in his brutal battle with Ultra Magnus while deep below the surface of Cybertron Hot Rod finds the possessed Grimlock. The Dinobots will get their leader back, but Primus has other plans for Hot Rod leading into next month’s Zero Issue. Meanwhile the rest of Cyberton is rocked by the arrival of Bludgeon and his Warworld which begins attacking the surface of the planet.

Although we don’t get more with Starscream and Shockwave, the issue is full of appearances by several favorite classic Transformers, rendered beautifully by Guido Guidi, including Omega Supreme who takes the war ship. We also get Soundwave taking on Blaster, Prowl, Kup, Perceptor, and one hell of a great battle between Galvatron and Ultra Magnus that takes up a big chunk of the issue.

No big fan of Zero Issues, I’m not sure what exactly to expect from next month’s issue. This month, however, certainly delivers. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Six-Gun Gorilla #1

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Six Gun Gorilla #1In a futuristic western adventure set during what appears to be the 22nd Century Civil War based on the struggle for limited natural resources, Six Gun Gorilla #1 isn’t quite what I expected (especially from a comic with a gun-totting Gorilla on the cover from Boom Studios).

Although our cryptic title character is teased throughout the first issue in the distance, we only get our first good look at him in the comic’s final pages to save the life of a soldier known as Blue-3425. This means the story we’re given focuses on a bizarre group of kamikaze soldiers known as “Blues” whose dual purpose is to be cannon fodder for the real soldiers and record and transmit the images of the battle for those watching back home.

The comic is more dystopian and less whimsical than I expected from the title. The world writer Simon Spurrier and artist Jeff Stokely throw is into takes awhile to get used to (and I could have done without the number of oddball sci-fi terms thrown in). I’m not sure it’s a comic that I’ll stick with it, but it’s certainly worth a look.

[Boom Studios, $3.99]

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Scarlet Spider #21

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Scarlet Spider #21Kaine returns from New York a broken man after his encounter with Doc Ock Spidey and the Jackal and the return of his degeneration scars that mean the clone’s days are once again numbered. However, things really pick up when the frustrated Scarlet Spider is confronted by his namesake – the original Scarlet Spider who proceeds to kick our hero’s ass.

Without giving too much away, despite Kaine’s untrustworthy perception the clues to the identity of the other Scarlet Spider not being Ben Reilly are impossible to ignore well-before the character is unmasked. I’d have certainly preferred the return of Reilly in some form of another to the switch we get here, but the joy of getting two Scarlet Spiders in one issue helps mollify that disappointment (and the return of the Jackal’s clones certainly doesn’t rule out Reilly’s return sometime in the future).

Most of the comic centers around the fight between the two heroes one clad in black and red and the other in crimson and his trademark blue hoodie, but we also see several of Kaine’s friends being attacked as well as if someone is systematically hunting the former assassin and all who he loves down.

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