Comics

Uncanny X-Men #8

/ / Comics

Uncanny X-Men #8After the fallout from the X-Men’s adventure in Limbo, Fabio decides to return to his family who have all sorts of questions when they discover his mutant ability and concerns about just what the X-Men terrorists did to him. This half of the storyline also picks up the loose thread of Dazzler (started before the Limbo arc) who shows up wanting Fabio’s help to find Cyclops.

The other half of the issue deals mainly with a conversation between Cyclops and Magneto over their recent trust issues (Cyclops killing Professor X, Magneto ratting out the X-Men to S.H.I.E.L.D.) as well as the X-Men rescuing another young mutant (with the power to control mechanical devices with his mind) from a quick-drawing police officer who shoots the young man and decides to ask questions later.

The first issue back from Limbo plays on two classic X-Men themes: a family’s concern and distrust of a new mutant’s abilities and (as Magneto would put it) how homo sapiens react in fear and danger at the presence of homo superior. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

Uncanny X-Men #8 Read More »

Star Wars #7

/ / Comics

Star Wars #7With Leia fully recuperated, she and Luke take a trip back to Tatooine where Luke gives his aunt and uncle the proper burial he was unable to offer when fleeing the planet months earlier. It’s here where Leia also confides in Luke the true mission of their squadron to not only find the Rebellion a new home base but ferret out the traitor in their midst.

Hearing how dire the situation has become, Luke suggests a highly risky plan involving getting Wedge and Luke captured by the Star Destroyer Devastator and planting surveillance to help find the source of the leak. Although concerned Luke hasn’t exactly thought out the entire plan, with limited time Leia okays the mission with Prithi as support (a character I’m glad to see has stuck around despite what her exit in the last issue suggested).

Star Wars #7 also gives us Han and Chewie trying to make it out of Coruscant alive while been tracked by Boba Fett and more of Darth Vader‘s quasi-disciple Birra Seah who the Emperor is not pleased to see in command of the second Death Star during a surprise visit. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

Star Wars #7 Read More »

Astro City #2

/ / Comics

Astro City #2Telling peripheral stories to the larger than life heroic adventures in a world populated with super-powered heroes and villains has always been a strength of Astro City. The latest issue gives us a peek at the life of Marella Cowper who answers an innocuous ad for a data position and finds herself working in the super-secret Honor Guard Emergency Contact Line.

Once again the series thinks outside the box to examine the needs of a world filled with super-heroes. A specialized communication hub to prioritize dangers, the regular people needed to staff it, and the precautions to keep its existence and location secret, are fleshed out in this single issue that offers enough possibilities to become its own spin-off. With the need for heroes to only make cameos this would actually make for a cool TV series.

Presented completely from Marella’s point of view, we get her initial awe at her new job, the driven nature and yearning to get that one call to help save the world, and finally the acceptance and understanding of her small role in the larger picture. Without doubt, Astro City #2 is one of the best comics I’ve read this year. Best of the week.

[Vertigo, $3.99]

Astro City #2 Read More »

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #1

/ / Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #1Based on the current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, this new series jumps right into the action with April heading out on patrol with Donatello for the first time after showing progress in her training as a with Splinter. Although Leonardo raises concerns that April isn’t ready, Donnie underplays the dangers of scrounging in the military junkyard that ends up with April captured and the rest of the team called into to free her (without alerting the United States Government to the fact that human-sized talking ninja turtles exist).

Fans of the current show should feel right at home here as writer Kenny Byerly is one of the staff writers for the cartoon and artist Dario Brizuela stays true to the character designs of the cartoon while also giving them a little more two-dimensional comic book style. The interactions, the occasional wide-eyed blow-up moments, are all carefully recreated here.

It’s nice to see the comic giving April such a large role in the first issue, as well highlight the character’s tendency to get in over her head as well as her ability to prove her doubters wrong.

…

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #1Read More »

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #1 Read More »

Worlds’ Finest #14

/ / Comics

Worlds' Finest #14I’ve been less than ecstatic with the increased role Apokolips and Desaad have played in this comic over the past few months. Although Worlds’ Finest #14 continues that trend, it refocuses the book better on our two heroines and their friendship (and less of Desaad’s weird experiments and shadowy plans) in a way that’s been lacking in some of these issues (and reminds me a little of what I miss from Gail Simone‘s original Birds of Prey series).

Robson Rocha seems firmly in place as the title’s new artist and he does a pretty good job here (although he gets a little too liberal in the Power Girl boobs shots even when she’s out of uniform in his issue, and the inking is a little sloppy in terms of definition of the characters’ eyes in a handful of panels).

The story finds the pair still under attack as Desaad’s warriors continue to burn down their safe houses and try to grab all of Karen Starr’s research on travel to parallel worlds. The ends in a very public attack on another Starr Industries headquarters as Huntress and Power Girl split up to deal with soldiers and Parademons out for their heads.

…

Worlds’ Finest #14Read More »

Worlds’ Finest #14 Read More »