Comics

Uncanny X-Men #5

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Uncanny X-Men #5After their successful trip to the Jean Grey School School for Higher Learning, Cyclops, Magneto, and Emma Frost return to settle in their new recruits (Angel and the Stepford Sisters) and deal with Magik‘s bizarre episode in which she momentarily lost control of her powers and was dragged into Limbo by Dormammu who wants control of the realm. The only thing saves her is the reemergence of her Darkchilde persona.

For those unfamiliar with Magik and the source of her powers (and maybe even for those who know the character well) this new storyline seems like an odd shift in focus from the comic’s original arc. On the plus side the issue has some great character interactions including Cyclops doing his best to reassure Magik, and Angel’s on-the-nose comment about Magneto.

Magik’s inclusion on the team troubled me because I knew storylines like this were a very good possibility. Now with the entire team trapped in Limbo that’s where the comic seems headed for at least the next full issue. For fans.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Scarlet Spider #16

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Scarlet Spider #16After the disappointing last couple of issues where the series seem to loose its sense of fun for a far darker turn things pick up when Kaine is dragged to the rodeo against his will by Aracely and his new friends and the new Scarlet Spider is forced into action against a giant drunken lovelorn hero who shows up win back his girlfriend. It’s every bit as awesome as it sounds.

Christopher Yost has terrific fun with Kaine’s narration here as his day gets more and more unbelievable. Hell, he’s even forced to ride a horse and try and lasso the out-of-control Armadillo, and he’s left speechless when the scene plays out far differently than he expected.

Aside from the ridiculously awesome circumstances, Scarlet Spider #16 continues laying groundwork for ongoing stories including Kaine finally giving into his feelings for Annabelle, and a dire warning to Kaine to leave Houston which the hero never receives. Hopefully the foreboding won’t infringe too much on the glorious insanity the comic delivers when it is at its best. Must-read.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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The Flash #19

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The Flash #19Although the cover teases the first appearance of the New 52 version of the Reverse-Flash, which we only get in final couple of panels, most of The Flash #19 deals with Barry Allen stopping the prison break of the Trickster and several other prisoners caused by the Outlander Nation.

Once again Francis Manapul is back to do the issue’s cover, but the art inside the book by Marcio Takara, which isn’t bad, is certainly a step down from what we were getting before. The storyline of Barry working without his powers, which is never properly explained here to anyone not reading Dial H for Hero, works all right, and by the end of the issue the Flash has his powers back and things are back to normal.

That is until the comic introduces the new version of the Reverse-Flash (whose awesome original costume has been thrown away for yet another lackluster New 52 redesign). It will be interesting to see what version of the character has made it into the New 52 and what exactly his plans are for the Scarlet Speedster. For fans.

[DC, $3.99]

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Morning Glories #26

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Morning Glories #26After months of leaving the fate of Casey Blevins up in the air, the latest issue of Morning Glories puts her storyline front and center as the comic kicks off it’s Second Season with a full-sized $1 issue which gives us a few clues as to how Casey has been spending her time since being sent back nearly two decades into the past.

As fans of the series have come to expect, an issue like this raises more questions than it answers. We get a montage of panels from artist Joe Eisma teasing the covert work Casey has been up to since we saw her last as well as a pair of shocking reveals following an odd dinner between Casey and Abraham.

The first big reveal is Casey is secretly Ms. Clarskon, one of Casey’s old high school teachers before being accepted into Morning Glories. And the second, is the scary resemblance to Ms. Daramount, once Casey embraces life as a brunette, and all of the insane implications that come with it. It’s certainly a memorable way to kick off the next arc. Worth a look.

[Image, $1.00]

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G.I. JOE #3

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G.I. JOE #3Most of the action in G.I. JOE #3 is set inside Duke‘s mind as Dr. Mindbender tries to break the JOE and force him to give them the all-clear code which will allow Cobra to continue their plans. Various memories of Duke from childhood through the circumstances that led to him to enlist with the JOEs are used to try and break Duke, but Mindbender and the Baroness discover the process isn’t as easy as they had hoped.

The issue is a good excuse to delve into Duke’s past and present a new look at the road that led him to being the field leader of G.I. JOE. Most of the flashbacks have to do with Duke’s relationship with the love of his life who he lost twice, once by stopping her transfer into the field, and later when her bullheadedness got her the assignment she wanted only to die in an ambush set for Duke.

G.I. JOE #3 bucks the trend of “everybody breaks” in comics and movies recently by allowing Duke to hold out and even warn the JOEs that something is wrong. Now things get interesting. For fans.

[IDW, $3.99]

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