Comics

G.I. JOE #1

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G.I. JOE #1G.I. JOE comes out of the shadows as IDW relaunches all their G.I. JOE related titles beginning here with a somewhat less covert team than we’ve seen in the past. General Joe Colton introduces Duke and acknowledges the existence of the JOE’s to the media before sending Duke and his team to to a media friendly mission to Warrenton, Ohio, where Cobra has established a chemical weapons plant.

For his team, and to fit under the Pentagon’s regulations of a proper mix of gender, ethnicity, and skill sets to market around and fulfill the mission, Duke chooses Roadblock, Quick Kick, Tunnel Rat, Cover Girl, Shipwreck, and Doc (each who has been given a new look and codenames by marketing a public affairs to enhance their likability – much to Shipwreck’s chagrin). He’s also saddled with including the JOE’s embedded blogger Hashtag.

When the JOEs walk right into a Cobra trap and get their transport shot down in the middle of downtown, what should be an easy assignment turns into anything but.

…

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Star Wars #2

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Star Wars #2As Princess Leia puts together her stealth squadron to find the Rebellion a new home base and smoke out the Imperial spy in their midst, Han Solo and Chewie run into a little trouble when Boba Fett shows up in the middle of their scheduled rendezvous. That Han is able to allude Fett (and the Star Destroyer that shows up as reinforcements for the bounty hunter) is no surprise, but the final destination of Coruscant certainly makes you wonder just what kind of mission Solo and his Wookiee companion have been given.

This issue introduces us to the members of Leia’s team, who will work in secret and separately from the rest of the Rebellion. Along with Leia the team consists of Wedge Antilles, Luke Skywalker, Rus Kal, Prithi, Falback Kord, Tess Alder, Ardana Cinn, and Gramm Cortess.

Although we don’t get an appearance by Darth Vader here we do get a short scene with Col. Bircher taking over command of the Star Destroyer Devastator to hunt down and kill as many Rebels as possible as the Dark Lord of the Sith finds himself reassigned on a special mission for the Emperor. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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Uncanny X-Men #1

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Uncanny X-Men #1The new volume of Uncanny X-Men quickly gets readers up to speed on the fallout of AvX and the current state of Cyclops and his team of renegade X-Men. Told entirely from the perspective of a member of Cyclops’ team to S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s Maria Hill, writer Brian Michael Bendis gives us an inside look at Scott’s new role and growing popularity to those outside the United States Government.

Cyclops has been busy rebuilding a new group of soldiers which already includes a healer, a sorcerer, and a woman who is learning to control time to go along with Emma Frost and Magneto. We also learn that the Phoenix was rather unkind to those who it took over. Cyclops has lost the ability to control his optic blast and Magneto’s powers are diminished.

Although I think most of the art of Chris Bachalo is fine, my only real complaint is with the redesign of so many classic characters’ costumes. Magneto’s is my least favorite. In terms of story Uncanny X-Men is all that you could hope in giving readers a new story, setting up the players, and then (in a relatively easy to figure out twist) see where Bendis plans to take the story. Best of the week.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Fatale #12

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Fatale #12Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips return with another one-shot offering us a glimpse of another fatale in 13th Century France as a young witch is tortured and burned at the stake by a religious order only to survive in the company by a hermit in the woods named Ganix.

The hermit takes in Mathilda and nurses her back to health and allows her to live with him in the obscurity of his modest home deep in the undergrowth for years before members of the order eventually find her and set a trap that’s all too easily sprung.

Mathilda’s tale is an interesting one, and I enjoyed it, but a single issue is about all that’s required to delve into it completely. The late twist works well seeing another woman like Josephine deal with her effect on the world and those who want to use her to their own ends adds to the overall story arc as well. Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

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Scarlet Spider #14

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Scarlet Spider #14The Scarlet Spider comic makes a couple of big changes with issue #14, changes I’m not on-board with and hope are temporary. The comic begins with the death of Kaine at the hands of Carlos and Esmeralda Lobo who continue to chase Aracely through Houston. The comic ends with Kaine’s rebirth as something… new.

As Aracely runs across the city and gets a local gang to take on the werewolf siblings on her behalf for encroaching on their turf, Kaine is stuck in limbo talking with Ero who agrees to bring Kaine back to life if he stops acting like a man and embraces his true nature. Willing to risk anything to save Aracely, Kaine agrees to the bargain only to come out of a cocoon looking far more monster than man. My reaction can best be summed up in a single panel.

I really hope Kaine’s transformation lasts only and issue or two as I’m far less interested in reading about a spider-monster assassin than Kaine’s attempt to redeem himself and do honor to the name of the Scarlet Spider. Even a short cameo by Ben Reilly can’t save this one. Pass.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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