Here we are again! Bullet Reviews! We start with the first of the Infinity crossover books Avengers #18 then we move on to Dark Shadows #19, Deadpool Kills Deadpool #2, Superior Spider-Man #16, Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #2, and X-Men #4. Let’s get started, shall we?
AVENGERS #18 (Marvel NOW!)
An Infinity Tie-In!
Hickman and Yu. What a terrific team. Yu is my favorite comic book artist, Hickman is a great writer on most titles but I just don’t really care for him on Avengers. I really struggle with reading these issues and honestly I feel bad about it. I want to like these stories. I can tell he really works hard on them and Marvel is really trying to take Avengers to the next level. But that level just isn’t for me. I care about this ongoing battle going on in space but not for the right reasons. If one race was completely wiped out forever I could take this whole thing a little more seriously. If the Brood just up and disappeared forever that would be a bold move. If the Shi’ar never saw the light of day again, that would be a very bold move. But that isn’t the case. All of these races will survive this impending doom. Maybe not all Avengers but hey losing a few of those faceless members that no one cares about couldn’t really hurt the title. I feel like this series is trying to embody West Coast Avengers to a certain degree. Some people loved the West Coast Avengers, others hated them. Either way you have a certain respect for something so limited but so engrossing at the same time. I think Hickman is trying to embody that state of character and drama, but without the limited. Grabbing from all ends of the universe to form a truly remarkable team. My only complaints is this…it just isn’t all that remarkable. -Nick Furious
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DARK SHADOWS #19 (Dynamite)
Lockwood is human again! This is not a good thing because while for Barnabas and others having their vampiric side was a good thing, they are basically ‘good’ people but Lockwood is different. When he was human he was a psychopath who loved killing. As a vampire he was able to do this but only at night. Now that he wears the magical amulet that removes his vampiric side he can once again kill in the day. This makes him a bigger danger to Barnabas and the others who, until now, felt pretty safe in the sun. But they don’t know this and they are all preparing for war against the forces of darkness that have invaded Collinsport. Everyone, that is, except young David who is helping his friend turned vampire Emma face her family for the first time since she was turned. But the reunion is going to be short lived as there are others have a different sort of reunion in mind.
Dark Shadows is, without a doubt, the best classic vampire series on the stands today. There are no ’emo’ crybabies or over sexualized vampires here, just good old fashioned classic blood suckers. This is a vampire series for grown ups who take their vampire mythos seriously. I’m really enjoying this series but I’m eager to see what’s in store for Barnabas and others once this story concludes! -Skott Jimenez
DEADPOOL KILLS DEADPOOL #2 (Marvel)
Yeah, I know, Deadpool is everywhere and while people claim to be tired of him… his stuff still gets attention and still sells. The Deadpool factor is one of pure mystery. But if you’re truly sick of Deadpool and would love nothing more than to see him die then here’s your book! You get to see many Deadpools bite the big one and in some entertaining ways. While this issue sees the deaths of Kidpool and Pulp Deadpool, we see some interesting alternate versions of the Merc With The Mouth including one with bees for a mouth and Pandapool. But the biggest one shows up during the battle of the Deadpool Corps and the ‘Pools who see Darkpool’s side of things but that’s only one of the surprise. It seems that the Watcher that has been working with Deadpool has also been rooting for Darkpool because, well, they are both aspects of the same character. Things get out of hand but come to a grinding halt when the Devourer of Worlds Made Of Chimichangas, GalactusPool shows up!
As a man who has enjoyed many a Deadpool story over the years and was vastly disappointed in the current Marvel NOW! series, I have to say this series reminds me of the sort of insane fun that Deadpool has been known for. The regular series seems to try too hard to be fun while this one just sits back and let’s Deadpool and others simply be themselves. I absolutely love it! -Skott Jimenez
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #16 (Marvel NOW!)
As the season of Superior kicks into high gear, Slott raises the stake even more. The great thing about having Slott on a title is that every change he makes is a big one. He doesn’t tackle small things. When he sets things in motion they always end with a bang. The entire world knows that Phil Urich is the Hobgoblin. Once again Spider-Man is taking down another rogue gallery enemy. The Hobgoblin a constant thorn in Peter Parker’s side is taken down. But he escapes thanks to none other than the Green Goblin. But who is the new Green Goblin? This isn’t a twist where the unmasking is the exciting part either. This is the kind of series that gives a treat all the time. We don’t have to earn it, but he makes it feel it that way. Every time you read something the likes of Dan Slott’s Superior Spider-Man you can’t help but feel you are reading poetry in motion. Maybe that is going too far but that is seriously how good this title is. The next issue teased none other than Spidey 2099, how is he going to fit into all of this? And where does Miles come into play? Only Slott knows… -Nick Furious
Check out our full review!
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP #2 (Marvel NOW!)
Sibling Rivalry, Part 1
In the first part of the crossover with the Scarlet Spider we see there are still some cracks in the mind of Otto. When he sees the clone of Peter Parker he flashes back to the pain the clone cased him back in his Doctor Octopus days and he flips out. There is some really interesting inner dialogue from Otto during the confrontation but it’s all cut short when a giant monster spider shows up and takes them both on and this is only the beginning. The Jackal and Carrion are here and their appearance changes the tone of the story fast! One thing that’s still interesting with Otto as Spider-Man that I think a lot of people overlook is his reaction to other villains. He knows many of them on a personal level which gives us another layer to their story as well as some insight on the lives of the baddies in comics. At least the lives of the more respected villains, not like the folks over in The Superior Foes Of Spider-Man.
I have to admit I wasn’t really expecting much out of this story, I’m not much of a fan of the Scarlet Spider and the Jackal is more annoying than menacing in my opinion (which means I’ll be super happy if Otto gets to beat the tar out of him) but this first half of Sibling Rivalry is very entertaining which is no surprise considering it’s Christopher Yost, but the art of Marco Checchetto really brings it all together and fits this story like a glove! It’s fun and fast paced, the way you’d expect a Spider-Man story to be! -Skott Jimenez
X-MEN #4 (Marvel NOW!)
Even with Wolverine hogging the title X-Men was still garbage. It has been a long time since adding Wolverine to a title was a good thing, but I really thought Wolverine appearing in a Brian Wood book wouldn’t be a bad thing. I was wrong. Oh so very wrong. If there was an award for most boring issue of a comic ever, I would nominate this issue. It tried to have some drama and action. It also told us the same Jubilee garbage they tried when they first introduced her. Can we please get back to the one thing we actually care about with Jubilee! She is a vampire now! What a huge change to the character development of our young pop culture mall goddess. During an interview I recently read Wood said that he would be going more in-depth with the whole Vampire thing. The real question is when? He also said Wolverine will definitely make a big impact upon his return. Spoiler Alert. He didn’t. I don’t even know why he was in the issue other than to be on the cover. Dumb issue. Really dumb issue. Can’t wait for Amazing X-Men. This all female team is not awful for the all female factor, it is awful because no one is trying to take the X-Men to new levels. And John Sublime is a horrible reason to start a team. Go back to the drawing board Marvel. You’re drunk. -Nick Furious
