Champions #7-10: Give and Take

GIVE AND TAKE

Written by Jim Zub
Penciled by Steven Cummings
Published July - Oct 2019

   As Ms Marvel steps down from her leadership role with the Champions, Viv Vision is ready to assume command. Unfortunately for her though, her alter ego Viv 2.0 still rages in rebellion in her subconscious. Meanwhile, Kaldera and Sam reach the Rock to retrieve his Nova helmet so she can kill him honorably. She incapacitates former Deadpool handler Scott Adsit but they soon discover the helmet is actually still somewhere on Earth. 

  And speaking of, the auxiliary Champions have landed at a former SHIELD facility that Viv has gotten word is going to be attacked. Their stealth approach though is interrupted when Kaldera and Sam crash land. She attacks the Champions, who attack the Freelancers, who attack the SHIELD personnel, but in the end, Sam manages to find his Nova helmet and the death battle is supposedly on. But Nova has another plan. He traps Kaldera until the Nova Corps can get there and take her into custody. But the pats on the back don’t last for very long.

   Ironheart calls her team to inform them there’s something wrong with Viv. But it turns out to be an ambush. Riri is apparently sick of everyone’s crap. Now influenced by Mephisto’s illegitimate son, Blackheart, she knocks all of her teammates out except for Viv. The rest of them all fan out to attack their fellow teammates like Ms Marvel and Spider-Man, while Viv is able to discuss a plan with former leader Kamala. Luckily their humility and friendship is able to thwart the demon’s control.

   Back at headquarters, a similar battle breaks out between the New Champions and Brawn. Eventually their uninfected peers catch up with them and it’s teammate vs teammate. The fight erupts into a melee when they use a similar tactic to break the demons spell as before. This time however, Blackheart reveals himself to all of them. Miles unmasks himself and the gesture resonates with the entire group. They all fight en masse until the demon’s father Mephisto shows up to retrieve him. With that, the group is finally able to sit back and reve in friendship. With that, this story and series comes to an end - but the adventures of the Champions are only beginning.

   So with Jim Zub’s departure of this book, I think my immediate reviews for the next series are also going to taper off. It was a decent read - from the last few books of the former volume through this entire run. Mark Waid had told some amazing stories and Jim’s were awesome to boot. I’ll probably still check it out on Marvel Unlimited. As for this story, it was a good one to go out on. I give this final Champions story an 8/10.   

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Champions #7
Champions #8
Champions #9
Champions #10

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Amazing Spider-Man #24-29: Who Run The World

WHO RUN THE WORLD

Written by Nick Spencer
Penciled by Ryan Ottley, Kev Walker, and Francesco Manna
Published June-Sept 2019

   Fresh over his ordeal with Kraven, Pete can finally get a little r&r in. That is, if he could only stop fretting about the visions he saw of MJ's death. This time it's topped off with another nightmare. The bandaged and hooded villain viciously murders Mysterio for daring speak it's name. But when Kindred will finally face off with the webslinger, we may never know.

I see a dentist in your future.

    Meanwhile Spidey swings across town for a date with Mary Jane but gets caught up in some weird, random drone attack trying to save Dcotr Curt Connors.. So instead, she asks Carlie Cooper to go see her old pal Melanie Daniel's new musical, Galactus. Only problem is that Francine Frye, aka the new Electro has other plans. She prepares to livestream Melanie's execution in exchange for a crowdfunded ransom, only there's a twist. Using MJ's exceptional acting skills, it turns out she's playing Ms. Daniels' part while buying time for the stage manager to dump a massive aquarium on the supervillain. The day is saved, Spider-Man returns the Lizard to his scaly, green family, and Mary Jane's acting career is revived. But this new story arc is only getting started.

Hello, Lizard Family!

   Electro is busted out by the all new, all woman empowered Syndicate. Headed by the new Beetle, and comprised of Lady Octopus, Scorpia, White Rabbit and Trapster, their goal is to make a more female dominated organized crime union. And kidnapping the now Kingpin sought Boomerang from Aunt May's newly reconstructed F.E.A.S.T. center is their first big job. Lucky for him, Spider-Man is there. Unlucky though, the Syndicate is able to incapacitate him with relative ease. They escape with Boomerang to their secret lair where a now invigorated Electro is more than willing to join with a slew of new ideas.

Ideas.

   Aunt May wakes Spider-Man up and explains to him Boomerang has been kidnapped. He thwips back to his apartment to get the long range spider-tracker receiver when he makes the horrifying discovery that his roommate Randy is actually dating.. The Beetle?! While Spidey eavesdrops on their convo, she explains the Boomerang heist to him, which is clearly not going over well. She heads back to Syndicate HQ to find Mayor Fisk has surrounded the building, demanding they hand over Boomerang.

It's ok, though. Mayor Fisk is honest now. Right?

   Spidey jumps into action, fighting both the Syndicate as well as the cops. Eventually Boomerang produces some mystery paper on why Beetle can't kill him... and it not only persuades her to spare him, she decides to immediately set him free. In a bizarre turn of events, the Syndicate joins the fight against the cops with Spider-Man and he's able to swing away with Fred while their gang decides to disband. And to top it off, Beetle sends her goons over to the F.E.A.S.T Center to help Aunt May rebuild. So all is right in the world, right?

I mean, just 2 guys? That's it, Beetle?

   The story ends with Mary Jane getting ready to fly to LA for an audition. Pete has one errand to run - to help Aunt May with some apparently very important painting when suddenly his newly discovered sister Theresa walks in. She needs some help. A former acquaintance has been kidnapped by the Chameleon and he's looking for some decommissioned SHIELD helicarriers.  Unfortunately they're too late... And Pete's too late to meet MJ before her flight. With a little romantic proposal on the line for the webslinger, this was going to be an important occasion. But like so many things in Pete's life, we'll have to wait to find out what happens next - as this story drifts to a final conclusion.

Way to go, dummy.

   Man - It always seems like too much time between Spider-Man stories, and Nick Spencer never fails to entertain me. With regular pencils from Ryan Ottley, not to mention some outstanding guest pencilers, our favorite webhead is still in great hands with no indications of slowing down. Can't wait to see where Absolute Carnage takes us with the next one, but this current story very much did not disappoint. I give this one a 9/10.

If you like this review, check out my video of it HERE.

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Amazing Spider-Man #24 (Already Sold)
Amazing Spider-Man #25
Amazing Spider-Man #26 (Already Sold)
Amazing Spider-Man #27
Amazing Spider-Man #28
Amazing Spider-Man #29


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Tony Stark: Iron Man #12-14

WAR OF THE REALMS

Written by Gail Simone, Dan Slott, Jim Zub
Penciled by Paolo Villanelli, and Valerio Schiti
Published June-July 2019

   Now that Malekith has conquered 9 of the 10 realms, he decides to bait a man-dragon named Sadurang to help crush Midgard. Promising him riches beyond anyone's wildest dreams, he talks the demon into attacking Stark Unlimited, where this man whom is clad in golden iron keeps his riches. Rhodey counters the monster with his battlemech code named Manticore when finally Iron Man shows up to the fight as well. Eventually Tony scares the beast away with his Hulkbot, scores of Mark units and even Dr. Shapiro. But as the beast flees, they all notice Iron Man's armor is somehow leaking magic, even transforming into some kind of medieval looking being.  

House of Stark.

   Later the monster returns in humanoid form to ravage the New York Stock Exchange. Tony prepares to fight him with a limited amount of spells he knows. Realizing he's definitely a worthy adversary, Tony uses a spell to fill the dragon's mouth with frogs as he makes a hasty escape. He has hulkbot rip the infected armor off of him and is unexpectedly joined by his girlfriend Janet Van Dyne, aka The Wasp. She distracts Sadurang long enough for Tony to ready his antiquated, non-robotic Mark 1 Giant-Man armor. Once activated, he beats the monster unconscious. 

Again, just let Jason Aaron do all the dirty work...

   Now with the war over, Tony can deal with the fact he's just actually a synthetic copy of his original self. Plagued with the thoughts of falling off the sobriety wagon, he's able to wipe those memories - but unfortunately, there's a backup of everything - and the Spymaster breaks into Stark Unlimited to steal it.

Spymaster?

    That drive is later sold to Arno Stark, care of Baintronics. Tony's long lost brother is able to review the files while in the present, Iron Man and Captain Marvel fight every thing in Tony's arsenal thanks to Spymaster's autopilot. The issue wraps with Arno learning everything - from Tony's current replicated state to the fact he was able to even build engram of their parents. And while Iron Man is able to end his own weapon's assault, he's going to have a lot more to face soon. Jacosta Pym is introduced by Sunset Bain with a quest to become more human - something Arno Stark is more than happy to help with. What happens next? We'll have to wait to find out as this story arc drifts to a final conclusion.

Oh, that can't be a good look.

   So with this series winding down to it's end, Dan Slott is painstakingly setting up Tony's brother Arno to take over his mantle. What began with him being missing and presumed dead, we're slowly learning that the real Tony might still be out there somewhere. But he may not. It's a pretty brilliant twist that I personally can't wait to see what he does with it. For this story, and for the boring, beaten to death War of the Realms - the two plots kind of cancel each other out. But where it's heading is bound to be something amazing. I give these a 9/10.

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Tony Stark: Iron Man #12
Tony Stark: Iron Man #13
Tony Stark: Iron Man #14

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Deadpool #13-15

WAR OF THE REALMS and CONCLUSION

Written by Skottie Young
Penciled by Nik Klein and Scott Hepburn
Published June-July 2019

"...huh?!"

   The War of the Realms has finally came to the pages of Deadpool, where he decides it would be best to join the front in Australia. Joining him are the very hastily created Nancy Nuke, Captain Outback and the Tasmanian Devil - although whom for fears of violating Warner Bros copyright, remains mostly unmentioned. Either way, Ulik - Asgard's most feared troll leader, readies his troops and is ready to lay waste upon every living creature on the continent.

Don't look TOO savage. You're not in an issue of Avengers or anything...

   With his new team ready to attack, Deadpool and company charge into the fray. Though originally not as deadly as they thought, the battle ramps up immeasurably when they find Luke Cage, Daredevil and Iron Fist on the other side of the parking lot. Overhearing a few jokey quips about Lord of the Rings, Daredevil runs to Ulik's hideout and convinces them all to go to New Zealand instead. With the war seemingly over, Deadpool thinks everything is finished, but he soon learns he's been negotiating with Ulik the Conquerable. Ulik the Unconquerable is still mad. Resigned to let fellow writer Jason Aaron handle it, Deadpool jumps ship to try and conclude his own series with one final issue.

It's ok. Jason Aaron can do your dirty work.

   Wade has a Bachelor-themed nightmare in which he finds himself face to face with all of the villains Skottie Young created. One by one they're all killed by Good Night, until Wade wakes up and Mephisto arises from a boiling kiddie pool on the roof of his apartment complex. He pulls Deadpool into hell and explains that his old nemesis Weasel is off the hook. Instead, he wants Deadpool to be his new assassin.

Tempting offer, but...

   In order to make the merc do his dirty business, he reminds Deadpool that he has a daughter. Revealing to him her future life, she becomes a vigilante like him, fighting alongside Good Night. But if for any reason Wade refuses Mephisto, Ellie will instead become the devil's soul collector. Not ever wanting this to happen, he runs away from hell and into Ellie's backyard, where he has a tearful reunion with his daughter under the watchful eye of Agent Preston.

Oh wow. Last time we saw Preston, she was a chopped up android.

   Deadpool gives his daughter some advice, and then joins Mephisto. But after what appears to be weeks of regaling Bachelorette recaps and Golden Girl references, the demon lord expels him from hell. Deadpool is back. but what does that mean for our hero? We'll have to wait to see as this arc and series comes to a final conclusion.

15 Issues. That's enough. Byeee!

   So I don't know what to think about this. Gerry Duggan was known to break the fourth wall in his DP run, but Scottie Young fervently celebrates it almost nonstop. Though that's not necessarily a bad thing. Ryan Reynolds does it in the movies constantly. Either way, this series had some cool parts to it as well as a couple of duds. You take the good with the bad I guess. Can't wait to see what's next for Wade. I give this couple of issues an 8/10.

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Deadpool #13
Deadpool #14
Deadpool #15

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Immortal Hulk #18-21: Abomination

ABOMINATION

Written by Al Ewing
Penciled by Joe Bennett and Ryan Bodenheim
Published May-July 2019

   While Doc Samson awakens in the remains of Shadow Base, Banner leaps into the mind of yet another alter ego. Joe Fixit pulls into a Reno motel but any chance for sleep is dashed rather quickly. The new Abomination attacks viciously, but Hulk is able to see Rick Jones' deformed face  morphing in and out of the monster. Meanwhile, Betty Banner reveals herself as Harpy to reporter Jackie McGee, begging for help to find Bruce. Problem though is that she's not alone, as Doc explains to Alpha Flight that Hulk's ultimate goal is to end the human race.

Oh well that's no big deal. Right?

   Back outside the hotel, Abomination and Hulk's fight intensifies. But now, the monster is able to secrete an acid which manages to devitalize Hulk's skin, disrupting his ability to heal. Around the perimeter, General Fortean's men murder a witness trying to flee, which is unfortunately for them, seen by Harpy. She butchers them in retaliation, later stalking the surrounding compound until she's seen on the General's monitor care of Abomination. Hulk hears her voice and begs for help, which she subsequently ignores, tearing out the monster's heart and then disgustingly eating it.

Ewwwwwww, gross!

   With yet another nightmarish vision dead Bruce Banner sees, the Hulk is brought back to life. After Harpy continues tearing Abomination apart, Hulk describes to Jackie that by killing him, he basically resets. Meanwhile, General Fortean sends in the war wagons, but they all quickly find out that a couple of hulks make for pretty good fight. Later, Hulk peels the shriviled husk of rick Jones out of the monster and the forces retreat, seeing Alpha Flight popping up on a radar and heading in to investigate.

Welp, time to bounce.

   Determined not to allow his Abomination suit to fall into the wrong hands, General Fortean dons the former Thunderbolt Ross's Redeemer Armor. He beams up to Alpha Flight's space station and begins incapacitating and killing them, including Doc Samson and Walter Langkowski. He then retrieves the suit and returns home, later allowing it to engulf him. Now a powered military mind with the might to bring down Hulk, the General is ready to get his revenge. But we'll have to wait to find out because this story has unfortunately come to an end.

I'm sure this is fine.. right?

   So this series continues to rack up the awards and with good reason. I could have never expected Al Ewing to remain at the helm of this book for as long as he has, but I'm glad he's still here. As one of Marvel's most storied characters, Hulk's story has been told a lot. It takes a creative genius to write for a legacy title, and Joe Bennett's artwork continues to support it perfectly. I don't know where this series will end up, but I hope it keeps on going and going. I give this one a 10/10.

If you like this review, check out my video of it HERE.

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Immortal Hulk #18
Immortal Hulk #19
Immortal Hulk #20
Immortal Hulk #21

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Fantastic Four #10-13

Written by Dan Slott
Penciled by Paco Medina and Sean Izaakse
Published May - Aug 2019

Oh, he's BIG mad.

   Franklin Richards is pretty mad at the world. With his teenage bad attitude in full force, his recent grounding sees him pulling time at the Ben Grimm Youth Center. Between wasting his fleeting powers on some bullies, he's able to focus on a real threat, as Frost Giants invade Yancy Street care of the War of the Realms. Luckily Val realizes trashing a local super antennae will send the giants packing, and lucky for them, it works.

"Come on, fellow frost giants. Let's go fight the Avengers."

   Next up finds Doom rebuilding Latveria when he just happens to stumble onto some radioactive dirt. Don't worry - it comes into play later on. Meanwhile the DEMV, ahem - the Dept of Extra Normal Vehicles, bust the Fantastic kids for driving quantum cars without a license. They'll have to pass a driving test, but unfortunately their drive takes them right into a massive dimensional rift. Inside, Gargantua, Empress of the Infinitesimal, throws down the gauntlet. Franklin's terrible teen angst saves the day, talking the empress into just bailing out while they get some mixed news. Val failed her test but Franklin is now officially licensed to quantum drive.

License To Quantum Drive, starring Franklin Haim and Val Feldman. Coming soon.

   Our stories conclude with Ben Grimm and his new wife Alicia finally going on their honeymoon. With his annual transmuation set to turn him back into his human form, he's ready for rest and relaxation, and time away from the Fantastic Four. Unfortunately the couple is barely able to step on the beach when a possessed Hulk shows up, attacking them. Problem is that he only has an hour left as The Thing, so it's gonna have to be a quick battle.

Oh boy.

   Controlling the Hulk remotely is the Puppet Master - estranged father of Alicia and now empowered with the radioactive isotopes gifted to him by Doctor Doom. He entraps several innocent beachgoers, including his daughter, and plans to enact his ultimate revenge until the skirmish inadverntedly frees them. Alicia cheers her husband to one more punch, and with all of his might, the Thing punches the Hulk so hard it practically knocks both of them out. When he wakes up, he's mortified that he spent his entire human time in a coma. But he basks in the fact he finally knocked out the Hulk. For the Puppetmaster though, it's not such a happy ending. Big Green catches up with him at the Raft and well, let's just say he won't be making puppets again anytime soon. With that, this pseudo story arc comes to a satisfying conclusion.

Easy there, Marvel. You wouldn't want to kill off an A-Lister like THE PUPPETMASTER...

   So reading the Fantastic Four always feels like your thumbing through Marvel's greatest nostalgia. They're classics without all the mega-Disney-sellout machine pumping them into your veins 24/7. The one thing that stands out to me here though is that I feel like they're wasting Dan Slott's talent. At least with these 4 issues anyway. I know Point of Origin begins with the next issue and I think that's going to be well worth the wait. As for these, it wasn't too bad, but I just think they could have done a little more. I give these a 7/10.

If you like this review, check out my video of it HERE.

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Fantastic Four #10
Fantastic Four #11
Fantastic Four #12
Fantastic Four #13


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Daredevil #6-10: No Devils, Only God

NO DEVILS, ONLY GOD

Written by Chip Zdarsky
Penciled by Lalit Kumar Sharma and Jorge Fornes
Published May-August 2019

Happy Matt.

   Daredevil is dead and Matt Murdock couldn't be happier. But life still goes on in Hells Kitchen. With the Kingpin still mayor and Former Chicago PD. Detective Cole still obsessed, nobody can let his memory fade away for long. Matt does his best to put the past behind him, flirting with a local bookstore owner while the NYPD is determined to take matters into their own hands.

Welcome to New York.

   Feeling things at an impasse, Mayor Fisk steps down from his criminal empire to go straight. Meanwhile people still try to fight crime themselves in Daredevils name. Matt ups the ante with his bookstore crush, accepting an invite to a family dinner date. When he gets there, he realizes he's been conned. The Libris Crime Family confronts the former DA, debating fair crime fighting tactics versus elicit.

Guess who's coming to dinner.

   Suddenly Matt hears a gun cock, and someone sprays the apartment with bullets while he does his best to save them. Detective Cole questions Matt and explains the perp was killed wearing a Daredevil mask, unknowingly to them by Owlsey.

Hey, Wolverine just shot that guy.

   With the events of late tearing him apart, Matt debates various friends and family about the existence of God.. which personally to me, is a little heavy for a comic book. And Detective Cole learns the hard way that New York cops mean business. Meanwhile, after a night spent boozing it up, DD makes his return, later returning to Mindy Libris' bookstore for some unexpected hanky panky..

Geez - this kind of stuff sure didn't happen in your FATHER'S Daredevil books.

   They’re romance is short lived though. As the story comes to an end, Detective Cole’s backstabbing precinct is forced to deal with a problem. His partner, the one the dirty cops beat to try and send a message, has died. They turn off the cameras and clear the station, intending to dole out some oldschool justice. But luckily his nemesis Daredevil rushes to his aid. With the immediate problems solved, Matt turns to his oldest vigilante confidant, Elektra. But what does that mean for the man without fear? We’ll have to wait to find out as this story comes to a conclusion.

"Hello from the other siiiiiiide..."

   I sincerely thought it would take a mountain of a writer to be able to top what Charles Soule did with Daredevil, but I’ll be damned if Chip Zdarsky hasn’t done just that. Although it always irritates me when an editor can’t keep the same artist for the duration of an arc, this one kept Sharma’s pencils for at least 4 of the 5 issues, and my guess is that he had to fight for that. For what it’s worth, it was enough to bolster this story to a brilliant end, and for that, I give this one a 10/10.

If you like this review, check out my video of it HERE.

You can also buy my physical copy of this book below:
Daredevil #6
Daredevil #7
Daredevil #8
Daredevil #9
Daredevil #10

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