Captain America #7-12: Captain Of Nothing

CAPTAIN OF NOTHING

Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Penciled by Adam Kubert
Published Jan-Jun 2019

   With Thunderbolt Ross mysteriously dead, as well as the Power Elite making moves to frame him, Captain America is under heavy suspicion and decides to turn himself in. Bucky does all he can to try and track down leads but it's to no avail. Steve Rogers finds himself in Baron Von Strukcer's private prison - the Myrmidon as Sharon Carter reveals her new top secret crime fighting squad: The Daughters of Liberty.

TA--DAAAAAA!

   Forced to try and find allies, Cap does his best to fit in - all the while the prisoners are forced to watch their peers' livestreamed torture sessions. Meanwhile,  Selene and Alexa Lukin murder Steve's evil Hydra counterpart to further the Real-Steve-Is-Still-Evil-Steve ruse. Sharon blackmails the Kingpin and gets info on Ross's real murderer...the elusive assassin known as The Foreigner.

This took an entire jump drive to reveal? One page? And it looks like they Photoshopped it for effect...

   Alexa Lukin meets up at the Fact Channel offices to spin the Supreme Commander connection. back at the safe room, the Daughters give a status report to their defacto leader, the Dryad. The first attempt to help Cap break out of jail is by triggering a riot, though all it really does is just help bolster the Fact Channel's fake news.

Sharon Carter probably has the text all enlarged.

   Undeterred, Daughter member Susan Franklin breaks in and doses her inside man Thunderball with a technovirus. As his condition continues to worsen, he's brought to the prison sickbay while Von Strucker viciously fights a weakened Captain America in front of everyone. Luckily Thunderball's chaos virus disables the prison's power dampeners, allowing the gen pop to fairly fight back.

Oh y'all did it now!

   Things get violent inside the Myrmidon. While the Daughters of Liberty work in lockstep to infiltrate their plan, the Dryad finally faces off with the Foreigner. With Von Strucker's guards on the ropes, he deploys his robot AmeriCops - who are quickly disabled by Misty Knight. With the prison unguarded, the criminals all flee into New York, but more importantly, the Daughters have freed Cap, and captured Von Strucker as well.

We can float them back in this Wubble Ball.

   Now a fugitive - again, Steve and Sharon consider their options. A world that is now teetering on edge of believing Captain America was actually the Hydra leader. He meets with the Daughters of Liberty and explains their next mission will be to drive Cap's message in the absence of an actual Captain America. Because while Captain America is dead, Steve Rogers lives. And as the last page reveals - so does Peggy Carter? The Dryad? So what does this mean? We'll have to wait as this story comes to a close.

Agent Carter - sporting the rad new nose ring look.

   So Captain America is a wanted man again. This isn't really anything new, but under the tutelage of Coates and Kubert, they certainly know how to put a different spin on things. Should be an interesting thing seeing how Peggy Carter somehow rose from the dead, and even more interesting - how will Steve Rogers react. Either way, this series did an excellent job moving away from though keeping the Secret Empire arc alive and well, and it was such a brilliant tale, I believe it certainly deserves as much. I give this one a 9/10.

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

You can also buy my physical copy of this book below:

Captain America #7

Captain America #8

Captain America #9

Captain America #10

Captain America #11

Captain America #12

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Doctor Strange #12-17: Herald Supreme

HERALD SUPREME

Written by Mark Waid
Penciled by Barry Kitson
Published March-August, 2019

   Relaxation for Doctor Strange is few and far between, and of course this time is again interrupted by a strange being seeking answers. Zoloz, a magic welder of Zarax, seeks help to stop Galactus from inevitably eating his planet. He demands it without conversation, and eventually utters a spell that sends the World Eater into the depths of the mystic realms.

Oh well that's neat.

   Of course, this is no good. And as Doctor Strange follows him drifting from and consuming magical realm to realm, he eventually finds help in his ex-wife Clea. She in turn partners with Dormammu's sister Umar, who goes on a mission to unite every mage she can find while Galactus keeps eating magic. After some searching, Strange finds a planet Galactus can eat. Unfortunately it's a ball of dark energy that allows Dormammu to become his new herald. 

Easy there, Galactus. Slow it down.

   In response, life throughout the entire universe exchanges science for magic. This causes havoc all throughout but as the now magical, demonic world eater continues to hunger, he eats even his demonic herald's lifeforce. Strange, Umar, and Clea are forced to take dire measures, and Steven offers a future wish to Mephisto in order to point them in the right direction.

Oh well I'm sure this won't affect anything later.

   Strange seeks out every magician and scientific mind the world has left - including the best of the X-Men, Avengers, Alpha Flight... EVERYONE has to offer. They're on deck as Galactus just rifles through Clea and Umar's dream team of magical forces. One by one, he mows through the best Earth as well the far reaches of the galaxy has to offer. But he finally reveals his plan to the love of his life. Every one of them must fall. All life must be consumed by Galactus until he can't eat anymore. With the world eater stuffed, Doctor Strange strikes - and suddenly... he's the only thing left standing.

Wait, where are we?

   Eternity finally appears, and now with the power of a god, Doctor Stephen Strange the surgeon must rewrite every modicum of galactic history. The big bang, the birth of man, every triumph, every calamity, every win, every loss, every savior, every dictator - until he's back in the Sanctum and ready for Zoloz. Acting quickly, he talks the alien into being a herald for Galactus in order to save his planet. And it looks like everything is back to normal - except for one tiny thing.

"Doctor who?"

   Mephisto is still owed his favor. And just to make it worse, forces Stephen to see his chances with Clea linger in what could have made him forever happy. He casts a spell on Clea that makes her forget he ever existed. And so poor Doctor Strange is left again to be forever alone. With that, this epic tale comes to a super long and drawn out conclusion.. and it's kind of a drag, but at the very least, it's finally all over.

"... all by myself. Don't wanna be all by myself..."

   So for the longest time I can remember, I've had an aversion to Marvel's space jaunts. I liked my superheroes to be either mutants, super soldiers, or even the occasional mystic but the one thing that they all shared was they usually stayed on earth. Doctor Strange is a different animal though, and although he spends a lot of time on Bleeker Street, it's not uncommon for the Starjammers or Watchers or even Silver Surfer to pop up from time to time. As long as it's well written, I'll take it.. and this story most definitively didn't disappoint. Mark Waid is the real magician here, but that's of course nothing new. Barry Kitson keeps things about as old school as you'll see in a modern age comic and this title completely deserves it. I give this incredible story 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:
Doctor Strange #12
Doctor Strange #13
Doctor Strange #14
Doctor Strange #15
Doctor Strange #16
Doctor Strange #17

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X-Force #5-6: 2000 Years From Tomorrow

2000 YEARS FROM YESTERDAY
2000 YEARS FROM TOMORROW

Written by Ed Brisson
Penciled by Damian Couceiro
Published Mar 27 and Apr 10, 2019

   So we finally learn more about how Kid Cable has come to once again lead X-Force. Prior to the events of Extermination, he was fighting a group of baddies called the New Canaanites in the super-far-off future... when suddenly his world begins unraveling. Thanks to an old and formerly dead friend, Blaquesmith, he learns of his true mission. Which again... if you read Extermination, now you know.  

"Ohhh so that's what happened. Makes more sense..."

   Meanwhile, his actions have lead Stryfe, aka Chaos Bringer to discover him. But just prior to this happening, the Transian military leader Constantin discovers Ahab and his hounds. Later,  Stryfe negotiates a mutant nation that is essentially used to lure Nathan Summers to them. And it works. Kid Cable will do anything to get future daughter Rachel Summers back, even if it’s willing to walk with Stryfe into a portal, but what’ll happen next? Well have to wait to find out as the 4 part CounterfeitKing begins in the very next issue.

"Alright guys, I'm out."

    So although it just answered a few questions about how future/past Nathan Summers came to find the original X-Men, at the very least we learn more about it's setup. It seems like Cable has been at war in every single iteration of his existence, and where Cable finds a war, he always seems to find a Stryfe. I'm looking forward to seeing where they go from here. I give this one an 8/10.

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

You can also buy my physical copy of this book below:
X-Force #5
X-Force #6

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