All New X-Men 6

Written by Dennis Hopeless
Penciled by Mark Bagley
Cover by Mark Bagley
Published Mar 16, 2016

   The issue opens with Idie, Icemen, Beast, and Cyclops still fighting the Blob, and with Iceman finally able to relax a little, he and Idie work up a shake-and-bake move that throws him hundreds of feet away. Cyclops stops for a second to pat the team on the back just in time to let his guard down and get hit by a drunk driver.
   Kid Apocalypse runs up to the car and realizes who the driver is - another former X-Nemesis, Toad. As he makes this realization Beast is being thoroughly beaten mercilessly by the Blob. Across town, Wolverine tries to shake off the breakup she just experienced from Angel, but just as she's thinking about it, he flies away into a fiery stream and explodes into Blob, saving Idie in the process who's again busy inner-rambling about God. And just as Blob stomps him, he slams a piece of rebar into Blob's eye and crashes back down onto him, finally incapacitating him for good..
   The issue wraps with Kid Apocalypse informing the team about Scott bring taken hostage by Toad. There's a peak of him tied to an alter inside the Parisian Catacombs underground and the Toad making some rather threatening conjecture. We're left to wait for what's coming in the next issue.
   Overall this was a pretty good issue. I think this is probably at the top of the list when it comes to X-books right now. If Uncanny is the flagship title (which is debatable) this title isn't far from it. Plus old villains and young X-Men makes it almost a classic set in modern times. I give it a 9/10.

For the video review of this issue, click HERE or watch below.

Until next time, thanks for reading!
 

Justice League #5

Written by Bryan Hitch

Penciled by Tony S Daniel

Cover by Tony S Daniel

Published Sep 21, 2016

   Aquaman is driven by instinct to bring some objects to a specific part of the sea. Something is singing to him and he doesn't know how or why, but it's just telling him what to do. Meanwhile at the Kent Farm, Cyborg realizes he's controlling the weird robot insects that swarmed all over him. He can communicate worldwide and realizes Flash is in trouble and can directly speak with the Green Lanterns as well. Flash tells him and Batman to meet him, that the Kindred took his powers and are somehow using them. Cyborg and Batman tell Lois and Jon that Superman, who's still busy fighting the energy sources at the earths core, will be ok and they teleport off.

   Wonder Woman explains to the Kindred that absorbed her that her friends are gathering, and retreats out of the gigantic being. Aquaman continues to instinctually prepare the ocean floor for stopping the quakes while the rest of the team realizes that since the Kindred are made of people, they can't destroy them. They just have to disrupt them. Flash takes his speed back, weakening them, and Cyborg calls upon the Lanterns to pump the purge beings back onto the Kindred. Aquaman stabs the artifacts into them, the Green Lantern's keep blasting them, and finally Superman pulls the last of the quake energies out of the Earth and it explodes, finally disrupting them for good.

   Justice League reminds me of those old Avengers comics that is way over my head. I don't know if I just require more simple stories or if these just reach so far without shoring up certain parts or whatever. I don't think it's necessarily a DC thing either because the Superman and Batman books work hard to explain a lot but Justice League just crams every hero in and creates these conflicts so broadly that they screw a little bit up. The artwork is good enough but the story didn't connect very well. 5/10.

If you liked this description, check out my video review HERE or click below.

Until next time, thanks for reading!

Extraordinary X-Men #8

Written by Jeff Lemire
Penciled by Humberto Ramos/Victor Ibanez
Cover by Humberto Ramos
Published Mar 16, 2016

   Storm sits in her study pondering the future of the X-Men when Logan walks in. They begin talking and mostly to me because of his age, begin to share a creepy romantic moment when Forge walks in and, thankfully interrupts them. He has news: Cerebra has discovered over 600 new mutants in Tokyo. She sends Colossus, Cerebra, and the young new mutants to investigate and as they enter the supposed location, they find 600 mutant embryos and Sugar Man, a freaky looking and shift-shaping mutant geneticist from an alternate reality.
   The fight between them all begins, and the globe Sugar Man was defending powers up, trapping the initial mutant team who arrived first and teleports them 1000 years into the future. The rest of Storm's X-men arrive to follow them down the wormhole, but leave Magik behind to protect the limbo state that the X-Mansion and pretty much all the rest of this team's reality seems to exist in.
   When they get there, they find the team though much older in the future. Only one member of the team is missing. When asked where he is, it's revealed just in time for us to discover Apocalypse Colossus and his new horsemen. Looks like the X-Men are in for a heck of a battle.
   I enjoyed this issue if for anything, it was cool to set up the return of Apocalypse. This issue ties in with the Apocalypse Wars storyline and was was first published back in March right at the time of the newest X-Men film opening around that time. It sets the story up well and has me looking forward to the next one. I give it a solid 7/10.

If you like this description, check out my accompanying video HERE or click below:

Until next time, thanks for reading!

Uncanny Avengers #7

Written by Gerry Duggan

Pencils by Ryan Stegman

Cover by Ryan Stegman

Published Mar 9, 2016

   We begin with both Quicksilver and Dr Voodoo reminiscing about their siblings, and in Voodoo's case, having to deal with them asking to rejoin the land of the living. While over New York, Cable and Rogue work to hone Synapse's psychic abilities in a helicopter on the way to Pleasant Hill, Connecticut. As they reach their target - an armored humvee speeding away from town, Deadpool leaps out of the chopper and discovers its the Wrecker driving... Surprising because he was allowed to avoid jail in the previous issue if he helped Deadpool chase down some leads on the Red Skull. Either way, they disable the vehicle and interrogate the Wrecker for answers.   

   He explains that he's been in Pleasant Hill in a secret Matrix-like jail SHIELD operates that makes the inmates forget who they are. After some back-and-forth banter, we find out that Maria Hill, the SHIELD director was the passenger in Wrecker's car. She tells them that she was falsely imprisoned there as well, and that if the Avengers return her there, they're all in a lot of trouble. Sadly some sentinel like soldiers are closing in on them and it all hinges on whether the Avengers believe her or not. They eventually go with her description of events and attack the imposing SHIELD forces. After the battle is over, they throw the Wrecker out of the chopper and call Quicksilver and Human Torch to join them - just in time for another Maria Hill to flyover in another helicopter and start blasting.

   I started reading this book because I was excited it caught me up with a few missing X-Men. Plus I've always been a fan of Cable. This book is part of the "Standoff: Assault On Pleasant Hill" and Stegman's pencils are interesting and abstract. Still, this seems like a C-level kind of book, aka not-exactly-ready-for-primetime, but I dig it. 6/10 for now but I see it creeping up and getting better...

If you liked this description, check out the accompanying video HERE or click to watch below...

Till next time, stay dirty - stay nerdy.

Amazing Spider-Man #9

Written by Dan Slott
Penciles by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Cover by Alex Ross
Published Mar 9, 2016

Scorpio Rising Part 1: One Way Trip

   Nick Fury storms into Parker Industries looking for Peter, but is met instead by Spider-Man, who explains that he's cracked Zodiac's leader Scorpio's code and has a way to finally track him down. They head to the SHIELD satellites in space to manually reactivate them. Meanwhile, the Gemini's explain it to Scorpio that Spider-Man figured out a way to find them. He remotely sends every SHIELD satellite in the area hurtling towards them, but Fury shoots each one out of the sky while Spider-Man works on hacking them.
   Since he uses their return Rocket as a last ditch effort to stop the largest satellite, Spidey realizes he'll have to send Fury to the International Space Station while he dives back towards Earth through the atmosphere. Knowing his suit, costume, and probably everything else he has will burn up on re-entry, he calls Anna Marconi for help. Probably the best part of the issue is when Anna is kissing her new romantic interest at Parker Industries, Aiden Blain, and the Brian Bot, whose brain Doc Ock controls, seethes with jealousy and interrupts them.
   Spider-Man uses his web foam to build a cocoon around himself, and fires up a siren he has on himself (for some reason) to warn the people of Paris that he's about to make a dangerous crash landing. He lands - hard - and sees a glowing light burning through the foam. It explodes and there stands Scorpio, with his Zodiac key in hand, who announces to Spidey that he doesn't make it to tomorrow.
   Another Dan Slott puff piece, the author shows more reasons as to why so many in the comic book world don't care for him., The story is banal and plain, but I still liked it. Extra points for the Doc Ock cameo, but points off for Marvel shoving more SHIELD down our throats. The Alex Ross painted cover delivers, and the art is decent. 6/10.

If you like this review, check out my VIDEO review of it HERE or click below.

Thanks for reading!

Superman #6

Written by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Penciled by Patrick Gleason
Cover by Doug Mahnke and Wil Quintana
Published Sep 7, 2016

   The dramatic conclusion of "Son Of Superman" finds Clark beating the absolute shit out of the Eradicator on the moon. Lois seems startled about this near steroid-fueled rage but Jon points out it's the Kryptonians inside him that are powering him up. Banter and battle rages between the two, eventually resulting in a moonquake which gets NASA's attention and the fight goes viral. The battle nears an end, and Superman pulls Krypto through the Eradicator's chest. They fall back towards the moon slugging it out, and finally beat the Kryptonian force out of him, knocking over the lunar module on the moon's surface and forming a gigantic House of El logo in the sky.
   Superman tells his spirit ancestors to go in peace, and as the Eradicator dies, further humiliates him by having Krypto sit on his burned up corpse. He picks the module back up and makes sure the camera sees him - broadcasting his face back to Metropolis and after a 'key to the city' ceremony, lets the world know that Superman is officially back.
   Back at the farm, Clark comes into Jon's room and has a heart to heart, telling him about how somehow, a pair of glasses will forever mask his identity to the public. The issue wraps with the two of them flying up to the Justice League Watchtower in orbit, and Clark introduces his son to Batman and Wonder Woman officially as Superboy.
   While kind of devoid of story, the issue wrapped up everything from the previous issues and tied everything together. I'm not exactly sure that they needed 6 parts to do it in, but it's about what you'd expect from this series. The art was pretty vibrant - lots of bright yellows, blues, and reds filled the pages. Far from being complex, it delivered what was expected. 7/10.

If you liked this review, check out my accompanying video HERE!

Thanks for reading.

All-New Wolverine #6

Written by Tom Taylor
Pencils by David Lopez and David Vavarrot
Cover by Bengal
Published Mar 9, 2016

   After Zelda dies at the hands of the Alchemax guards, it's up to her sisters Gabby, Bellona, and Wolverine to take their revenge. They rough up Captain Mooney and follow him to the bunker, attacking Mooney and his forces and from the looks of it, suffering the loss of Bellona in the process. As her body is lying on the autopsy table, she springs to life, threatens the scientists and uploads all of the nanite information Alchemax has on her and her sisters to the SHIELD servers.
   Later Wolverine hear's Mooney coming and the girls agree for her to go and find Chandler while they deal with Mooney. Bellona kills him and explains to Gabby that she has to go, as part of the agreement the made with "her"to enact their revenge. Meanwhile Wolverine finds Dr. Chandler and roughs him up, later allowing Gabby to strike a claw inches from his face just to remind him just how close he came to dying that day.
   The issue ends with a cameo by none other than Kimura - X-23's most hated rival. explaining to Bellona that a deal's a deal, and in return for allowing the girls to kill everyone at the Alchemax lab, she's now the proud owner of the tech inside Bellona, no doubt setting up something sinister down the road.
   This comic was simple and no frills. It did what it promised to in finishing up the four sisters storyline, but left a few holes. For example, I'm not sure where they got the phone that would be used to send all the info to Maria Hill with SHIELD. Either way., everything was convenient and easy to do what they needed to do, and didn't really stray into any other errant territories which was nice for a change. The art was a little wack, almost like they were like "WE'RE UNDER A DEADLINE HERE! FINISH THAT WOLVERINE BOOK UP!" But I enjoyed the Powerpuff Girl-Power kind of vibe, and I like where Tom Taylor is going here. I give it a 6/10.

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

Thanks for reading.