Extraordinary X-Men #20

Written by Jeff Lemire

Penciled by Victor Ibanez
Cover by David Yardin
Published Mar 22, 2017

   War is over. With the terrigen threat neutralized, it's time for the X-Men to go home. Even though the stay in limbo was always supposed to be temporary, Storm really felt like it was all coming to an end. Colossus tells her they're ready for another group transport out. A very much happier Nightcrawler joins the crowd and Jean and Storm reminisce when Martha the brain tells Storm she's sensed a distress signal. Forge attempts to pinpoint it but being too weak, it's determined a team will need to be organized one final time.
   On a farm in South Dakota, they're drawn to an old creepy farmhouse. As they draw near it, hordes of wild and oddly insect infused sentinals fly out at them.. Logan has no problem shredding them and Martha senses Sentinal-gone-good Cerebra nearby, but the attack isn't her doing. Jean Gray is distracted during the fight and the still crushing Glob saves her. Ernst leads the team to the farmhouse on property and there in the back is a disembodied and damaged Cerebra.
   She tells the group that during the attack from Emma Frost, she cast her AI across any network available. Finally finding a host, she's been stranded here, in the location of Emma's Inhuman hunting sentinal factory ever since. The robots the X-Men encountered were the remnants, programmed to act as a last ditch effort of security. Cerebra tells the team how she's not much use to anyone without her body and Martha has an idea. Ready to shed her cybernetic body, she gives it to Cerebra and they return to X-Haven to help with the continued move.
   The issue wraps with Storm meeting the last of her X-Men with nothing more left to do. Iceman has an idea. A last minute baseball game with her teammates. Jeannie pitches to Logan, who accuses her of using telekinesis... Storm wistfully thinks back. Instead of constantly being afraid there'd be no future, now it's time to reflect on what  that future holds.. And with that, this series comes to a close.
   I'm sad to see this book ending. For awhile, this felt like the flagship of the X-series. It had the best writing but scantly the best artwork - this issue being no exception. Still, it was full for a spinoff title and seemed to do a great job of remembering why we fell in love with the original All New X-Men in the first place. I'm looking forward to seeing the old teams reunited but this wrap is bittersweet. I give this particular issue a 5/10 for being a crummy waste of a story but a 10/10 for a title overall. 

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

You can also buy my physical copy of this book HERE.

Like comics? Check out my ebay store HERE.

Follow me at facebook, twitter, or instagram as well.

Until next time, thanks so much for reading.

Infamous Iron Man #6

Written by Brian Michael Bendis

Penciled by Alex Maleev
Cover by Alex Maleev
Published March 29, 2017

   A lifetime ago at State College, a young Victor Von Doom is annoyed at his classmate Reed Richards offering to look over his work. Explaining to him he doubts he'd understand it, they're interrupted by school jock Ben Grimm asking why Reed even talks to Victor in the first place. Reed asks him about rumor he's working on a machine to talk with the dead in hopes of contacting his long lost mother. Doom gets upset, and although Reed compliments his work, he accuses him of trying to sabotage and eventually mock the future supervillain.
   Flash forward to today and Wizard tells Modok that the new Iron Man inspired Doom is a big problem. Allowing SHIELD to capture the Mad Thinker, he thinks they should get the old Intelligentcia band back together before sneaking in behind him stands Iron Doom himself. He tries to counter Doom's attack with a more improved glove design, which although not powerful enough to defeat him, turns out to be a diversion. Somehow making his anti-gravity tech immune to sorcery, Iron Man is shot through the roof. He disengages his boots and silently falls to earth, using his hand blasters to stop him at the last second. Meanwhile, someone on the SHIELD helicarrier informs Commander Carter that Doom is on the grid in Pennsylvania while he fights Wizard. For a moment he's distracted and Wizard attacks him from behind. Suddenly,  we see Reed Richards and Victor's mother Cynthia watching the battle from some far off dimension. She wants to run to him before Reed argues against it. Back on Earth, Director Carter tries to arrest Doom but but he makes small talk and manages to stall her long enough for his armor to come back online. He blasts off into the sky, evading her "shoot to kill" order and escapes.
   The issue concludes in Chicago, where RiRi Williams watches news footage of some Iron Man like figure being confronted by SHIELD agents. As her mother calls her for dinner, she says she's going out and will just grab something to eat later. And with that, we're left to be continued.
   I think I said it before, but if Brian Michael Bendis wants to write a Fantastic Four book so bad, why don't they just publish one? It doesn't make a lot of sense to exile Tony Stark just so Reed Richards and the Thing could fight Dr. Doom again. Still, I enjoy it. It reminds me an awful lot of when Doc Ock was in Peter Parker's body a few years ago, and I dug that storyline too. I look forward to what happens next and 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 HERE.

Like comics? Check out my ebay store HERE.

Follow me at facebook, twitter, or instagram as well.

Until next time, thanks so much for reading.

Uncanny Inhumans #20

Written by Charles Soule

Penciled by Ario Anindito
Cover by Frazer Irving
Published Mar 22, 2017

   Maximus is at long last finished with his plan to create more terrigen crystals. In India, he opens Banyan's workshop doors to show everyone the big finish. There before them lies an incredible factory, with Banyan's best men and a crazy Inhuman engineer named Kludge. Maximus gets the factory to work while Lineage and Triton discuss a plan to murder him as soon as possible. Compelled to wait until the crystals are finished, it takes three days and Maximus tells them he's done. They walk in and instead of building crystals, he and Kludge have built a gigantic robot they intend to stomp on mutants with. Banyan is infuriated. He intends to take out his anger on Maximus but not before the Unspoken returns.
   Intent on getting the crystals from him, the Unspoken is still a little upset with being forced to marry a fish queen. She allows him to get his revenge before they're to spawn. Maximus and Kludge jump into the gigantic robot and the battle is on. Banyan watches as it crushes the factory before pulling out a gigantic sword to fight the robotic fish that the Unspoken and his queen are in. It swipes the robot and there on the tip of the sword rests Unspoken. Unfortunately for Maximus, Kludge used terrigen to fuel the robot, and instead it fuels the Unspoken into a giant. It tears the robot in half and Maximus attempts to take over his brain. Banyan once again comes after him but Triton cuts the wood man's hands, arms and jaw off. With the Unspoken threat neutralized... somehow, Triton asks why Maximus didn't just make the crystals. He essentially eludes to the fact that he's the only one who can make them, thus becoming too important to ever kill.
   The issue ends with an Inhumans vs X-Men epilogue. Blackbolt and the newly unthroned Medusa sit in a bar talking. Since Emma Frost's attack is wearing off on the former Inhuman king, conversation is something he won't be able to engage in for much longer. She asks him if he'd known the effects of terrigen on mutants, would he have released it and he tells her no. They recap the events of the series and how they're newly grown numbers will allow them that much power. Blackbolt's speech shatters her wineglass, pretty much rendering him forever mute once again and Flagman runs in. A huge party has been organized for the Queen's farewell. They salute her. She raises her glass and salutes them back... "To the future" she says - and all rejoice. And with that, this series comes to a close.
   The last page of this comic is a letter from Charles Soule to his audience and I have to say, it's a pretty good one. He was basically told to take these characters and turn them into something. Essentially he took at best some B to C level cast offs  and formed what will become more and more important of a franchise to Marvel. Not an easy task and he's gracious to his pencilers, editors, and readers for helping him do it. He did a good job. I give this issue a 10/10 as a worthy final issue, and I'm looking forward to seeing where they take the Inhumans next.

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

You can also buy my physical copy of this book HERE.

Like comics? Check out my ebay store HERE.

Follow me at facebook, twitter, or instagram as well.

Until next time, thanks so much for reading.

Old Man Logan #19

Written by Jeff Lemire

Penciled by Filipe Andrade
Cover by Andrea Sorrentino
Published Mar 15, 2017

   The mutant once known as Wolverine carves his way into the Cellar - the world's most fortified prison, determined to find someone. As he leaps through the doors, the guards shoot him. Reminding them that they've made a big mistake, they refer to him by his old name and he carves through their armor. They point him in the right direction as one of the guards ask just what's in the lower levels and he gets his answer... the really scary ones. The ones that never get out.
   It was only nine days prior that Logan asked Illyana Rasputin to help him. He needs to go back to the future, back to the Wastelands. She asks if it's because of the Hulk baby and he tells her that would be the reason. He has to stop what the baby can become. She tells him that there's no guarantee that the future he came from is even like that anymore. Certain events may have altered it. It's a risk he's willing to take but one that she is not. She tells him no.
   Back in the present, he continues to slash his way further and further down. Everything is going fine until he runs into Miles Morales - the new Spider-Man. Logan tells him to back off. He won't. They go round and round until he sees the claws. Flashback to meetings with Beast, Shaman, Cable, Wiccan, Dr Doom, Scarlet Witch, and Black Panther and they all tell him no . Finally, Dr Strange at least entertains the conversation but only to really tell him why he can't do it.
   The issue wraps back in the cellar, with him and Spidey going pound for pound until he's able to get the upper hand. Freeing scores of low level criminals, Spider-Man is left with his hands full. Logan however is able to escape. Down at the bottom level, he finds who he was looking for. Asmodeus - the scourge of Satan, the slayer of angels is just that man. Logan pops out his claws for an offer he won't be able to refuse and with that, we're left to be continued.
   Seeing that Andrea Sorrentino is done with this series (except for the covers) is a major downer. I don't know who this guest penciler is but it's a drag and immediately halfs where this series is gonna be able to take me. I know there's a major teaser for issue 21 coming up, and maybe that's enough to keep me hanging on, but this book as taken a hit. Story wise it's a little meh. Artwise it's a big meh. I'll give it a 6/10 with the hopes it returns to it's glory days.

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

You can also buy my physical copy of this book HERE.

Like comics? Check out my ebay store HERE.

Follow me at facebook, twitter, or instagram as well.

Until next time, thanks so much for reading.

Uncanny X-Men #19

Written by Cullen Bunn

Penciled by Edgar Salazar
Cover by Ken Lashley
Published Mar 15, 2017

   After discovering Magneto has been conspiring with the Hellfire Club, Psylocke decides it's time to end him. She moves stealthily through War Room X in the Savage Land seeking him out. Her advance upon the compound is interrupted when the entire structure explodes, and she shields herself in a psychic bubble, landing at his feet. He reminds her that she said she'd be watching him, and if she didn't approve of his actions, she'd kill him and he assumes that she's decided to make good on her warnings. Using telekinesis, she commands a gigantic dinosaur to attack him and as it bites down on him, he blows up the creatures jaws. Indeed Psylocke was right... This is where it ends.
   He knew this day would come. Did she see too much of him in her own actions or too much herself in his? As they battle, he tells her it doesn't have to be this way. The X-Men still have much work to do. She reminds him that his team of X-Men are finished. Mystique, Sabretooth and Monet are all missing, Xorn has vanished, Archangel is in charge of the sleepers and Fantomex is also off the grid. He's a poison, running the X-Men like the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
   She draws a sword and Magneto shreds it, but what he isn't prepared for is a telekinetic one, and she runs him through. It's done. It's over. And he wasn't expecting it. She removes his helmet and using her mind powers, puts him to sleep - collapsing into the water and bleeding out. She walks away and suddenly, Elixer and Exodus appear through a portal. They heal him, as Elixer declares his debts repaid and Exodus tell Magneto he should come with them. He tells them he shall remain dead... Exodus states not that dead and Magneto says "No, not yet..." and with that, this series comes to an end.
   This title is a shell of itself, and being dead is probably better than being published with the likes of THIS so-called team of X-Men. The natural offspring of the original series created over a half century ago has been forgotten. While it will no doubt live again, what I would assume is about the 620th issue of this classic title ends with a whimper and is clearly not up to standards with what Chris Claremont could write in his sleep. But sleep now, Uncanny X-Men. I give props to Marvel a little bit that they put it this title out of it's misery and give this issue a 4/10. 

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

You can also buy my physical copy of this book HERE.

Like comics? Check out my ebay store HERE.

Follow me at facebook, twitter, or instagram as well.

Until next time, thanks so much for reading.

Uncanny Avengers #21

Written by Gerry Duggan 

Penciled by Kevin Libranda
Cover by Adam Kubert
Published Mar 15, 2017
 
   Enjoying his victory, Red Skull calls for his daughter to bring him his ice cream while Deadpool calls out to him, explaining his plan. While keeping him distracted, Deadpool tells him he went to the former location of the X-Mansion and went looking for something. He found it - Magneto's thought shielding helmet, and with his last ounce of strength, plops it over Rogue's mind controlled head. She stops beating him to death and looks up at the Red Skull as he and Sin run away. Before pursuing him, she apologizes to Wade and takes off.
   In one of my favorite recurring jokes of this series, Sin starts to tell her she'll have to get through her to get to Red Skull and Rogue immediately punches her through the wall. Knocking the Skull through the Avengers' Mansion's outside window, she grabs him by the neck while he threatens her unconvincingly. Wong and Spider-Man fight Human Torch and Vodoo until slowly Red Skull's mind control over all of them fades. Along with Quicksilver, Wasp, and Synapse, they run back towards the mansion. Synapse and Voodoo run inside to attend to the mind erased Cable and the near dead Deadpool. He asks Voodoo if everything is ok and Voodoo tells him Rogue flew away with the Red Skull, disappointing for Wade as he'd hoped to be the one who killed him.
   Torch and Synapse work to help the wounded members of their team while Wong evacuates the costumed hotel guests. As the Avengers gather outside, Deadpool takes a quick dig at Fox's Deadpool sequel as the rest of the team are curious about Rogue's plan. Since anything post capture of the Red Skull wasn't an Avengers objective, Voodoo concludes it's obviously something the X-Men working on. The issue wraps with Rogue, still wearing the Magneto helmet, flying into New Attilian with the Red Skull. She tells Beast to scrub up, they have some brain surgery to attend to. With that, the Uncanny Avengers gets a few more members closer to their roots, a teaser for the return of Professor X, and finally a promise to be continued.
   This series should clearly be Gerry Duggan's calling card. As much as he works on the expansion of Deadpool's character, it's so much more expanded when you give him some other iconic characters to work with. While I don't know much about the future of this book, everything up to this point has been amazingly enjoyable and I hope it continues in some way, even if short of a few X-Men. 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 HERE.

Like comics? Check out my ebay store HERE.

Follow me at facebook, twitter, or instagram as well.

Until next time, thanks so much for reading.

Guardians of the Galaxy #18

Written by Brian Michael Bendis

Penciled by Valerio Schiti
Cover by Arthur Adams
Published Mar 15, 2017

   Angela and Gamora share a moment on earth after the Civil War that brought her back there. Thanking her, Angela tells her that she has some unfinished business on this planet and that this isn't goodbye. She takes off and returns to the apartment  of her long lost lover, Sera. Crawling into the window, she discovers that Sera is most definitely not waiting for her. Instead, she runs into a rather unkempt gentleman eating cereal and wearing a Fantastic Four shirt. 
   He tells her she has the wrong apartment. She says she used to live there. Through some quick discussion, she tells him that in case she is to ever return, to tell her that she never meant to leave her. That she was taken. He has a "WTF" moment and she leaves the way she came in. She isn't given much time to ponder the events as her blade rather immediately makes contact with an assassin standing behind her. She asks who he is, that the blow should have ended him, and he counters with an electroshock knocking her off the building. Landing in a garden, she chucks a garden gnome at him revealing another puzzled moment from one of earth's residents. He tells her he was here looking for the titan Gamora, but finding her instead is a more than apt prize. He tells her he is Maxilin The Accuser, and the shock on her face says that she's more than a little acquainted with him.
   Their battle rages on, much to the delight of some confused New Yorkers. Eventually though he lets his guard down and she's able to disarm him, taking one of his lightsaber like blades and running him through. Defeated, he knows he's in danger. He makes her an offer. His ship, available to bring her anywhere in the Galaxy if they can leave soon. She accuses him of trickery but he remains adamant. The biggest and most murderous tyrant is coming for earth and he's not alone. What he intends to do with it, he can't say. She disarms a policeman and leaps away. Looking in the sky, she sees the reflection of his ship. Thanos is coming.. and earth is in big big trouble.
   I love this book. It's maybe not the best one in the Marvel stable but it's certainly still miles away from some others. For all the grief I give Bendis, he's still such a gem in this industry. Great comic book and getting better, I give it 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 HERE.

Like comics? Check out my ebay store HERE.

Follow me at facebook, twitter, or instagram as well.

Until next time, thanks so much for reading.