Champions #19 and #20

NORTHERN LIGHTS pt I and II

Written by Jim Zub

Penciled by Sean Izaakse

Cover by Stefano Caselli

Published April 11 and May 23, 2018

   In Northern Canada, two friends investigate a strange new factory when Amka makes a startling discovery. She’s introduced to Sila – the actual soul of the North. They’re interrupted by hostile drones, one of which Amka uses to accidentally blow up the factory. Luckily, she’s safe and sound.

...whoops!

    Meanwhile Nova and Spider-Man wrap up a few criminals when Ms Marvel calls with a surprise.

   She and the rest of the Champions reveal their new mobile bunker. After a tour, Nadia reveals some strange readings. The team agrees to fly north and are shocked by the development they find. More importantly, their ship is surrounded by drones.

What kind of party is this supposed to be?!

   The team is riddled with lasers, but evasive maneuvers keep them out of danger. That is, everyone but Nova. He falls and Viv retrieves him from the icy water below. Meanwhile the others fight until the Master Of The World calls for a truce. He helps to save Nova, and further explains he’s working to stop global warming, even showing the Champions his solution. The only catch is that it’s so he can later rule the world in a few hundred years.

Look.. it's a ways off though.

   The team huddles and decides the problem is far enough down the road. Suddenly they hear protestors, and though Hulk tells them about the Master’s plan, the rest of the crew feels like something’s a little off.

I'm gonna go have a look around.

   The issue wraps with Alpha Flight and Captain Marvel crashing the party. But before anyone can get a word in, the Master introduces them to his new friends the Champions. What’s gonna happen next? We’ll have to wait to find out as this issue is left to be continued.

Alpha Flight is less cooler than the Avengers... And now even less cooler than the Champions.

   So it took me a little while to come around on the Champions, but with the ending of Miles Morales’ book as well as Hulk now focusing on Bruce Banner, this was a worthy replacement. Plus Jim Zub did some of his best work on Uncanny Avengers as well as the recently completed No Surrender storyline. My guess is that this series is only gonna get better. I give these two a 9/10.

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Captain America #700

OUT OF TIME pt III

Written by Mark Waid
Penciled by Chris Samnee
Cover by Chris Samnee
Published April 11, 2018

   While Cap and his fellow troops fight invaders, he barks strategy and is able to turn the tide against them. Sargent Ben Grimm radios for help but Cap has to turn him down.

Ok, I thought about it, Ben. The answer is no.

   Back at HQ, he laments to Liang that there's too many foreign enemies making a run at the vulnerable USA. Thanks to Bruce Banner, they can send him back in time to stop Babbington from ever gaining power. But he just can't accept their offer.

...and leave this hellhole?! Why would I ever want to do that?

   Over the next year, he works with everyday Americans to bring the country back. The struggle is tiring, but winnable... That is until a nuclear blast takes out New York.

You know what guys? I thought about it a little more. I'm in.

   Cap relents and tells Liang and Banner he has no choice and has to go back. Liang tells him to look her up sometime and he zips through the timestream, a mere seconds before he gets frozen again in the ice. Leaping off the mountainside to intervene, he lands on Rampart's boat.
   The pre-mutated Babbington is informed that the Captain has somehow gotten loose. Systematically taking out guard after guard, he finds his way to the ship's control room. There seeing the man that started it all, he flings his shield and attempts to incapacitate the launch systems.

This usually works... Aw dang.

   Unfortunately he fails, and leaping onto the missile, he knows there's only one thing he can do. Cap climbs the warhead and tears at the outer shell, resulting in the missile detonating and blowing the ship into bits.
   Back in the water, the original Captain America breaks free. The issue wraps with him penning a letter to Sharon Carter, with no knowledge of how the Rampart ship exploded. He delivers the letter to Liang, a US Postal Worker in the present. With that, this issue and this stroy arc come to a conclusion.

There's just something about that mailperson that's oddly familiar.

   Mark Waid is an amazing writer. With the Bendis exodus, Marvel needs to wrap this guy up. Fresh off the heels of his run in Avengers and now this? I don't know if the guy can tell a bad story. I give this one a 10/10.

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Avengers #688-690

NO SURRENDER pts 14-16

Written by Mark Waid, Jim Zub, and Al Ewing
Penciled by Kim Jacinto and Paco Medina
Cover by Mark Brooks
Published April 11, April 18, and April 25, 2018

   Quicksilver sprints across the globe but fails to catch the orb as the Challenger threatens to blow up the world. Meanwhile the Avengers use Hercules and Citizen V to keep the world engine in motion.

...so get ready to push!

   Quicksilver explains to Wanda and Synapse he needs their power to catch the orb to free everyone from stasis. They empower his mind to travel as fast as his body while the other Avengers fight the Challenger. He finally does so, and all of the paused heroes come back to life. It comes at a great cost though...

Way to go, Wanda. Look what you did now!

   With everyone back, they're able to tend to the world's natural disasters. After keeping the world engine online, Lightning runs behind the Grandmaster and challenges him to a game of poker. The stakes are high. If he wins, he gets the world and the heroes taken as game pieces back. He raises the stakes until the Grandmaster eventually calls.

Folds like a cheap suit.

   On Earth, the Avengers continue teaming up to fight the Challenger but it's all for naught. Voyager tells them they can't win. Lightning gets his fellow teammates back as Beast convinces Voyager to rally the troops. She does so and as their all willed to win, they finally battle back to completely break the Elder. The Earth returns. And the Avengers are finally able to take a breather.

"Wait, there it is, guys..."

   They return to the mansion in ruins. Reunited with Jarvis, they take stock of everything but have to say goodbye to Voyager. Meanwhile the Grandmaster makes up with the Black Order. Equally, in Knowhere, the Lethal Legion too plans to make a run for it.

Why quit now?!

   Dr. Toni Ho works to repair Vision while Wanda and Dr. Voodoo vow to continue the search for Quicksilver. Bruce Banner meets with Hawkeye to apologize for Civil War II, even trying to encourage the tortured doctor... to pretty much no avail.

Bruce sticks Clint with the bill after everything.

   The issue wraps with Rogue and Human Torch headed back to the X-Men and Fantastic Four, respectively and a new, gigantic Avengers statue is hoisted. With that, this 16 part mega-series finally and begrudgingly come to an end.

"Now lower the giant metaphor...."

   Whew. Ok... so that... that was something. It only took 400 some odd pages, guaranteed to make for a phonebook of a graphic novel, but I was thoroughly entertained. Even the bloat of a series this big was completely awesome, making every minor plotpoint a total and complete winner. If writing by committee is what it takes to make something this awesome, so be it. Still, I'll be happy to see this series crawl back a bit from it's weekly publishing status. For these books, and this entire series as a whole though, I give it a 10/10.

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Star Wars #46 - 48

MUTINY AT MON CALA pts III, IV, and V

Written by Kieron Gillen
Penciled by Salvador Larroca
Cover by David Marquez
Published Mar 21, 2018; Apr 4, 2018; May 23, 2018

   Aboard the Falcon, Leia explains to Tunga Arpagion he'll be impersonating Tan Hubi, Moff of Mon Calamari. First order of business though - kidnapping the real one. They sneak aboard the Moncaladrome and manage to spike the Moff's drink, thanks to the help of secret rebel sympathizer, Queen Trios.

...wasted!

   They grab him and introduce him to his doppelganger. Along with C3PO and R2, they'll feed him his lines at the opera. Meanwhile, the rebels tote the Moff to open doors to the underwater prison, care of some wookie muscle and rebel ingenuity.

Wookie + Your Face.

   At the opera, Tan overplays the Moff as they watch the performance. Finally though during an intermission, he's stuck talking to dignitaries. He pulls it off but 3PO is slowly losing energy to keep up the ruse.

R2, this is hard!

   The rebels finally dock and after the real Moff figures out it's a rescue mission, he reveals Lee Char is only alive because of the machines. Stalling for time, the fake Moff ad libs his own performance. Han, Luke, and Leia film some words of encouragement from the deposed king, but not before the real Moff signals to the imperials that he's being held hostage.

SEIZE HIM!

   In the theater, the masqueraders make a run for it while at the prison, stormtroopers shoot the dying king. They manage to escape but once they land back on the Mon Cala secret cove, are greeted by Urtya who demands the king's recording. He stuns Leia and counting their losses, the rebels take off.

#metoo.

   The issue wraps with Urtya having a change of heart. He broadcasts the message to the Mon Calan fleet, who in turn broadcast the inspiring message to all Mon Calans. They rebel from the imperials, but all at a great cost. Now Leia has the Mon Calan fleet on her side but under the gaze of the Empire. What will happen next? We'll have to wait to find out as this issue is left to be continued.

Oh. Great. This!

   Obviously with such a backlog, you may notice me combining a few of these books in an effort to summarize them a little faster. These three issues in fact are filled with at least 4 or 5 subplots that don't move the story along. Overall though, it's a pretty decent chapter in the original characters' of Star Wars' lore. I give these an 8/10.

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The Walking Dead #178

NEW WORLD ORDER pt IV

Written by Robert Kirkman
Penciled by Charlie Adlard
Cover by Charlie Adlard
Published April 4, 2018

   After Siddiq overhears MErcer talking in the locker room about the Governor, they um, convince him they were just blowing off steam. Meanwhile Maggie and Donte flirt while talking strategy, prompting Sophia to accuse them of a inappropriate relationship. She chases her down and Maggie is able to explain that Glenn’s been dead a pretty long time.

It's cool. I just wanted to yell.

   Over at Elodie’s house, the honeymoon is over. She finally yells at Michonne for abandoning her, who is able to explain to her that she didn’t really have a choice. They’re able to eventually move past it and lovingly embrace.

All Walking Dead arguments last approximately 2.5 pages.

   Carl and Sophia come to grips with Maggie and Dante, while Michonne tells the Governor that she guesses everything in the Commonwealth is cool. They return the group’s weapons as Eugene is finally able to talk to Stephanie. She tells him that she broke protocol in establishing contact with new people. Michonne is bothered by the exchange when Stephanie tells her the Governor prefers to talk to other groups leaders.

What's THAT supposed to mean?!

   The issue wraps when the governor’s son Sebastian takes some liberties with Yumiko. Princess uses her spear to put the spoiled little bastard on the ground, but is warned by the troops to drop her weapon. When a further squirmish develops, she’s able to knock them all down before Mercer disarms her. Sebastian orders them arrested and slaps Elodie. The situation heats up and Michonne goes for her sword, when Elodie tells her they have to know their place. Why happens next? We’ll have to wait to find out as this issue is left to be continued.

Know your place, mom.. I.E. Don't pull out the katana.

   While I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the group is again exiled from yet another town, this one in particular looks like the real deal. Granted, a lot of other places have looked similar, and of course went south, but part of the fun is always watching how it develops. There’s only one way to see how this one goes. For this issue, I give it an 8/10.

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X-Men Gold #24 and 25

CRUEL AND UNUSUAL pt II and III

Written by Marc Guggenheim
Penciled by Thony Silas and Paulo Siqueira
Covers by Ryan Sterman
Published Mar 21 and Apr 4, 2018

  Kitty, Storm, and Prestige get in a prison fight that get’s Storm sent to solitary. Meanwhile in New York, a new threat looms. The Shredded Man battles Rogue and Iceman’s team. Magma and Pyro try to burn the tendrils poking from the ground, but thanks to Dr. Reyes, they’re able to immediately surmise that the Inhuman has cancer.

Don't worry... Dr Reyes knows immediately.

   Rogue debates with the villain, who allows her to take the cancer from his body. She touches his face and pulls the cancerous inhuman powers away from him. What she does with it is never really explained.
   While this is going on. Scythian terrorizes France. Magic and Armor spot it on the Times Square Jumbotron while Storm uses the lightning to free herself from her cell.

kthxbye!

   In Old Asgard, the long since abandoned hammer Stormcaster whips to life and heads towards Earth. Meanwhile, Captain Britain and Meggan fight Scythian. With psychic help from Ink, they're able to learn all about the monster while Iceman's team throttles toward them.

Here's all my files.

   A newly freed Storm walks into the warden's office and tells him she's leaving to fight Scythian, just as the X-Men rocket towards them. The beast grabs the Blackbird as the team abandons it, ready to fight. Rogue gets the idea to end the issue the same as the last one, touching the monster but finally overwhelming herself. 

Claremont only used that trick every now and then. Gugg's - not so much.

   Armor falls towards the dropping Rogue, catching her just as Scythian walks down the streets of Paris. Luckily Magik is on the scene at the Box, opening portals to drop the now freed X-Men into action. Back in Paris, Meggan siphons Rogue's stored power to wake her, as Magik works to open a massive portal on the street.

Operation Trap Door.

   The X-Men attack Scythian and goad him towards the portal, while a hammer wielding Storm helps to walk the monster towards the disc. It works, as the beast explodes with most of his carcass falling into limbo.

Baked Scythian.

   The issue wraps at the home of Lydia Nance. She speaks with her sentinel bodyguard who reveals a plan. He will somehow use Colossus to kill his fellow mutants... How he plans to do that will have to wait, as this issue is left to be continued.

So here's the plan...

   So while these two books are again plagued with inconsistencies, I was happy to see a myriad of characters that Guggenheim hasn't fallen all over lately. Although it failed to mention what Rogue did with that cancer, nor where Kitty got another Blackbird, as well as Storm uselessly wielding Stormcaster again. But gaffes aside, I feel like X-Men Gold is beginning to turn a corner, as long as you don't find yourself analyzing too many things. I give both of these a 9/10.

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