"BOCEPHEUS" |
"These reviews are based on the Sneak
Peek titles sent out by Marvel & Image (DC no longer sends them out). It's not
everything that's shipping for the week, but it is a real good cross-section of
this weeks releases. Check the bottom of the page (after you read my reviews)
for a link to some SNEAKY PEEKIES of future titles" |
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 BOOK
OF THE WEEK:
NEW AVENGERS ILLUMINATI #1 (of 5)
Comic Review by:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Writer: Brian Bendis & Brian Reed, Artist:
Jim Cheung
New Avengers: Illuminati #1 (of 5)
takes us back to the days of the Kree/Skrull war at a point
after the war’s conclusion. We witness the telling to the
Skrull Emperor that ‘human’ Rick Jones was responsible for
the defeat of the empire and naturally, he isn’t happy about
that. If you remember the conclusion of the series Rick was
able to channel and release historical Marvel heroes from
his mind. By doing so Earth was able make both sides back
off but we never knew why the Earth was left alone by either
galactic enemies. We see here how the ‘team’ of Tony Stark
and company laid out the warning to never attack Earth of
even come near us with their problems then see the show of
force needed to convince the Skrulls to back off. The Kree
were apparently not considered a threat because up to that
point they were considered friendly to Earth or that the
least stayed the heck away from us. Co-writers Brian Bendis
and Brian Reed show the team in action in a stunning
sequence of pages drawn by Jim Cheung. The battle sequences
show that if the group ever decided to meet and form an
actual public alliance that very few would be able to oppose
them but in the end the team gets captured. The writers go
retro by showing the captured team in a combination of traps
that would only work on them but then showing them escaping.
The first time I had seen something like this was in an old
Fantastic Four story involving Doctor Doom but there was
also a Jim Shooter Legion story that used the same idea. The
escape isn’t the end of the story because there was
information learned by the Skrulls that will become of use
in the last issue. Following issues will drop in on other
times that the Illuminati got together and dealt with major
issues in Marvel history.
MSRP: $2.99,
1st DAY SALE Price: $1.79 (That's 40% OFF,
Wednesday Only!)
Alternate Reality Price: $2.54 (That's 15% OFF, All
This Week!) |
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MARVEL ROUND UP…
Cable & Deadpool #35 sets up the next arc which deals with the search for
something thought lost years back-Wade Wilson’s conscience. The issue starts
with a recap page that places Wade in the middle of Times Square remembering the
faces of the many people he has killed. The Tom Raney cover suggests he has a
huge body count but he seems to be blocking them out in an attempt to make his
life easier. Reilly Brown’s art is improving…Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
#15 continues the Deb Whitman arc and also contains a cameo appearance from
Stephen Colbert while marking the return of Betty Brant as well. Also included
is a look at Flash Thompson, more on the returning Vulture, long book store
lines, a hint of who Miss Arrow might be (and here we see who she isn’t) and
some pretty slick Scot Eaton art…She-Hulk #14 tells us the history and life of
love lost Awesome Andy. We see his creation by the Mad Thinker and discover who
was responsible for him being liberated from following the Thinker which led to
him starting work at the law firm than Jen Walters works at. Jen, herself has
little to do with the issue but at the end we see the start of her new life at
SHIELD…Ms. Marvel #10 has Mike Wieringo still hanging around so he could draw a
knock down drag out fight between Carol and Warbird. Yes, she is fighting
herself but it makes sense due to the fact that this Warbird is another version
of her wandering between realities killing alternate versions of her. This is a
storyline used by Peter David when he was doing Supergirl but sales on that
title were low enough that this take seems fresh. Brian Reed is giving Carol and
actual purpose for existing as a major character in the pre and post Civil War
universe…Sensational Spider-Man #33 flashes back to when Peter became a major
part of Ben and May Parker’s life while we see Pete recover from a brutal
beating by the Rhino. The story here shows that May has always protected Peter
and in doing so shows us the price she has paid for doing so…Thunderbolts #109
is the last issue by the Nicieza/Grummett team. Fabian takes all the balls he
was juggling and places them down one by one to seal off any loose ends before
Warren Ellis takes over. We see the resolution of the intertwined
Songbird/Moonstone and see the retirement of some team members. He does leave a
few threads loose such as the problem with the growing Atlas and the usual Zemo
issues but you would assume that the upcoming limited series involving Zemo and
his family history will wrap up at least one of them…Union Jack #4 (of 4) ends
the limited series as we drop right into the middle of the fight with the
revived Dreadnaught and UJ’s team. The action is quick and clean while showing
just how determined Joey Chapman can be. We do learn who planned all this in a
satisfying end sequence…X-Men: First Class #4 (of 6) brings Doctor Strange back
into the lives of the X-Men as the team fights a low rent Sentinel. Here Jeff
Parker reveals that Scott is seeing things thru his visor that are magic related
due to their first interaction with the Doc so the team battles in a place
sometimes foreign to them-the mystical plane. This retro series is pretty fun to
read.
IMAGE ROUND UP…
Pirates of Coney Island #3 (of 5) has the so called pirates go after and steal a
classic car. I just can’t get into this limited series due to the fact that I
have no idea how to relate to their world view. Maybe it’s a New York thing…Elephantmen
#5 contains a single issue story that places us onto a train full of Elephantmen
and their mutated brethren. Inside the train we get a fight filled with
brutality between Seven and Obadiah long before the liberation of the men and
Obadiah’s servitude seen in the previous issues. The remainder of the issue
contains a small interview with Dave Gibbons and a longer text piece about
British creator Don Lawrence.
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"See, I told you I'd be
down here. We've got a bunch of SNEAKY PEEKIES of future
MARVEL, DC and IMAGE titles right
HERE" |
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All
Books/Characters pictured herein are © Copyright 2006
by their respective owners. No rights given or implied
by Alternate Reality, Incorporated.
Reviews © 2006 Alternate Reality, Inc. |
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