Indestructible Hulk #2: A Roundabout Review

Indestructible

 Hulk

 #2

 A 

Roundabout 

Review

As a child, everyFriday I looked forward to watching the Hulk. There was something about the wayBill Bixby turned into Lou Ferrigno that appeased my young mind.  It amazed me this destructive force of naturewas always on the run, from all people, a reporter. The show was scheduledsurrounding my mid-hour bedtime, but for some reason I was allowed to watch ituntil the end.  Although, I had alreadyreceived my first comic book, I had yet to start collecting them.

I picked up theIncredible Hulk from time to time, but it was never a title that made it on mymust have list. Quite honestly the Hulk always felt like a strong B-listcharacter.  As atrocious as that soundsit is a compliment. Every time I collected the Hulk, a few issues later Istopped. But, if you threw the Hulk as a character into another book, I lovedthe madness that ensued.

There were some goodruns, like Todd McFarlane’s Joe Fix-It, Peter David & Dale Keown's convergenceof Banner and The Hulk, especially the start of it in issue 377, and myfavorite is the Hulk from the Secret Wars contributing to one of my favoritecovers, issue #4. Then of course Planet Hulk led into World War Hulk which enrapturedme. The combined skills of John Romita Jr. and Greg Pak encroached on my beliefthat the Hulk could seriously gain my respect... And yet, I stopped again. 

The whole Red Hulkfailed to impress me in a financially burdened market. I can only afford somuch. Once again the Hulk fell to the wayside. When it was announced that"Indestructible Hulk" would be hitting the stands, I opted to pass. Iwas wrong to do so.

I picked up issue #1 aweek before issue #2 was due out. After reading it, I finally felt I wasreading a comic book worthy of a new beginning. I have mentioned, loudly, thatI am against the number one craze. Both my Roundabout Reviews were "Marvel Now" #1's. I found them confusing. They threw me into a story I knewnothing about. Indestructible Hulk gave me no such illusions. Mark Waid, also currentlywriting my favorite title, Daredevil, continued to impress me. But wouldissue two of “Indestructible Hulk” be any good by comparison? Can Lenil Yu keepetching personalities on each face? Are his dark shadowed eyes his tribute toRob Liefeld’s white orbs?

I am still trying to figure out a format for myRoundabout Reviews. Do I spoil the book for you, do I hint to entice you to buyit, do I do one single review or multiples, and will I review anything elsebesides Marvel? The truth is after heading to the comic book shop, a day late,I was ready to read and review the latest Locke & Key but with four morebooks to read, Indestructible Hulk #2 was exceptionally good enough I proceededto write leaving the last four books to read until later.

I will retain the right to add spoilers in myRoundabouts but for this one I’ll keep it spoiler free. All pictures are takenfrom issue #1, or from previous incarnations  buy them both and I think you'll be like me and feelcompelled to not only pick up issue #3 but look forward to it.

Thanks for Reading

Cable and X-Force #1: A Roundabout Review

Cable and X-force #1: A Roundabout Review

I am pretty sure with my first X-Force book I was sitting down eating my Lucky Charms while debating which book should stay bagged and which one should be opened. When the team first emerged from the pages of The New Mutants I didn't know what to expect, but I did know my favorite book was cancelled and I wasn't happy about it.  Since then there have been different variations of the team, most recently one led by Wolverine.  

Liefeld created the first mutant assault team, their primary goal then was to destroy the M.L F., led by Stryfe.  I’m not sure if they succeeded, I was forced to stop collecting certain titles, and X-Force was one of them.  Marvel is continuing their "Marvel Now" campaign wanting their readers to “Join the Revolution”. Titles such as Iron Man, Indestructible Hulk, and All-New X-Men are now joined by Dennis Hopeless' version in what could be titled "the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants”.

Let’s get the format out of the way. For the cover price of $3.99 I am glad it has only two ads, both on the back cover.  This does not include the eight in house ads mentioning their upcoming releases. However, if bringing back more ads would cut the price of the book by a dollar I would be for it.  Since a price reduction looks to be a huge improbability I would like to see the bar code be realigned slightly, you now somewhere on the rear cover. There is a full twenty pages of artwork including a two page spread on pages two and three.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Those same two pages have four of the team side by side after a pointless four panel first page. Colossus tears through a wall, Domino carries a smoking pistol, and the fourth has Dr. Nemesis kneeling over a body. All are better than the third panel wasting space with Cable's feet.

We skip ahead to a “few days earlier” via a “Wayne’s World” flashback on page seven. Hope talks to a therapist while Cable ease drops outside whatever mysterious building she is in.  And, with all the hoopla that Captain America had in taking her someplace safe before the Phoenix Force arrived you find out he enrolled her in High School.

Forge makes an appearance being the weapon's maker he is. How he didn't build a company to rival Stark Enterprises I don't know.  Other than being there to play Doctor for Nate’s prosthesis, what is their history together? How did they join each other and why are they hiding out in an airplane grave yard? Note the whole comic book looks like if takes place at night. The team’s lighter colored clothing looks symbolic of the good guys wear white. Domino's outfit, normally a black on black ensemble looks gray. Was this intentional? Is this the art style of Salvadore Larroca and Frank O'armata or did the printer mess up? As I’m reading the book, more and more questions come to mind.

How did Colossus join the team? The last we saw him he wanted his little Snowflake killed. Now, he is a member of a team wanted for um, well, I really have no idea. How did Domino change right in front of an elevator with no one noticing? Once again I'm thrown into #1 with no idea what's going on. After reading the Avengers I am eager to read #2 even with the plot holes. With X-Force, after it’s over the story doesn't even catch up to the beginning. Domino takes on A.I.M. And somehow Hope Summers knows exactly where she is. Cable recruits Dr. Nemesis, who has no problem joining Cable after having a gun pointed at him. And do you know how Colossus gets recruited? Well, I don’t either.

I don't mind the tearful reunion between Hope and Cable, nor Nathan's "every damn day" comment, which actually works for the character, but the team doesn't feel like a team. Why are they together? It took thirteen issues for Cable to form X-Force the first time in the pages of The New Mutants. It was a slow build up with action along the way. The future members had to be groomed or recruited. I'd rather the book continue forward rather than be setup with answers later. The question this time isn't about getting this book graded by CGC or if I plan to read the book over but, will I really wait around for issue two? 

Thanks for Reading

Avengers #1: A roundabout Review

Recently, with all things in my life, it's a pretty sure bet I either have coffee or a comic book nearby.  At times I have both. Empty creamers and sugar packets or plastic bags, boards, and tape at one time or another have littered a table I occupied. Occasionally, when I drink my coffee I remember my youth, but even after entering my fourth decade of life, every so often after closing a comic book, I transport myself into the imaginary world I was just reading.

Every week I buy comic books, it’s a more religious experience than some people’s church outings.  Finances being the way they are I try to escape my "must have" attitude and limit my purchases to what I like aesthetically, this is not only for the appeal of my eyes but the landscape of my mind. At an average of four dollars a book I want my money's worth. I won't get into the price of a good cup of coffee, nor the ten percent the church asks for.

Most recently Marvel Comics is revamping their line with "Marvel Now"; a byproduct of the success DC has had with their new “52”. A red banner across the bottom of the book along with the tagline “Join the Revolution” could subconsciously scream "LOOK AT ME". I whole heartily disagree with a comic publisher’s mentality that the reader, which I am one of will lose interest among the higher number books, so instead of reading Avenger's six hundred and two I'm reading issue #1…again.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I was disappointed right away because it was the Avengers from the 2012 blockbuster hit and not the latest incarnation from the comic book. After looking forward to this book when I first saw the advertisement had my favorite character barreling to the front lines, I couldn't wait to see Cannonball as an Avenger. He wasn't in it, not till the end, in almost the same pose he displayed on the cover. The future tales of Sam Guthrie, Cable’s first soldier, had to wait.

Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thor, Bruce Banner, and Captain America think they are arriving at the red planet with no one the wiser.  They were wrong.  Continuity speaking, when does this happen? Being a number one I would have hoped to have been able to roll along and know everything. Isn't that what these number ones are all about?  Continuity never seemed to be a problem amid the comics I grew up with. To its credit Avengers volume 5 #1 felt like one big blockbuster in itself. I must admit Jonathan Hickman has succeeded in grabbing my attention.
               

Page one looks like it could be from a comic version of the Bible. The second page is a list of the Avengers followed by a three page panel describing when it all "could" have begun. 

Page four was more of a tease with the "Iron Wars?" 

 Page six was a great rendition by Jerome Opena, a single panel of Mister Fantastic, The Sub Mariner, Black Bolt, and The Black Panther. I am drawn in, no pun intended.

               
On Mars, the Avengers are bested by Abyss, Aleph, and Ex Nihilo by means of an “in your face” beat down.  Captain America is knocked to the ground but still refuses to yield. 

They pick him, quite possibly due to his enduring spirit, to send Earth a message “We’ll send him home to write a warning in the heavens”.

I don’t think the trio thinks the message would be a call to arms. Steve’s body heals enough in only three days to "Wake the World". 

The second to last page has Rogers suiting up in what closely resembles the outfit Chris Evans wore in the movie. The code “Assemble at Dawn” is answered, with force. I recognize the majority of the members and look forward to the next issue.  I question the beginning and the ending of the book because it reads that the Earth has changed.  The biospheres of the first two impact zones, by the first two bombs, seemed so catastrophic they would have mentioned it in every one of their books.  Could the reasoning of picking two be slightly symbolic of World War Two? But, why mention the “first” two bombs? Wouldn't that beg to answer how many others were sent? One was fired as the Avengers were in inner planet travel.  They destroy it.

They arrive in a heroes fashion, but how did these heroes survive the change of the Biosphere, were they hidden, were they outside the range of the first two bombs, and don’t we have only one biosphere? This thought alone could probably destroy the last panel of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes standing before an unaffected city? Wouldn't it have been much more story driven if the building were grown over with moss? The last page is of Captain America with possibly the best Avengers team yet, if not the largest, so much for Peter Gyrich’s limit of six.

After 21 pages of art, four pages of “titles”, five “AR” markers, two advertisements for two more “Marvel Now” titles, a paid ad for Max Payne 3, a back cover for the NBA and a Modern day Stan’s Soapbox fill the pages for $3.99. Before I forget there is also a page dedicated to the Marvel Augmented Reality App (AR) which is on the same page as the sticker covered code for a free Digital Copy. I must admit I enjoyed the book. Yes I picked it apart, but when it comes down to it the only question is do I get the book graded by CGC to preserve the grade I purchased the book in or do I recall my youth in one other way, and read it over and over again.

Thanks for Reading

An Evening Chill

There is a chill in the house that won't go away. I wonder is this age that creeps up on me or the daunting task of living within a budget. Is it inexplicable to think how much easier things could be if I decided I no longer needed the car or the insurance that goes with it? 

Could I rely on faith and good eating habits to quantify my savings by canceling my health insurance, and would it be so odd to dispose of the leash that tethers me everywhere I go by relinquishing my phone? These few items alone would relieve me of the burden with this workload I carry to make what I need to not only survive, but thrive. But, what if by releasing the tension these requirements make with the sustainable minimal amount I earn, that without I might flourish, an idea I have been toying with.

Then what? Do I buy more comics? Do I try to find that diamond in the rough? Do I use the excuse of lack of funds to keep me inside for hours and hours to type words? And are those words any good strung together?

The chill lingers, the portable heater drums on, and I gaze at my comic collection. Each box filled with books attached to memories, some more potent than others. Each cover, each story silently crying out to me to read again. And I question if I give in to that silent voice, where should I begin?

Thanks for Reading

My Amazing Spider-Man #129

I was sixteen, maybe seventeen when I asked my father for $300.00 to purchase a Near Mint copy of Daredevil #1. There was some profanity before the final word of "NO". The book was one of two that I was truly interested in. I was a more consciousness collector and started to purchase the back issues, the Frank Miller Daredevil issues helped bring upon this renascence of the hobby. I've always wanted a first appearance of a silver age created character and my copy of Iron Man #1 was not one of them.

My second choice was an equally beautiful copy of Amazing Spider-Man #129. Even though the book wasn't a silver age book it did meet the criteria of a major first appearance, in this case the Punisher. And the price was more reasonably affordable for my allowance, part time job, and whatever I was given in trade.

Before my father said "NO", I asked Dane, the proprietor of ComiCards if he could hold them for me. He made sure to stress there was a lot of interest in those two books but since I was a loyal customer he would give me a week. I had hoped with a loan from my father I would be able to afford both of them, but now it could only be the one.

I brought my copy of Iron Man #1 along with a few other books I had I was willing to trade in, my Tales of Suspense #97 was turned down. I received a total credit of $80.00 for everything he wanted and another twenty thrown down and I became the proud owner of a very beautiful book. I couldn't wait to get it home to read.

The back issues on the wall, which is where this one was placed were kept in, were safely secured in a Mylar bag. The hole in the top of the bag allowed me to place this comic book on my wall. At school no one knew I collected comic books but the select few who made it into my inner sanctum knew of my addiction. Before placing it on the wall with my "Longshot" series I shed the book from the sleeve, read it, and with equal caution placed it back into its protective casing.

Over the years I read it a few times and even taken the time to grade it. The first time I graded I didn't have much experience. I looked over the book carefully examining the front and back cover while ignoring the insides. I was unaware they counted. I wrote in a spiral book my full collection and marked next to the title the grade I thought it should be. My educated guess was a 9.4.

It would be years later before CGC started and even more years before I accepted them and decided to trust them with my Amazing Spider-Man #129. At Wizard World 2008 I turned it over to CGC, it came back the same day, graded a 9.2 with white pages. I wanted to question them, to find out more, but I was still enclosed in my own shell. I let the grade stand. I brought it home, joined the registry and never added any of my books.

Eventually CGC had a signing for Stan Lee. I opted for this possible once in a lifetime event and debated on what I could send in compared to what I should send in. There was so much, but I could only afford to send four. Out of what I did choose, my Amazing Spider-Man was the cream of the crop. I was overjoyed that this time they graded the book what I thought it should have been all along, although I was perplexed how the page color changed from "white" to "white to off-white". At that time though it was only one of two graded In a 9.4 Signature Series..

Another two years passed and I had the opportunity to add another great to the cover, this time by John Romita. I was relieved when the book was graded the same. I am sure there are a few more double signatures out there and after researching a bit I found one on eBay. Its asking price was set at $2500. Although it didn't sell right away, it did sell.

After learning more about the way CGC grades and immersing myself more into the aspect of third party grading I decided to see what others would say about my Amazing Spider-Man #129. I took it to Matt Nelson of Classics Incorporated which was newly acquired by CGC. There was a flaw I originally missed that he pointed out to me. He thought the imperfection that I missed would be pressed right out. He looked it over and felt positive that the book would reach a 9.6.

I received word via e-mail yesterday; on December 7th my book was graded. I just have to wait till I get the book in my hands but Matt did indeed come through on his predictions and the book will be returned to me as a 9.6. But after reading this long journal entry I ask you do I add another signature to the mix. Gerry Conway will be at the Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, Washington and I would love for him to add his signature to the likes of Stan Lee and John Romita. Would it stay a 9.6? Would the book drop to a 9.4? It's a gamble and I have a couple months to decide, but I wonder if this was your book, what would you do?

Thanks for Reading

Tnerb 

This was originally written for the CGC registry.

Big Bang Theory

I finally finished Season Four of the Big Bang Theory. It took me a long time to finally get them on DVD and Blue Ray but once they were on sale I had to get them. Sure, they were comic book geeks but they were also super intelligent. I was watching them when Bagofleas posted about Sheldon and wanted to finish the seasons I owned before answering.

It's safe to say I am not like Howard at all, except maybe having a Jewish Mother. I don't live at home. I left that nest when I was eighteen, not realizing how many more comic books I could have bought if I just stayed home. I am not like Raj either, although I might be shy around woman (non work related) I don't shut my mouth as soon as they appear in the room, and my sister became a doctor not a lawyer. Then there was Leonard who got the impossible girl and then was dumped. Yea, I was a lot closer to Leonard.


But the question was about Sheldon. Was I neurotic as he? I don't handle my Comic Books with gloves, hell some days I eat pizza while I read them. I do have a certain way to do things and I stick with that as if it was gospel but that is because if I go outside my safety area, I start to mess up. Of course this is because I trained myself this way after the car accident gave me some minor brain damage. I can remember what my room looked like when I was a year and a half old but have no idea what happened last week, unless it was painful

At work I have started to emanate some of Sheldon's traits and fell almost right into his character. I might even re-watch the series again to get his character down to really freak people out. So I would have to say for my Sheldonisms I am about %30 like the character but I am still 100 percent like me.

Thanks for Reading

Tnerb