Uncanny X-Men #1: A Roundabout Review

          I'mgoing to pretend this is not another first issue. In my eyes the “Uncanny X-Men”are on their way towards six hundred and not nine issues away from issue ten.Does anyone remember that Uncanny X-Men started with issue #142?

          BrianMichael Bendis wrote some amazing twists and turns through his run with the “Avengers”.He brought me back to a comic book I haven't collected in years. As Marvelinitiated their Marvel Now program I already decided which titles I wanted totry and of course the X-Men were to be part of my collection. The creative lineup for “All New X-Men” had me salivating while wondering how they would portraythe original X-Men as teens.

Spoilers Ahead

          “AllStar X-Men” was at #7 by the time “Uncanny X-Men” #1 reached my LCS. The teamof Cyclops, The White Queen, Magneto, and one of my favorite characters, Magikwere on the rise to start a revolution. This does not include the newest teenmembers Tempus and a character to be names later.  They pick up a third mutant in this issue who’sbubble powers are still a mystery but reminds me a bit of the effect Speedballhad when he bounced around. Unlike the first issue of the X-Men back in 1963when the now deceased (again) Professor Xavier had his young students battleMagneto, they battle Sentinels alongside the self proclaimed Master of Magnetism.A weakened Magneto uses projectiles against the metal monstrosities rather thanshredding them apart.  He blames ScottSummers for his current predicament.

          My favorite scene leaves me in a quandary; Magik with her Soul Sword rips a Sentinel in half. This same sword time and time again through many different writers could not affect anything other than the unworldly, which makes me question what BMB is trying to do. Yes, the easy answer does have to do with the Phoenix Force she had once permeated.  Then there is the White Queen herself, who never should have been an X-Man to begin with. Why is she with the team? Cyclops her former (?) lover decimated her and even though they both were tainted by the same force that gave them power, he did betray her, rather ruthlessly.

          Theteam still follows Cyclops and BMB links them together very well. I lookforward to seeing the team expand, explode out into the world and implode in onitself. Not to mention the amazing talents of Chris Bachalo. Ever since I firstsaw his art I was pulled in. The colors and intricate detail draw my eye topanel after panel. This book would be great by his art alone, it's only icingon the cake that Brian Michael Bendis is leading the way.

          I was excited about the “Avengers”because of Cannonball joining the ranks, the short return of the InfinityGauntlet in the “New Avengers”, I went back and started the “IndestructibleHulk” from the original perception of the Hulk now smashes with a purpose, AllStar X-Men making something old new again, and Superior Spider-Man swingingthrough the city with no one the wiser it’s Doc Ock. It's this book, UncannyX-Men #1 out if all the others that reminds me why I like comic books. Ichallenge them to keep it up.

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The New Valiant: A Roundabout Review

Well here it is, book seven and Archer and Armstrong continues to impress. Valiant keeps producing book after book that entertains me for my dollar. It doesn't seem to matter if it’s Bloodshot, Harbinger, or their flagship title X-O Manowar. Valiant in the nineties was the pinnacle new comic book company. Magnus Robot Fighter, Solar, and Harbinger were already out a few months before I became enraptured. Solar #10 was the first “gimmick” book with an all black cover which had comic book stores scrambling for more copies to sell. Valiant answered the demand with a second printing.   This is when I took notice and my addictive nature had me looking to pick up every back issue that I missed.

In today’s market of third party grading, mostly by industry leader CGC, many collector’s want the best possible, myself included. In the case of Harbinger #1 this means getting one graded a 9.8 with white pages. If I'm not mistaken this was the first book from the nineties graded a 9.8 by CGC to sell for over $1000. In March of 2008 it reached its ceiling price of $2550.  Recently it has been steady at twenty percent that price. This is nowhere near the same for an Archer and Armstrong #1 in a 9.8, which hasn't broke the $100 mark. 

Jim Shooter had his first major story at Valiant with “Unity”.  To this day it is my favorite cross-over event. Archer and Armstrong #1 made its debut with this story line (not including Zero) becoming my second favorite Valiant title behind Harbinger. Archer and Armstrong are fighting secret sects and it seems The Null is the biggest one of them. Their goal is unlike Pinky and the Brain’s, they don’t want to take over the Earth; they want to end it. I never understood those organizations, and Archer who once was a member of the sect through selective training comes to light by meeting the “devil” himself, Armstrong.

The action really started to heat up when a Geomancer was killed. Its Armstrong’s brother, the sworn protector of those that speak with the Earth, Gilad, or the Eternal Warrior as he is known to the reader, that plans to avenge the death by killing who he holds responsible, Archer.   How he could think it would be anything other than the Sect is somewhat close minded on his part, but then again Archer was a member of that same group until his "parents" tried to kill him. I guess being best friends with ones brother does not give a free pass.

The summer of 12' brought these great Valiant titles to the newsstand again in a day and age where the two major companies feel the only way to garnish new readers is to start with a new number one. And yes, Valiant did indeed start with a number one, but let’s face it they only just started publishing again. I could have easily ended with number two as I have with other titles, but between the art and story Valiant seems to be creating something I love to read, Comics Books.

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The Avengers: A Roundabout Review

NOTE: I’m not dedicating myself to write about any one “Avengers” title, but different titles with Avengers in them. There are mini spoilers ahead. Be wary. 

Who would have thought that there are no less than nine Avengers titles; not including individual character titles. I'm passing on many of them, but have decided to give three of the Avenger titles a decent chance. I chose the Avengers because of Sunspot and Cannonball. I chose the New Avengers because of the Illuminati and then picked Uncanny Avengers because it would be interesting to see the two teams merge and cooperate.

Both Avengers and New Avengers I thought were anti climatic. After only three issues the initial story line had ended, and poorly. I feel like a child struggling to open a package to a chocolate bar only to bite into it and its nougat instead. Uncanny Avengers is at least better in that regard, because at the end of issue three Rick Remender tells me one of my favorite phrases... To Be Continued.

I haven't tried any of the other group titles but I gave Captain America a chance which ended after issue two, Iron Man however, I gave the first story arc too, and after a good solid five issues I decided to drop the book. This decision changed when I was at Fat Jack's Comic Crypt in center city Philadelphia. Entitled the God Killer, Greg Land's enticing artwork on issue #6 made it easier to overturn my previous inclination to stop collecting the title. Issue six was good enough to pull me in for the next two issues when this story ends. And Indestructible Hulk has me salivating over the next release.

The Marvel Universe is my favorite playground to read, but I wonder did the issue #1's bring in enough new readers without any confusion? In Captain America, Steve Rogers is in some distant dimension, in the New Avengers, he just had his mind wiped by his fellow team members, in Uncanny Avengers he is following the leadership of Alex Summers and in Avengers he's leading his biggest Avenger team yet through gigantic space opera's... So tell me how did these four issue #1's make things less confusing? I also think this is the first time Captain America is in more books that Wolverine. I for one have no idea what is first, last, or coinciding. 

I wonder where in the Mighty Marvel Bullpen there is a map on the wall where everyone is. Each Marvel now title seems to be a force into itself and shows no solidarity as a group but an individuality of characters.

/kI recently reread/read Avengers Vol. #1 issues 273-277. I recently did the same thing with the original Superior Spider-Man, but this is about the Avengers. Under Baron Zemo's leader ship, the Wrecking Crew, Goliath, Mr. Hyde, and many others take down the Avengers, brutally. Hercules was beat into a coma, the Black Knight was knocked into unconsciousness, and the bravest Avenger of them all was tortured beyond anything Jarvis has ever been through. This five issue story arc spread out through other titles as well even going back as far as Avengers #14, you know from 1965.

In the eighties when I first started to collect Marvel comics they had these great story notations. If something in the story pertained to something else an (*) would guide you somewhere, not to mention (and yet I am) a few flashback panels to bring a reader up to speed.  In the Masters of Evil five issue story line these symbols appeared eighteen Different times and some of them for different titles; one was even to tell me it was being translated from French. I was never confused and I always had a link to the history if the character or the way the story developed. It also helped comic book shops by making the collector ravish the back issue bins.

I'm not disappointed enough to stop collecting but I really wish the companies would pay attention to what worked and use that, besides if it doesn't work they can always start over...again...for the first time.

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Marvel Now: A Roundabout Review

Marvel

 Now:

A 

Roundabout 

Review

I have made it known before and I'll make it known now, I dislike the whole posturing for a new number one comic book companies seem to thrive on. I enjoyed the (*) notation and would look in the lower portion of the panel to figure out what I had to read to understand more. DC started their New 52 a little over a year ago and I planned to try numerous different titles. I started with four and am currently at two. 

When Marvel decided to do the same I silently lowered and shook my head. I wasn't going to write them telling them they would lose my business. I enjoy the hobby too much. What I did decide was to limit what I would collect because as much as a number one is a good jumping on point; it’s also good to jump off. I planned to give each Marvel title the first story arc; then again the plan to give DC a try on sixteen titles didn't work either.

I gave Iron Man a try, along with All New X-Men, Captain America, Avengers, Cable and X-Force, New Avengers, and Uncanny Avengers. I skipped entirely Avengers Academy, Indestructible Hulk, X-Men Legacy, and Uncanny X-Force. I dropped Captain America along with Cable and X-Force, but I picked up Indestructible Hulk to replace it. Then of course there is Superior Spider-Man and as much as I've enjoyed Dan Slots current story, issue two just seemed full of redundancies. I get it. As much as I enjoyed the secret reveal at the end of #1, I felt dissatisfied after the second. I still think this series has the greatest potential.

In Avengers #1 they got straight to the action, it's a new world and the Avengers have to get bigger. What I don't get is how all the titles fit together. How is Iron Man going off in space in his title, the Hulk works for one of the agencies that chased him for decades, and there are a bunch of characters now ranked as the “greatest”. In the eighties the continuity was easier to follow. Now that I'm an adult I feel like I just turned on General Hospital and it has the cast of Days of our Lives, Dallas, and Fantasy Island. As many questions as this number one gave me I stuck around for number two, the hopes that Cannonball would finally be a contender had me part with my $3.99, again. I was even OK with the buildup of a possible six issue story arc.

I was disappointed at the end of issue three, what could have been a battle to destroy the heavens only reminded me off the fireworks in San Diego on July 4th, 2012 when the night long celebration erupted prematurely  in fifteen seconds. Issue four lost more momentum still. I was unimpressed with the J.J. Abrams flashback storytelling quality that Jonathan Hickman did not pull off as well as he did in the previous issues.

Cable and X-Force didn't get past issue #1. I stopped Captain America after issue #2, the Fantastic Four and FF were not worth picking up, and I was scared to try Uncanny X-Force for fear they would destroy the image of Puck I retain in my head. The New Avengers feels like it has the chance to really propel itself along but will issue three be a silent fizzle. So far the one that has surprised me was the Indestructible Hulk. After issue three I'm looking forward to the next one. Then of course you have the one title that is not a Marvel Now and probably more of a Marvel Then is Daredevil by Mark Waid. Month after Month I look forward to this title, maybe that's why I decided to follow the exploits of Bruce Banner and S.H.I.E.L.D.



To be fair, I will continue a little longer on some of these titles while others I might wait for a convention and purchase them at a dollar. I did give DC a bit longer before I opted to go from four titles to only two. The thing that Marvel has over DC with me is history. I have always enjoyed the Marvel Universe more. I'll continue with Avengers, New Avengers, All-New X-Men, Indestructible Hulk, Uncanny Avengers and Superior Spider-Man but at the moment I'm really looking forward to "Age of Ultron" that Michael Brian Bendis hinted at before the whole Marvel Now exploitation. And then is it right for a company to start in a new direction and still use storylines from its previous incarnations?

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Are Statues Worth It? A Roundabout Review

In my teens my expenses were minimal. I had no living expenses, no insurance needs, no utilities, and not many excuses to purchase anything other than my hobby needs. I purchased new comic books every week and once in a while I would purchase something more. In this case, statues.

I was envious when a friend of mine picked up a Sandman statue. I wasn't surprised that it was sold out. I purchased the second Sandman statue that came out, but before I purchased that it was a statue if Batman that caught my eye. I followed these purchases with its matching Robin statue and a statue of Death to compliment Dream. The final statue I purchased was one of the best villains of all, Darth Vader.

Higher ticket items became harder to purchase. I purchased two lightsaber replicas, Star Wars cookie jars, and the occasional older back issue. The only thing that was different were my expenses. I had rent, insurance, utilities, and a beautiful baby boy. It was another twenty years before purchasing another statue, this time from Sideshow Collectibles.


I no longer have an excuse that statues are to expensive to purchase, after all I now have a comic I spent $625 on in my collection. My expenses are still expansive but I budget better then I used to. Spending three hundred dollars each on a pair of "Magik" statues. They sit on top of my entertainment center and I love that I was able to afford them, a third one was sold out before I could budget for it.

At NYCC I found another DC character I decided should adorn my collection : Harley Quinn. I still have yet to find out where to place it but I do love having the three dimensional characters sit silently on my shelves. I have another one on order and am terribly afraid to see what will be at the comic cons this year to tantalize more money out of my wallet.


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Battling for my Dollars: a Roundabout Review

Where do your hard earned dollars go? I mean the ones you still have after paying bills, taxes, and other daily expenses that continue your life perpetually forward. The extra that should be left over, what nectar of life do they purchase? Is it a new wardrobe, a good meal, or maybe a few drinks with friends on the days off that seem to be too few in life? If you're reading this I either got lucky you are here or like me you spend the remainder of what's left every week on comic books.

Comic books are a lot more expensive compared to when I started to collect. A$3.99 cover price today is up about 565% from the days when my allowance bought me my weekly drug. I never thought about the politics of publishing a comic book, I bought what I liked, I still do, but I don't have to speculate what sells and what doesn't. I don't need to figure out which variant cover should be cost optimized by quantity purchased or if I send a book into CGC for grading then my profits will catapult towards my rent being paid by one book. My pleasures are a bit simpler. Is the comic book good?

DC and Marvel are the big two and have been so since the silver age. My first LCS was set up in four sections, Marvel, DC, Back Issues, and everything else. As I grew up independent publishers started clambering for more shelf space. Dark Horse and Image come to mind predominantly but First, Innovation, and Valiant are others that were always competing with Spider-Man and Superman. The market expanded, constricted and exploded again.

DC tried something, something that has been tried before, but never on such a scale. They took one final moment, one Flashpoint, and started over. Marvel waited and finally felt after the success of DC had they should start their own revolution and instead of leading, followed suit, creating their new world negating years and years of story continuity.  The problem is my dollars have not expanded or have grown exponentially, in fact they remain stagnant. The new number ones were supposed to be a fresh beginning, a beginning to allow readers to jump on and not be lost, or as with some titles, it gave me the chance to jump off.

Marvel began again but so has Valiant, three companies are battling for my dollar and as I tighten my purse strings I realize it's Marvel that has the most to lose because that is the majority of what I collect. I gave Iron Man the first story arc but fear it might go. Cable and X-Force couldn't get past to #2 and Morbius sat on the rack as I walked on past.  Give me a collected universe with ten books a month with story and art and you'll have my money, but if things keep progressing the way they have I fear I might just continue to go to my LCS and buy some books from the silver, bronze, and copper age.

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Superior Spider-Man #1: A Roundabout Review

Superior Spider-Man #1: A Roundabout Review

Wednesday arrived and I left work to go home and change for my weekly ritual. This consists of coffee with my Dad and a trip to my Comic Book store. My Comixology.com e-mail was checked through my iPhone and my weekly pulllist had the comics I am waiting for, primarily Superior Spider-Man #1.

I picked up Star Wars #1, Shadow-Man #3 and decided to stick with a digital download only for Non-Humans #2. With only three books to read on the way home from Fat Jack’s Comic Crypt in Center City Philadelphia, it was the twice a month Superior Spider-Man #1 by Dan Slott and Ryan Stegman that I waited until I got on the twenty bus to start reading. When I got home, I read it again.

Previously in Amazing Spider-man, and if you are reading Superior #1 before ASM #700, then shame on you, Peter Parker dies. Yes, Marvel allowed the one of the main bread winners to receive a dirt nap. Otto Octavius reigns supreme in the body of Aunt May’s favorite nephew and for anyone who remembers, this has some gross overtones because Otto almost married Peter’s Aunt May. I truly hope this is a story thread they never follow up on. So how does one of the greatest villains on the planet become a 100 percent rehabilitated super hero in the body of his greatest adversary? The answer is he doesn't.

Spoilers Abound

The sinister six arrives on the scene which includes The Shocker, Speed Demon, Boomerang, Living Brain, Beetle, and Overdrive which brought to mind the cover of issue #183. I don’t understand what it is about a big wheel. For a change of pace it was actually pretty enjoyable to watch Boomerang call the shots. Of course who else but Dr. Octopus would be so insulted about a new Sinister Six, and I find it quite ironically pleasing that this is the Superior Spider-Man’s first battle. Otto/Pete seems so enraged he rips into them but seriously realizes how hard Peter had it when Speed Demon pummels him repetitively to the point Otto decides to flee. By the way, Dan pulls off all this action in the first six pages and that includes Peter paying his respects at Otto’s gravesite.

          So Otto being Otto, he runs, but Spider-man being who he is, returns as he sees an innocent cop about to get in the way of a deadly boomerang. Without even fully understanding why Otto/Pete is saving someone who "states the obvious" he also would make Wolverine proud by slicing Boomerang with claws? Later Peter is being talked to by Max Modell and on these two pages I almost feel like I should be listening to Dr. Horrible’s singalong.

               Another two pages and Peter hits the Jackpot. Mary Jane interacts with Peter in a way she never did before, she wasn't passed off for him to go run and be Spider-Man even though Otto/Pete is listening into the Sinister Six’s next conspiracy through “eighty nano-spider tracers”. Otto/Pete is much more interested in the dinner,drink, and the view.

Dan Slott keeps the comic rollingalong in a smooth flow of story worthy of being a #1 issue.

               The action speeds up again as Otto prepared for the Sinister Six, and instead of a six Issue story, he wraps them up in one measly issue, which makes me wonder, is the Otto Spider-Man really that superior. He’s vicious, calculating,and arrogant, many things Peter never was, so as he pummels Boomerang with the intent of ending his life we have none other than his subconscious staying his hand from the killing blow, or is it something more. I’m not going to spoil everything, read the book and figure out for yourself if Dan Slott is the story weaver you think he is.

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