ComicNerd

Storyline: Unstoppable Part 4 of 6
Date: October 2007
Price: $2.99 US / $3.75 CAN
Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: John Cassaday

Synopsis: The X-Men are on the run on Breakworld. Can they keep the warlords of Breakworld from killing Colossus? If his life means the destruction of an entire planet, SHOULD they save him? Powerlord Kruun, the ruler of Breakworld, learns of the X-Men’s survival and seeks to destroy them, as there exists a prophesy which declares the X-Man Colossus will trigger Armageddon. He orders a snowstrike that buries Beast and Agent Brand and then dispatches DANGER, the sentient embodiment of the X-Men’s Danger Room, to waylay Cyclops and Emma. Danger shoots down the couple’s ship, leaving Cyclops injured and unconscious.

Emma faces the android alone — and asks Danger to kill her.

Opinion: Joss Whedon is by far one of my favorite writers out there, simply because of the interactions between characters. The dialogue is witty and interesting and seems to keep pace with the story. John Cassaday has some excellent art as well, keeping the panels clear – some bits are a tad confusing, but overall it’s pretty good.

I’m not going to spoil anything for you – but someone dies in this ‘ish, which is making me wonder. So far in just the last few months, we’ve seen Captain America, Sabretooth, Cable and now another pretty big character all bite the big one. It’s odd, because in the past, the death of a character was a huge event, and was built up over time. The events surrounding their deaths were big, and how they died was typically over the top. Though over the last few months, Marvel seems to just habitually put down some big names with very little fanfare or warning. Not only that, but this is happening in the REAL Marvel Universe, not the Ultimate universe, or a What-If? issue.

So what do all of these random, under the radar and underwhelming deaths mean? Who knows – maybe Marvel is poised to bring them all back in due time and has learned it’s lesson about making a big deal about it and then bringing them back. Who knows? Just a bit strange.

Storyline: Countdown to Final Crisis
Date: August 2007
Price: $2.99 US / $3.65 Canada
Writer: Story by Paul Dini; Script by Sean McKeever
Art: Breakdowns by Keith Giffen; Art by Manuel Garcia; Cover by J.G. Jones

Synopsis: The action ratchets up across five issues in August guest-starring Zatanna, the Teen Titans, the JLA, Poison Ivy, the Penguin, the Atom and more! Karate Kid ventures to Oracle for answers. Jimmy Olsen attempts to join not one but two exclusive clubs. Mary Marvel falls deeper into temptation. And Donna Troy and Jason Todd journey into the Nanoverse! Plus, starting in COUNTDOWN 38, a series of backup stories recounting the origins of DC’s greatest villians, written by Scott Beatty (BATGIRL: YEAR ONE)!

Opinion: Marvel Marvel is naughty and I’m not just talking about that sexy little black number she’s been sporting around in over the past few months. Things get nasty between her and Zatanna and not in a sorority girls pillow-fight sort of way either. I like! In the “Palmerverse” Atom, Jason Todd, Donna Troy and Bob the Monitor fight some magically-powered bugs. Whatever. Poison Ivy has Piper and Trickster on lock-down, with an awesome cameo appearance to boot. A great issue by and large. remeber kids, it’s all building up to FINAL CRISIS so you can have earth shattering revelations in every issue. Sometimes you just got to have magic bugs.

Date: August 2007
Price: $2.99 US
Cover: Juan Jose Ryp
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages, monthly, 2 of 7

Synopsis:Warren Ellis’ masked hero masterpiece continues it’s monthly run right here! The American military machine is mobilised in pursuit of John Horus — and his one-time comrades. Withheld information and misplaced anger leads to open fire in the streets of the city that the Seven Guns came from, and the hammer of the wrath of the government and the people is about to come down on five people who, just twenty four hours ago, were at best forgotten heroes… With art by the genius Juan Jose Ryp, no fan of The Authority or Wanted will want to miss this bleeding-edge eight issue masterpiece. This issue is available with a regular or wraparound cover and also a rare 1-in-25 cover featuring the Angel One design sketch, all by series artist Juan Jose Ryp.

Opinion: The best comic being published (other than THE BOYS) continues to deliver. It accomplishes what Marvel failed at so miserably with their weak CIVIL WAR series and the bajillion crossovers associated with it. It’s what all great superhero comics should hope to be when they grow up. Warren Ellis continues with his god-like storytelling and Juan Jose Ryp reveals shades of Geoff Darrow while adding his own unique stylization to the violence, gore, and the subtle domestic moments that are peppered throughout this series. In this issue John Horus is still nowhere to be found after murdering George W. Bu… err, I mean THE PRESIDENT and bout of in-fighting amongst the other members of THE SEVEN GUNS threatens all parties involved. I don’t want to give too much away, but next issue ought to be a bonzer of a blood-bath given the set-up in the last couple of pages of the book. Book of the week? Hell, book of the month! Sell your Grandma’s wheelchair if you need money to buy this book. Obtain it at all cost!

Storyline: Uprising 1 of 4
Date: October 2007
Price: $3.99 US / $4.75 CAN
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev

Synopsis: The Eisner Award-winning team of superscribe Brian Michael Bendis and artist extraordinaire Alex Maleev unleash an epic story of mankind’s struggle against the alien threat of the Covenant. Picking up from the conclusion of blockbuster video game Halo 2, the must-read issue reveals how the Master Chief, while onboard a hostile ship headed towards Earth, is battling against Covenant forces! Intertwined with Master Chief’s interstellar one-man-war is the saga of a great American city’s rebellion and downfall, two disparate lives’ collision and shared fate, and the Convenant’s hunt for an ancient relic of untold power and value. With hope dwindling and the fate of humanity hanging by a thread, is there any chance for a future? Read this debut issue to start the journey into the Halo universe!

Opinion: Sigh. So… one of the biggest publishing houses in the comic book industry puts together a comic book based on one of the biggest video game franchises in history made by the biggest software company owned by one of the richest men in the world; not to mention a writer with name power… is it wrong of me to expect a mind-blowing comic experience?

Maybe it was.

See for yourself – I am hoping this series is enjoyable overall. Problem is, in my opinion, mini’s absolutely need to be captivating from issue one to the end.

One thing about the art – the pencils are great, but somewhere along the line something got messed up bad on every panel. The colors look washed out and dull, and the shading and lines are pretty messy. It can most likely be summed up as “style”; but it’s certainly not appealing to me.

The female human character… um… did anyone perusing along the sketch concepts ask “wtf?” ? I know I did.

From Marvel.com:

Ah, November. It’s quite the month. While we here at Marvel understand that juicy turkeys, buckle-shoed pilgrims and professional football are all very exciting, we respectfully suggest that you put these notions in the back seat, fasten your safety belts and get ready for another month of pure, high-speed comic nirvana the way only the House of Ideas can deliver. Don’t believe it? Check out Marvel’s online catalog and have your mind blown, true believer!

- ULTIMATE ORIGINS #1 from Brian Michael Bendis and Butch Guice is a tale of mystery surrounding the Ultimate Universe’s greatest heroes. Captain America and Wolverine share a history running deeper than anyone could have imagined and this is only the beginning!

- Annuals aren’t only a summertime thing, folks! AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE ANNUAL #1, GHOST RIDER ANNUAL #1, IRON MAN ANNUAL #1 and MOON KNIGHT ANNUAL #1 all hit shelves in November. Oo-wee, that’s a lot of great comics!

- Preparing for life without WORLD WAR HULK? Well Marvel’s giving you the chance to put it off a little longer with WORLD WAR HULK: AFTERSMASH, a 64-page beauty written by the one and only Greg Pak, exploring the fate of Hulk and all the lives he, uh, touched.

- And if your taste for epic action hasn’t been sated, Stephen King’s DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER BORN gets the hardcover collection treatment. Collecting issues #1-#7 of this supernatural, Western tour-de-force, this is the must-have book for November. Did we mention Stephen King? Just checking.

- Picking up where the X-MEN: MESSIAH COMPLEX one-shot left off, UNCANNY X-MEN #492, X-FACTOR #25, NEW X-MEN #44 and X-MEN #205 continue the story of Mutantkind’s search for the first newborn mutant since M-Day!

- Not enough drama for you? Fine! “Spider-Man: One More Day,” the epic Spidey tale illustrated by Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada, ends in November’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #545, answering some heavy questions about the Web-Slinger in the process.

- Just when you thought the Phalanx were a thing of the past, ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST begins and things get ugly quick! This brand new installment comes on the heels of the CONQUEST prologue, four issues of NOVA and the QUASAR, STAR-LORD and WRAITH mini-series.

- Offering bleak visions of what could have been had heroes not prevailed, WHAT IF? ANNIHILATION details alien invasions and evil galactic conquerers having their way with our galaxy and humanity. See what could have been!

- He’s baaaaack! Yes, CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 is here, with one of Marvel’s most beloved heroes making his return via a mini-series and a dash of time travel. But things get dicey when Captain Marvel can see his own death on the horizon. Look out!

- HOUSE OF M gave comic fans a chance to see an alternate Marvel universe, one ruled by mutants. But where do the Avengers fit into all of this? Luke Cage might have some answers in HOUSE OF M: AVENGERS #1.