What a week! After the bucket loads of great new stuff revealed at Image Expo, the rest of the comics industry up and dropped more than a dozen new #1’s on us this week!
Marvel Comics was the biggest player this week, with no less than seven new series, five of which are set in their Mainstream Universe, the good ol’ 616. In fact, they’re rather adamant about it in Deadpool Kills Deadpool #1. This is the latest new beginning in the rather unusual Deadpool Kills… series, and scribe Cullen Bunn is right to insist that the story does in fact begin in the home of most of Marvel’s stuff. Deadpool had previously been hopping in and out of his universe, our universe, and the fictional pages of some of history’s greatest novels. It’s exhausting work, trying to eliminate even the idea of heroes, much less murdering them, and the Merc with a Mouth has gotten back to something simpler: traveling the multi-verse to kill himself! This means an inevitable encounter with the Deadpool Corps, a group of inter-dimensional versions of himself that all seem to lack their original template’s sense of humor. This thinly veiled plot is simply an excuse for Bunn and artist Salva Espin to delight in the silliness and carnage that is Deadpool, and while it’s fun to see the return of Lady Deadpool, neither she nor anyone else has much to do here but yuck it up. It’s not an important book, just a bit of fun, though it doesn’t live up to comedian Brian Posehn’s current run on the main Deadpool title.
More reality warping plots on tap in the return of a Marvel staple, What if … Avs.X #1. Marvel reigns when it comes to the mega cross-over event, but it seems the publisher is so desperately running out of new ideas for these ham handed marketing ploys that we’re now presented with a rehash of old ones. Here they propose to re-imagine the monstrosity of last year’s Avengers vs. X-Men over the power of the Phoenix storyline, and I have to be honest, I’m not sure what’s different here from the last time around. The original was such a convoluted mess that streamlining the What If… version into a single series might make it a little more manageable, but it certainly doesn’t make it any more interesting. Other lowlights include Carol Danvers reverting to Ms. Marvel, as opposed to Captain, and the gratuitous inclusion of The Guardians of the Galaxy, obviously a desperate attempt to familiarize the comics audience with this rag tag group of heroes before their film debuts during the Marvel Film Universe’s Phase Two.
Speaking of which, Marvel and Brian Michael Bendis have thrown even more intergalactic promotional material at us with Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow’s Avengers #1. It’s a collection of short stories featuring each of the Guardians – other than their leader Star Lord – and it serves as a prequel to the newest Guardians series, which just wrapped up its first story arc. It lays even more groundwork for those nearly unknown heroes, showing each in action as Star Lord recruits them to his cause. There’s very little of interest here; the story featuring Gamora, daughter of soon to be über-villain Thanos, is bloodless (despite it’s violence) in that she says almost nothing. It’s simply a pure action sequence with no plot and no dialogue, as if to remind us that while she’s a badass, she also has nothing worth saying. It was disappointing, while the reunion of Bendis with his Powers partner Michael Avon Oeming for the Drax the Destroyer vignette was fun to see, despite the flat story telling.
And speaking of Marvel’s mega-cross overs, we’re being treated to another fallout book, letting us know how things have been reorganized in the aftermath of, well, something terrible. This time the Age of Ultron storyline has spawned Avengers A.I. #1, an interesting concept at the very least. With Hank Pym’s monstrous artificial Intelligence Ultron defeated and the time line restored (again), Pym is tasked by S.H.I.E.L.D. with sweeping up the bionic and digital mess. Thus he assembles the best robots and A.I. around into a technological team of Avengers to do battle with … what seems to be the very thing he used to defeat Ultron in the first place? It’s a tad confusing, if you skipped Age of Ultron (I did, after an unconvincing first issue), but fun nonetheless, if only for Doombot. Yeah, you read that right. There’s a robotic version of Dr. Doom (who’s practically a robot in the first place), compelled to behave and do as Hank Pym says, but isn’t keen on keeping his mouth shut about it. There’s a ton of laughs in Doombot’s griping about saving “puny humans”. There are also two interesting female characters here, beginning with Monica Chang, a no-nonsense S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who isn’t about to let Henry Pym off the hook for nearly destroying the planet. A badass who doesn’t care what others think of her, Chang is foul mouthed, violent, and absolutely dedicated to dong the right thing, which is making sure Pym straightens up and flies right, one way or another. The other leading lady here is a mysterious new character named Alexis, a Black woman who is supposed to be a driving factor in the book, but her presence is only revealed on the last page, so further issues should show reveal more of her character.
The most human story from Marvel, despite not being the best, is this week’s The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #1. It’s a daily slice of life story about the all new Sinister Six (of which there are only five). The story is filled with sad-sack humor and shines a meek light on a few of the injustices of the comics genre. The only female member of the group, the new Beetle (which makes her sound like a Volkswagen), is ogled regularly and even verbally mistreated both by her fellow super criminals and the hapless public she’s victimizing. Boomerang makes light of the fact that he’s Australian and thus is forced into a stereotypical perception as a super villain, but it’s weakly argued, despite its merits. Beyond that, there’s little to offer here unless you really care about how hard it is to be a crook in a big bad spandex clad world. Frankly, I don’t.
Marvel wanders out of it’s comfort zone a bit with their last two offerings, but they don’t wander anywhere particularly original. There’s a lighthearted left turn down the yellow brick road as they bring us The Emerald City of Oz, a cheerful little tale of Dorothy bringing her aging Aunt and Uncle to live in the Emerald City with Princes Ozma. It delves deep into the mythology of Frank L. Baum’s series, but depicts Dorothy as much younger than most fans will remember her, much more of a girl than a young woman, and the book has an overall childish feel because of it. Then there’s a darker right turn into the world of a forensic blood expert and serial killer, in Dexter #1. The story is a bit about Dexter’s high school reunion, and gives us a dark twist on stopping a bully back in the day. It also features a still living wife Rita, placing this new fictional story much more in the realm of the novels than the Showtime series. Rita is still clueless to Dexter’s proclivities, and Dexter still cares very little about her, watching idly as she develops a crush on the adult bully Dexter so ably scared straight back in the day. Or did he?
DC attempted to lay low, but did bring us a prelude to a mega-crossover event of their own. Trinity of Sin: Pandora #1 is meant to set the stage for the upcoming Trinity War Saga. Pandora is one of the Trinity of Sin, the three human deemed the most grievous offenders to the Gods in ancient days. While the other two, DC’s The Question and The Phantom Stranger, are actually bad guys, Pandora was a hapless victim, who discovered a skull shaped box and unleashed the evil incarnations of the Seven Deadly Sins upon the world. Pandora has long sought a way to bring down those who’ve cursed her to immortality, and now may have found the means to do so. The means, sadly, seem to be Superman and the other super humans of the DC Universe, and not her own inner strength, which you’d think she’d have plenty of after being alive for three million days. Hopefully she’ll prove a more determined as the series continues, but so far it’s all so unwieldy it would be tough to find a reason to bother reading the rest.
Thankfully there are some indie publishers out there giving us some decent new stuff this week. At last, two titles have emerged form the picks of Free Comic Book Day. The best of these is Steam Engines of Oz #1, a story about the future of Oz after the Tin Man takes dictatorial control of the Emerald City. This new Tin Man is like Iron Man on steroids, and our hero Victoria Wright has escaped his underground rule. Now she’s on the run in the an Oz she’s never known, and it’s a new and exciting one that readers will enjoy much more than Marvel’s version. The Lions here are certainly not cowardly, and the Munchkins are ready to rumble. Victoria is growing out of her naiveté and she’s a fun character to watch develop.
Meanwhile Avatar dishes up super violence with Absolution Rubicon #1. John Dusk, superhero cop turned bloody vigilante, is still on the rampage, and the criminals that he once locked up are getting released in droves. This plays right into Dusk’s murderous hands, as he can now behead and mangle them to his heart’s content. Meanwhile, fellow “Enhanciles” are struggling with the idea that their former partner is delivering bloody justice with no regard for the law, but it’s a gray area they are growing more comfortable with. The female super hero Alpha, or “Alpha Bitch, if you’re on cable,” actually lost her husband to Dusk’s rampage, yet she still supports him while wrestling with confusion over his actions.
Dynamite Comics seems to have returned to a mold they know well, resurrecting 30’s era super heroes in the modern world, this time with The Owl #1. The Owl, a rather obvious Batman analog, has been trapped for decades in a mystical vase with several other heroes. Finally emerging into his city years after he fought to clean up its streets, he’s now lost his love and partner Belle, formerly known as Owl Girl (why not Owl Woman?) who died before he was trapped. In this new world he returns to his old persona, and he’s shocked to discover a fully armored, much more lethal version of Owl Girl while on patrol. The mystery of who she is makes up the bulk of the book, and while the old Owl Girl might have been lacking, the new version is bloody and powerful, while having gone over the edge of vigilantism. Discovering more about her is the driving reason to look into this book, for sure.
Dark Horse Comics brings us a new anthology (which they do rather well) with Catalyst Comix #1, a collection of three stories about the same end of the world from three different angles. When a nasty apocalypse hits New York, one hero rushes right into its maw, while others seek the source or look to take the next steps in protecting the world. The first tale is about immortal warrior Frank Wells, formerly worshiped as a Titan but now feeling very human in the midst of all the horror. Meanwhile, Utopian engineer and astronaut known only as Grace, has flown to the edge of the galaxy to attack the evil at its source. Lastly, a group of over the hill super heroes is gathering in L.A. with an eye towards filling the gaps left by fallen heroes. The book is written with an overly wordy style by Joe Casey, making it at times hard to follow, until the last vignette. Three different artists work on each story, but the pencils by Paul Maybury on Amazing Grace are the real standout.
Lastly, we have Mercy Sparx #1, from tiny Devil’s Due Entertainment. Mercy is one hell (literally) of a tough lady. Born in Sheol, a realm beyond Hell, Heaven or Purgatory, Mercy is a red skinned horned devil able to hide her true appearance as she walks the Earth. She’d rather hang out in Portland, see rock bands and get new tattoos while indulging in one-night stands, but she’s tasked by the forces of Heaven to track rogue Angels on Earth and set them straight. Mercy isn’t afraid to use her sexuality to get what she wants (or just to hook up with someone) and she’s broken a heart or two along the way. Her intentions are more or less good, though she’s tired of the never ending warring amongst the (rather confusingly organized) angelic host. She’s young at heart if not actually young, a woman finding her way in a world that’s full of things we all thought were just myth.
