DoctorFinger
01-25-2009, 12:25 PM
Welcome to Week Two of the Official Colony of Gamers Comic Book Reviews
Remember, these are NOT spoiler-free reviews.
Colony of Gamer’s Weekly Comic Book Reviews – Year 2 – Week 2
Special Thunder-vengers Edition
Dark Avengers #1
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mike Deodato
Colorist: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editor: Tom Brevoort
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/darkavengers-1.jpg
"Bring on the Bad Guys"
Behind every great hero, there's a menace. And frankly, sometimes the menace is more of a draw than the hero they fight. That is the driving principle behind the new [i]Dark Avengers[/b] book. A spiritual offspring of the Thunderbolts book, this title takes some of the worst of the worst and puts them front and center in the costumed identities of some of the Avenger's greats. In the wake of Norman Osborne's ascension he's bound and determined to put together a team of Avengers, but Avengers who do his bidding, his way. So in come the replacements and the outsiders. Venom gets a dose of some serum and poof, he's the black-suit Spider-Man, complete with wisecracks. Moonstone is given the garb of Ms. Marvel. Daken is recruited to take up one of the costumes his father - Wolverine - once wore. Bullseye is given the Hawkeye identity. Marvel Boy becomes Captain Marvel. Ares and the Sentry stay on the team with their new leader the Iron Patriot, aka Osborne himself. Ares pointed out that something was missing, that most Avengers teams crystallized around Captain America, Iron Man, or both. In the Iron Patriot identity - created using the old Iron Man suits Osborne inherited as the head of SHIELD's successor, HAMMER - Osborne is both.
Dark Avengers is in most ways the spiritual offspring of both the original Thunderbolts book and it's 'newer' iteration. In the original a group of villains created new costumed identities to enrich themselves, but in the process became real heroes. The new T-Bolts were comprised mostly of villains forced into service, more like DC's Suicide Squad book than the original. This new version is basically another new twist on that concept. What if instead of making new identities, they took over the personas of some of the great heroes of the Marvel U? And what if redemption is something (almost) none of them were interested in? That's the hook of Dark Avengers. You have Bendis' sharp wit, and Deodato's beautifully realist style, all supporting a cast of the worst of the worst. You KNOW that sooner or later this team is going to implode, big time. But that's part of the draw: to see just how massive that explosion ends up, and who it takes out in the process. I can't wait to see the interactions between Bullseye and Ares, between Moonstone and Sentry. But most of all I want to see what happens when this group tries to save the world.
Bottom Line:
A devilishly fun and fascinating book, starring the Bad Guys.
CoG Says: "Worship It!" (5 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG5.png
Mighty Avengers #21
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Dan Slott
Penciller: Khoi Pham
Inkers: Allan Martinez and Danny Miki
Colorist: Jason Keith & GuruEFX
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Editor: Tom Brevoort
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/mightyavengers-21.jpg
Earth's Mightiest, Part 1: The Smartest Man in the Room
We had Dark Avengers, and some would be tempted to call this book the 'Light' Avengers. But that wouldn't be accurate, especially with a story that begins with the near destruction of the Earth right off the bat. No, the best description of this book comes from writer Dan Slott, who calls this the "Avengery-ist Avengers book." What he means is rather than unlike the other two main Avengers books, this is made up of more 'classic' Avengers characters, but again with a twist. All of the members had been Avengers in the past, and all represent riffs on many of the classic Avengers lineups. There's no Thor or Cap, instead we get Hercules and US Agent. Rather than Janet Van Dyne as the Wasp and Hank Pym in one of his many personas, we get Hank Pym as the Wasp, the android Jocasta (with the personality of Janet) and the size-changing Stature from the Young Avengers. You still have Iron Man and Hulk on the team, but mostly it's a group devoid of solo stars, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The development of these characters will occur here, and not in their solo books (which is a peril of doing a 'Big Gun' team book). They're assembled by the Scarlet Witch to help stop the disasters plaguing the world - San Fran encased in amber, Philly being overrun by evil vines, NY under a tsunami of blood - and the person responsible for them. The Elder god Chthon, placed by his lackey Mordred into the body of the Witch's brother, Quicksilver.
This is a somewhat hard book to grade. I liked it quite a bit, but even I had to take to Wikipedia to figure out who the bad guys were. Mordred and Chthon are pretty hardcore members of the Marvel U, and the average reader isn't going to have the foggiest idea who they are. The team itself is also a bit polarizing. As a Marvel nerd, I appreciate the lineup, but I also worry that most readers will look at the team as C-list all the way. Then you throw in the Scarlet Witch, and you get even more depth. She's a classic, long time Avenger, but she's also responsible for the worst days in their history. She has been off the table since House of M, so it's good to see her character being explored again, but it's all very enthusiast level detail. Pham work here is rather inconsistent. On some pages, like the early ones with Stature and Vision, he does tremendous work with expressions and posing. On others his looks rushed and muddled. His Jocasta in particular just looks...odd. Overall it's good, but I've seen the man do better, and I'll hold him to that standard here.
Bottom Line:
It is a very Avenger-y Avengers book, but it's very deeply immersed in the team's lore and history, much of which may not make much sense to the average reader.
CoG Says: "Borrow It!" (3 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG3.png
Thunderbolts #128
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Roberto De La Torre
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Albert Deschense
Editor: Bill Rosemann
$2.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/thunderbolts-128.jpg
So as seen above, most of the 'old' Thunderbolts are now the Dark Avengers. So whence the Thunderbolts? In the wake of his ascension Osborne has recreated them to be his personal, off-the-books wetworks squad to take care of all the dirty stuff his Avengers can't handle. In this case the Black Widow (the second one, the blonde), Ant-Man (the third one, the lecherous coward) and Ghost (master break-in artist) have a target: Air Force One, currently carrying both the new President (you may have heard of this Obama guy) and Osborne himself. Obama wants a word with Osborne about the unprecedented level of power he now has, and to address conserns raised by one of the other passengers on the jet, Leonard Samson. Samson had been at Thunderbolts mountain when (due to the influence of a quartet of psychics) Norman reverted to his Green Goblin days and killed a bunch of personnel. Samson has a video of that massacre, but Osborne can't jeopardize his position by letting the President see it. So the new T-Bolts begin the attack. Missiles take out AF1's fighter escort, while the Black Widow (disguised as the co-pilot) and Ant-Man (concealed betwixt her boobs) take care of things on the inside. Ant-Man plants a 'gamma inducer' on Samson, which brings his rage to the surface. Just as he's about to plaster Osborne, the plane is torn open from the outside by none other than the Green Goblin.
Another book putting villains front and center, although still fairly different in tone from Dark Avengers. This one is more...intimate. You know the Dark Avengers are going to be dealing with planetary-level threats, that's not what this book is about. This book is about even scarier side of Norman Osborne, the side that doesn't have to operate in public and therefore maintain a nice face. This is the dirty tricks team if you will, and they're very good at their jobs. The big mystery here is, of course, the identity of the Green Goblin menacing AF1. From reading interviews with writer Andy Diggle (or looking at upcoming covers) you can probably guess his identity, but it's still a good short-term mystery. The characters are paradoxically unlikable and magnetic; you know Ant-Man is a lech, but he's still funny as hell. De La Torre generally does very good work on the art, but there are a few sections which are a bit unclear, and the whole thing is colored way too darkly for my tastes, but that's the trend nowadays.
Bottom Line:
The dirty tricks squad gets their own book, and you love it.
CoG Says: "Love It!" (4 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png
Quick Hits
Green Lantern #37 - The march towards the War of Light continues, as Hal gets a dye job.
Uncanny X-Men Annual - An interesting look at Emma Frost and her relationship with Namor, especially in light of their recent affiliation with Norman Osborne.
Astonishing X-Men #28 - That Simone Bianchi sure draws purdy! Plus, a familiar name (well, to me at least) enters the scene.
Remember, these are NOT spoiler-free reviews.
Colony of Gamer’s Weekly Comic Book Reviews – Year 2 – Week 2
Special Thunder-vengers Edition
Dark Avengers #1
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mike Deodato
Colorist: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editor: Tom Brevoort
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/darkavengers-1.jpg
"Bring on the Bad Guys"
Behind every great hero, there's a menace. And frankly, sometimes the menace is more of a draw than the hero they fight. That is the driving principle behind the new [i]Dark Avengers[/b] book. A spiritual offspring of the Thunderbolts book, this title takes some of the worst of the worst and puts them front and center in the costumed identities of some of the Avenger's greats. In the wake of Norman Osborne's ascension he's bound and determined to put together a team of Avengers, but Avengers who do his bidding, his way. So in come the replacements and the outsiders. Venom gets a dose of some serum and poof, he's the black-suit Spider-Man, complete with wisecracks. Moonstone is given the garb of Ms. Marvel. Daken is recruited to take up one of the costumes his father - Wolverine - once wore. Bullseye is given the Hawkeye identity. Marvel Boy becomes Captain Marvel. Ares and the Sentry stay on the team with their new leader the Iron Patriot, aka Osborne himself. Ares pointed out that something was missing, that most Avengers teams crystallized around Captain America, Iron Man, or both. In the Iron Patriot identity - created using the old Iron Man suits Osborne inherited as the head of SHIELD's successor, HAMMER - Osborne is both.
Dark Avengers is in most ways the spiritual offspring of both the original Thunderbolts book and it's 'newer' iteration. In the original a group of villains created new costumed identities to enrich themselves, but in the process became real heroes. The new T-Bolts were comprised mostly of villains forced into service, more like DC's Suicide Squad book than the original. This new version is basically another new twist on that concept. What if instead of making new identities, they took over the personas of some of the great heroes of the Marvel U? And what if redemption is something (almost) none of them were interested in? That's the hook of Dark Avengers. You have Bendis' sharp wit, and Deodato's beautifully realist style, all supporting a cast of the worst of the worst. You KNOW that sooner or later this team is going to implode, big time. But that's part of the draw: to see just how massive that explosion ends up, and who it takes out in the process. I can't wait to see the interactions between Bullseye and Ares, between Moonstone and Sentry. But most of all I want to see what happens when this group tries to save the world.
Bottom Line:
A devilishly fun and fascinating book, starring the Bad Guys.
CoG Says: "Worship It!" (5 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG5.png
Mighty Avengers #21
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Dan Slott
Penciller: Khoi Pham
Inkers: Allan Martinez and Danny Miki
Colorist: Jason Keith & GuruEFX
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Editor: Tom Brevoort
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/mightyavengers-21.jpg
Earth's Mightiest, Part 1: The Smartest Man in the Room
We had Dark Avengers, and some would be tempted to call this book the 'Light' Avengers. But that wouldn't be accurate, especially with a story that begins with the near destruction of the Earth right off the bat. No, the best description of this book comes from writer Dan Slott, who calls this the "Avengery-ist Avengers book." What he means is rather than unlike the other two main Avengers books, this is made up of more 'classic' Avengers characters, but again with a twist. All of the members had been Avengers in the past, and all represent riffs on many of the classic Avengers lineups. There's no Thor or Cap, instead we get Hercules and US Agent. Rather than Janet Van Dyne as the Wasp and Hank Pym in one of his many personas, we get Hank Pym as the Wasp, the android Jocasta (with the personality of Janet) and the size-changing Stature from the Young Avengers. You still have Iron Man and Hulk on the team, but mostly it's a group devoid of solo stars, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The development of these characters will occur here, and not in their solo books (which is a peril of doing a 'Big Gun' team book). They're assembled by the Scarlet Witch to help stop the disasters plaguing the world - San Fran encased in amber, Philly being overrun by evil vines, NY under a tsunami of blood - and the person responsible for them. The Elder god Chthon, placed by his lackey Mordred into the body of the Witch's brother, Quicksilver.
This is a somewhat hard book to grade. I liked it quite a bit, but even I had to take to Wikipedia to figure out who the bad guys were. Mordred and Chthon are pretty hardcore members of the Marvel U, and the average reader isn't going to have the foggiest idea who they are. The team itself is also a bit polarizing. As a Marvel nerd, I appreciate the lineup, but I also worry that most readers will look at the team as C-list all the way. Then you throw in the Scarlet Witch, and you get even more depth. She's a classic, long time Avenger, but she's also responsible for the worst days in their history. She has been off the table since House of M, so it's good to see her character being explored again, but it's all very enthusiast level detail. Pham work here is rather inconsistent. On some pages, like the early ones with Stature and Vision, he does tremendous work with expressions and posing. On others his looks rushed and muddled. His Jocasta in particular just looks...odd. Overall it's good, but I've seen the man do better, and I'll hold him to that standard here.
Bottom Line:
It is a very Avenger-y Avengers book, but it's very deeply immersed in the team's lore and history, much of which may not make much sense to the average reader.
CoG Says: "Borrow It!" (3 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG3.png
Thunderbolts #128
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Roberto De La Torre
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Albert Deschense
Editor: Bill Rosemann
$2.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/thunderbolts-128.jpg
So as seen above, most of the 'old' Thunderbolts are now the Dark Avengers. So whence the Thunderbolts? In the wake of his ascension Osborne has recreated them to be his personal, off-the-books wetworks squad to take care of all the dirty stuff his Avengers can't handle. In this case the Black Widow (the second one, the blonde), Ant-Man (the third one, the lecherous coward) and Ghost (master break-in artist) have a target: Air Force One, currently carrying both the new President (you may have heard of this Obama guy) and Osborne himself. Obama wants a word with Osborne about the unprecedented level of power he now has, and to address conserns raised by one of the other passengers on the jet, Leonard Samson. Samson had been at Thunderbolts mountain when (due to the influence of a quartet of psychics) Norman reverted to his Green Goblin days and killed a bunch of personnel. Samson has a video of that massacre, but Osborne can't jeopardize his position by letting the President see it. So the new T-Bolts begin the attack. Missiles take out AF1's fighter escort, while the Black Widow (disguised as the co-pilot) and Ant-Man (concealed betwixt her boobs) take care of things on the inside. Ant-Man plants a 'gamma inducer' on Samson, which brings his rage to the surface. Just as he's about to plaster Osborne, the plane is torn open from the outside by none other than the Green Goblin.
Another book putting villains front and center, although still fairly different in tone from Dark Avengers. This one is more...intimate. You know the Dark Avengers are going to be dealing with planetary-level threats, that's not what this book is about. This book is about even scarier side of Norman Osborne, the side that doesn't have to operate in public and therefore maintain a nice face. This is the dirty tricks team if you will, and they're very good at their jobs. The big mystery here is, of course, the identity of the Green Goblin menacing AF1. From reading interviews with writer Andy Diggle (or looking at upcoming covers) you can probably guess his identity, but it's still a good short-term mystery. The characters are paradoxically unlikable and magnetic; you know Ant-Man is a lech, but he's still funny as hell. De La Torre generally does very good work on the art, but there are a few sections which are a bit unclear, and the whole thing is colored way too darkly for my tastes, but that's the trend nowadays.
Bottom Line:
The dirty tricks squad gets their own book, and you love it.
CoG Says: "Love It!" (4 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png
Quick Hits
Green Lantern #37 - The march towards the War of Light continues, as Hal gets a dye job.
Uncanny X-Men Annual - An interesting look at Emma Frost and her relationship with Namor, especially in light of their recent affiliation with Norman Osborne.
Astonishing X-Men #28 - That Simone Bianchi sure draws purdy! Plus, a familiar name (well, to me at least) enters the scene.