An omnibus containing filler issues that lead into an event series is perhaps not the easiest sell on its own merits. Obviously, you'd be reading thisAn omnibus containing filler issues that lead into an event series is perhaps not the easiest sell on its own merits. Obviously, you'd be reading this if you were reading through Claremont's run and pretty much not, if you weren't. That said, there are probably less than 10 Claremont issues here, the rest being X-Factor and New X-Men Simonson issues so it's also a mixed bag in terms of style and content (Simonson does an impressive job of writing the two comics distinctly and differently, as well).
As such there are few noteworthy "big" stories here but scratch beneath the surface and there are some really pleasurable one, the highlights probably being a couple of Uncanny storylines - a quick beat-em up with the Brood on earth is a welcome return for them and the introduction of Genosha is suitably creepy and a good throwback to what always drove this book thematically. Silvestri's art is pretty damn gorgeous but my one criticism is that Claremont has started to struggle to write for it and narrative flow is pretty poor at times.
Elsewhere there's some really nice stuff with X-Factor battling with Apocalypse's ship, which has its own malicious AI and Infectio, a classic poison Ivy type character causes some fun grief for Iceman. I seem to like these X-Factor tales more than most. The New Mutants have to deal with the fact that their irresponsibility causes a death and Magneto spends a lot of time banning them from using their powers and them disobeying and him getting angry. It's a bit awkward as a storyline because the X-men can't not use their powers ... (also the Storm losing her powers thing dragged on for too long, didn't it?)
However, the intersecting of different storylines in preparation for Inferno is quite masterful. Each of the three comics is quietly building towards this and has been for a long time. Most compelling is one of my favourite X-characters Ilyana Rasputin aka Magik who is slowly losing control of Limbo as the series progresses, whilst meanwhile the Scott/Madeline Pryor thing that's been rumbling for near 100 issues across two comics series is taking centre stage. I think he's made the decision to go with Jean Grey now, but what happened to Madeline, exactly? And why has she now taken to wearing a kink outfit.
It's cool stuff - it's a LOT to read in one go. My advice is either take your time or plough through it. Whatever the hell works. Literally, hell for the next bit....more
Every Marvel Star Wars comic I’ve read since 2015 has been an efficient beast that seems to go from A-B with a cold precision, but there’s rarely anytEvery Marvel Star Wars comic I’ve read since 2015 has been an efficient beast that seems to go from A-B with a cold precision, but there’s rarely anything in them to make one fall in love and this is unfortunately no different. The art is staggeringly indifferent, the characterisation is indifferent, the story over five issues amounts to finding a plant beast on a planet and then fighting it.
This and the two star rating may sound harsh when in truth I still enjoyed reading this volume. The best comics really do transport you into a cinematic universe of your mind, though and I struggled – as I often do since Marvel decided that their books had a standard, average, saleable look and feel to them – for this to really leap off of the page. Maybe as these series develop something will click – I do hope so as The High Republic, being a fresh start and not beholden to issues of continuity, is definitely the place that might happen. ...more
No book can get by on the contribution of a superstar artist alone, but this legendary Michelinie/McFarlane run on Spiderman really tries.
The artworkNo book can get by on the contribution of a superstar artist alone, but this legendary Michelinie/McFarlane run on Spiderman really tries.
The artwork, the unabashed star of the show is a beautifully twisted nightmarish beast that almost brings Spiderman’s world competing toe to toe with the realms of Batman’s insanity. Characters aren’t just large and imposing, they’re twisted, terrifying and very detailed and nearly everything leaps from or around the page in a way I haven’t seen since reading Miller’s Daredevil. People are prone to saying “good art” in comics but I often feel they don’t appreciate just how important this contribution is to setting the tone and atmosphere of a story.
Problem is Michelinie’s stories just don’t keep up. It’s a solid run on the series, for sure, but they aren’t what’s memorable about it and too often villains pop along for an issue and then disappear again as if it were the 70s, only Michelinie’s long-term plotting isn’t really as dramatically interesting as he thinks it is. The thing is, Peter and MJ are rich and living the life and the main personal drama is of the ilk of, where are they going to live when MJ’s modelling contracts run dry. I never really feel anxious for them since they’re now a power-couple and Michelinie rarely layers on the tension, he just sometimes throws in some personal drama as colour.
The volume closes out (almost) with the 6 issues Assassin Nation plot arc, though, which is something to get one’s teeth into, even if it’s not the strongest. I liked Spiderman choosing money over morals … it genuinely felt at that moment as if his personal life – his love for MJ - was pushing him into behaving against against his code, and hopefully in the next volume this is a theme which continues. Elsewhere Venom is a great addition to the Spiderverse, although it’s really the artistry of the stories which makes him intriguing as a character with the second showdown being even more epic than the first. The symbiote is a fun conceit and a good example of the 70s/80s slowly turning into the slightly edgier 90s.
Five Stars because this does feel like an essential piece of the Spiderman puzzle and five stars because the writing holds up well-enough to make the artwork shine. It’ll be interesting to see how the McFarlane penned stories to come bear comparison....more
A massive and massively disappointing omnibus that took me months to read since, in particular, the early Spectacular Spiderman issues can be a chore A massive and massively disappointing omnibus that took me months to read since, in particular, the early Spectacular Spiderman issues can be a chore to get through. Not that anything here is bad, per se, indeed looking back I'd say that I flat-out enjoyed more than I didn't, it's just that this isn't the groundbreaking character-defining run I've so frequently seen in painted as. Stern writes spiderman well, for sure, but he doesn't exactly do anything with him that feels essential in the grand scheme of the character and the notorious hobgoblin arc which takes up a lot of the back-end of this volume, whilst enjoyable - and I do like the concept (and appearance) of the Hobgoblin as a villain - isn't that interesting as an ongoing story if you don't have that month to month social question of "who is the hobgoblin". Actually the story barely poses that question to the extent that a list of suspects is never drawn up and no sleuthing done; as a mystery story there's no mystery.
My favourite story here was the Juggernaut 2-parter which provided some real peril and Juggernaut's abbility to just keep going felt genuinely terrifying and I was also smitten with the fool-killer, a unique villain and a story which provides both a lot of laughs and a clever resolution. Elsewhere I enjoyed Peter's dalliances with the Black Cat as well as the return of MJ, although both provided story threads in search of a real story and ultimately like everything else, Peter's love life builds to nothing in this volume.
I don't regret having this tome on my shelf, it's an important part of Spidey history and Romita Jr's art certainly does provide the goods and the story feels alive and bright whilst he's drawing. It's a spiderman volume I could easily recommend, but not recommend as an essential set of stories in its own right....more
This has all become very formulaic and predictable. Reading this volume elicited no gasps of excitement or wonder, and at no point did I find myself rThis has all become very formulaic and predictable. Reading this volume elicited no gasps of excitement or wonder, and at no point did I find myself really caring how things would work themselves out. Brubaker's autopilot put himself on autopilot for this one, it's just stock bad guy manipulating Daredevil's wife/life for revenge purposes, while gang warfare rages on the streets and Daredevil goes all crazy-psycho again (though he even does that a bit halfheartedly). This one is also a reminder that brubaker writes women pretty poorly - well, he doesn't really bother to write them, they're meek sex objects ...
3 stars because Bru's overall comic shaping skills are still on show and Michael Lark's artwork always knows what's needed when it's needed - the comic still looks and feels like a gorgeous piece of popular culture. Even then, though, there are pages where it felt like Brubaker had phoned in saying "sorry, busy with Captain America this week, so, this is what's gonna happen I won't bother giving you any script"
It's a shame to see the slide into cliche, because this run started off so well....more
This was the first superhero comic I ever bought as a weekly and it's pretty much responsible for my love of all things Marvel as well as convincing mThis was the first superhero comic I ever bought as a weekly and it's pretty much responsible for my love of all things Marvel as well as convincing me to spend stupid amounts of money on weekly comic books that I probably (definitely) don't need to. As such I'm really quite fond of it even though reading it straight after Bendis' Daredevil run one could find enough reason to fault it if one wanted to. Brubaker eschews Bendis' cerebral, psychological and altogether much more experimental approach for a fast paced, rollicking romp that ties up the loose ends Bendis left behind just a little too neatly. If anything this is a little too much fun to have in one sitting; in the first volume Matt Murdock beats up a fuck load of people in jail (along with the Punisher and Kingpin. Get in!) and in the second volume Matt Murdock travels around Europe hunting for the mastermind behind the killing of best friend Foggy, beating up a fuck load of people up on the way.
Brubaker likes having Daredevil beat the fuck out of people. Yeah, that's pretty much why I like it. He likes to hear their bones crunch, I like to hear their bones crunch. Seriously, you don't get this in other Marvel comics. This one is clearly for the big boys.
All hail this masterclass in how the serialised comic ought to be written. This too-short era of X-Men often gets some attention for the fine work of All hail this masterclass in how the serialised comic ought to be written. This too-short era of X-Men often gets some attention for the fine work of artist Paul Smith who subtly modernised the feel of the comic whilst still presenting classic portrayals of classic characters and there are also some famous moments in famous stories. Kitty Pryde notoriously calls Xavier a Jerk, Rogue joins the team, Storm has a personality overhaul when fighting the Morlocks, Wolverine is jilted at the altar and, of course the whole Madeline Pryor/Dark Phoenix reincarnation Shennanigans, during which Cyclops has an epic confrontation with his former teammates (yeah, Cyclops is still a permanent feature in the comic despite leaving the team some 30 issues or ago!)
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It's deserving a five star grade for all of these wonderful things, and yet, yet again what intrigued me the most was Claremont's mastery of long form storytelling, whether it's the small introductions to bigger storylines that he quietly weaves in 6 months previous to their occurring, or brilliantly in this case, the interplay between the Uncanny X-Men storylines, the superb Wolverine mini-series and characters introduced in The New Mutants comic. It's not close to being a full blown crossover and each stands alone, but an understanding of the events in each title adds to the pleasure that can be gained from reading each one, which ultimately means 3x the fun as it's so great to see these situations and dramas bouncing around from comic to comic without any degradation of storyline.
This is Uncanny X-Men at its very best. I strongly doubt I'll read much better. For the first time in a while I've been page-turning and getting excited at the possibility of picking up and reading on. The resurrection of Jean Grey story in particular left me gasping to find out how the situation would be resolved, A scene with Madeline slapping Scott Summers, after he confronts her with possibility of actually being Phoenix (her appearance was, it seems, uncanny!) was particular affecting as Scott had been agonising about this for many issues. And then SLAP! And a terrific cliffhanger...
And maybe for the only time in the history of comics, Wolverine cries. And I felt moved.
I think we need to consider that I've read seven issues and an annual of this comic and I still can't The New Mutants. Not as good as the Old Mutants.
I think we need to consider that I've read seven issues and an annual of this comic and I still can't remember any of their names. Sunstroke? He can turn into a black blobby thing, I don't know what that is. The wee Scottish lassie turns into a wolf. What's her name RAWR RAR,RAHN, KHAN? There's an Indian girl who is quite cool because she reads peoples minds for their worst fears then projects them, Karma can take control of other people's minds and Cannonball is Johnny Storm without the cool cred. he's not a cannonball at all but a ball of fire, so it's really quite a silly name to have.
The writing is notably consistent but it never really sucks you in. The setup story in the Marvel Annual is competent and intriguing but what's it setting up, a bunch of average adventures that tick along pleasantly enough but as yet haven't built into anything significant. My favourite one was where the New Mutants hunt down a prank telephone caller who turned out to be a kid with a sexual obsession for his dance teacher. He was psychologically twisted because his parents beat him and apparently he believed that he had to punish her because if she really loved him she'd beat him. I'm not gonna make any claims for psychological accuracy here.
This is X-Men-lite and it's meant to be so there's nothing wrong with that. So far this series fills the gap it was meant to though I understand it came to be something very good in its own right....more
The title page says this is written by Chris Claremont. I'm calling shenanigans on that one since this bears all of the hallmarks of an early 80s FranThe title page says this is written by Chris Claremont. I'm calling shenanigans on that one since this bears all of the hallmarks of an early 80s Frank Miller story, who just happens to be the illustrator on this little X-Men related gem of a comic. Fast pacing, lots of action, ninjas and an introspective, brooding hero who narrates his way through what resembles a story but what looks a lot to me like one long well structured action scene.
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Because even when he's fast asleep Frank Miller can write and draw a stunning, epic tale and four issues of his Wolverine wandering around Japan, getting in scrapes, falling in love twice, fighting ninjas and mostly nearly dying is pretty much what I'd call a blast. It's basically a rehash of what Miller was doing on Daredevil at the time and without the build-up around the character and dozens of issues to play with it doesn't come close to having the same dramatic effect. Furthermore its pretensions to being a story about Japan and allusions to Japanese honour are a little tiresome. Miller is quite respectful with it so it never seems offensive, just reverential, but generally the talk of Japanese honour and culture feels a little hollow and reads like a cliche. But then Miller trades on cliches, he just makes us realise why some story tropes are so much exciting fun and well worth re-using.
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As ever, when Miller's name is on the book one of the main draws is the artwork, and this comic is another reminder of just how much Miller revolutionised the comics industry. Again, it feels a little like these pages could be Daredevil offcuts but even so nearly every one of them is jaw-dropping to look at, with Miller's work drawing you through the story swiftly and engagingly. Action flows and feels dynamic in a Miller comic, characters feel alive, real and threatening. Characters feel menacing in the way they are painted, Miller never strikes for realism, everything is a hyper real symbol that leaps out and across the page in striking ways.
Whether you like X-Men or Wolverine generally, read this if you like Frank Miller. No, read this if you like comics. If you don't like Frank Miller you probably don't like comics much.
You know when you read a comic and you think "that was boring, I wish I hadn't bothered with that"?
I think I may have physically nodded off whilst reYou know when you read a comic and you think "that was boring, I wish I hadn't bothered with that"?
I think I may have physically nodded off whilst reading this, which wouldn't be so strange if it were late in the evening rather than early afternoon whilst I read it. It's a true soporific. A thoroughly irrelevant tale based on an irrelevant character in which nothing of note happens. It's appropriate that this comic is set in limbo because by a strange coincidence I felt like I was in limbo as I read it.
Possibly the boldest statement in mainstream comics ever written. God Loves, Man Kills breaks the monthly comic format and delivers an extended mediatPossibly the boldest statement in mainstream comics ever written. God Loves, Man Kills breaks the monthly comic format and delivers an extended mediatation on what it means to be one of societies outsiders via the well known X-Men mutant metaphor and it does it with style and power.
A bold statement because there are no enemies here except society itself and Claremont doesn't avoid controversy when he points his finger at the door of either religious intolerance or self-imaging and advertising. One of the strongest moments in the novel occurs when Charles Xavier goes on TV to face-off in debate against the villain of the piece, William Stryker who believes that mutants are a religious abomination and should be wiped out, cleansed from the earth. Everyone acknowledges that Xavier has the better argument, but Stryker has the day as the better speaker and his influence spreads quickly.
Claremont has no sense of subtlety, but in tackling issues head on he hardly needs it. In the first scene two black mutants are shot dead. Kitty Pryde is scene beating on a fellow student for calling her teacher a nigger and later on Stryker is compared to Hitler and his mutant cleansing to the Holocaust. It's not subtle but it works because the cultural relevance is powerful,religious bigotry is rampant in America and mass movements will take hold through the power of rhetoric and TV debate (look no further than the American election circus). There's another subtext too which is tied into the main thread nicely. Xavier is manipulated by Stryker into turning against the X-Men and using Cerebro against them through a plot the sees him believing that he is God and the mutants, his creations are turning against him. It's a great interplay between the idea of God making mankind in his image and mankind playing at being God and the different consequences that could occur. Stryker is essentially playing God as is Xavier with his mutants only both in different ways and for different reasons. Each in their oen way, though, they let the power go to their heads with dangerous consequences.
There are no big heroes in this story. The X-Men are more victims than saviours, their powers a threat to society and barely any use to themselves, and they ultimately find it necessary to team-up with Magneto in order to stay afloat. It's an uneasy alliance and the realisation that they need each other doesn't sit well. However, at the end of the story Xavier is almost convinced that Magneto's way forward, for Homo Superior to end the persecution by ruling the world, is the right way, and as a reader one feels more compelled by this argument than in previous X-Men comics, thanks to the power and viciousness of the threat.
It's quite a brutal, dark graphic novel and Brent Anderson's stunning artwork compliments the story perfectly. Being a one-shot it's stylistically very different to the X-Men monthly that ran at the time and the smaller, bleaker panels with darker colouring and less flamboyant, grittier art really add to the flavour of the tale. Claremont's dialogue and setup is also radically different. It's less talky, less expository and more like a modern comic in the telling and one begins to feel that maybe at times Claremont was restricted by what he felt he needed to do with the monthly comic format.
Make no mistake, this is a terrific graphic novel that demands to be more widely read. Sadly, falling within the X-Men canon it will probably be only looked at, generally, by X-Men fans, even though it served as the inspiration for Singer's excellent X-2...more
If there's one thing you can say about Claremont's X-Men comics, it's that they're determinedly different. I'm not sure that this run of issues, mostlIf there's one thing you can say about Claremont's X-Men comics, it's that they're determinedly different. I'm not sure that this run of issues, mostly featuring the X-Men in space fighting a second round against the Alien Brood who have been impregnated by the Brood Queen and are doomed to immanent death as brood hosts. The storytelling is inconsistent, messy and often stupid but remains somehow resolutely compelling, perhaps because we're in love with the wide cast of characters or the still-fine artwork, but more likely because it's obvious that Claremont is trying so hard to keep this comic fresh and exciting and to give us extended story-lines to keep us on the edge of our seat rather tan the X-Men vs Magneto blah blah that plagues the earlier run of Uncanny X-Men. And at times it just damn near really works well. Initially the viewpoint switches to Wolverine running around "sleazeworld" killing brood and discovering the truth of what's happened and that he'll have to kill the X-Men. As they escape brood territory though the whole thing becomes generic starships and overpowered X-men and generally ties things up via deus ex machina that it's pretty hard to care about.
The best written issue in this collection is actually a Charles Xavier flashback tale in which he hunts for some German gold reserves, befriends a younger Magneto and fights Hydra. It's a classic nazi-bashing romp that looks a little dated now but a tale well written. The Annual #6 featuring the turn of Dracula is a little silly, but fun because of it and especially enjoyable for some nice art from Siencewicz.
A pretty good volume overall that's going to delight any fan of the X-Men but bore anyone to tears who isn't remotely on board with this series....more
Whilst this volume is full of lows as well as highs, the highs more than make up for it. Lee's writing on this title has matured to such a point that Whilst this volume is full of lows as well as highs, the highs more than make up for it. Lee's writing on this title has matured to such a point that he's no longer content to simply face Spidey off with a bunch of villains, or even create the little multi-issue sagas that he'd done a few years previously. In this series of issues Lee has started to play with the idea of every little showdown having knock on effects in Parker's life that build and multiply in elegant ways. The first storyline in this volume sees a somewhat ordinary showdown with Doc Ock have terrible consequences as Captain Stacey is killed - a bold move in itself. The death of Gwen's father leads her, over a number of issues, to hate Spiderman and this scenario is expounded over a number of highly entertaining mini stories - in which the police hunt Spidey, Gwen starts to support a near-fascist politician who promises Spidey's death, then Gwen flees to London - until Gwen finally realises she's been projecting a little bit. It's a tight piece of planned writing over 6 months worth of comics regardless, but it holds up well - and has its own charm - alongside more modern plot-focussed efforts.
The volume closes out with a slightly less sucessful mini-arc in which the Hreen Goblin returns and, unrelatedly, Harry Osbourn turns to drugs and starts to hate on Peter and MJ.
Spiderman is continually sucha compelling comic because, even though Stan Lee has some kooky writing techniques at times, he imbues his stories with a lot of warmth and heart. The saga is always about Peter and not the hero. lee always likes to throw in political issues and he always firmly throws himself down on the liberal side of them and little things crop up such as negative typing of black people or support of anti-pollution campaigns. And, of course Peter personal relations with his girlfriend and friends, whilst they might seem a little twee to us now, I also find particularly heartwarming.
This is another great volume in a consistently great series. I'm sure it can't be this good forever, but from #1-#99 the quality has just continually grown and grown....more
Unarguably one of the highlights of the comic book tradition, Bendis run on Daredevil is dark, brutal, intense, funny and even sometimes scary. It's aUnarguably one of the highlights of the comic book tradition, Bendis run on Daredevil is dark, brutal, intense, funny and even sometimes scary. It's a heart racing, blood-boiling, page-turning read and it hits every note or button that I'd ask it to and then another 100 that I didn't. The transition from story to story is utterly seamless with each new tale taking the scenario, which is ultimately about the trauma caused to Matt through declaring himself Kinpin of Hell's Kitchen and the final hunt of the FBI to bring him to justice. Bendis uses this scenario to create a paranoid world in and out of Daredevil's head in which it feels anything could happen and in which every encounter is fraught with suspense and danger.
Bendis writing here is staggeringly brilliant and surprisingly consistent. There simply isn't any weakness throughout the entire run. Maleev's pencils are possibly the best I've ever seen in comics and one has to equally admire the extraordinarily beautiful colouring. This is a series run to admire, savour and then weep when you're done, because comics will probably never be this good again....more
The Spiderman series rumbles on to a consistently high standard. Possibly not the most dynamic stretch of 10 issues but neither are there any weak momThe Spiderman series rumbles on to a consistently high standard. Possibly not the most dynamic stretch of 10 issues but neither are there any weak moments of which to speak. The character of the Kingpin continues to inspire Stan Lee and the major highlight of this bunch is a 3 part storyline featuring the Kingpin going to head with the devious Schemer who wants to bring the crime boss down. Spiderman, of course, gets caught in the middle and Vanessa Fisk is introduced, a surprisingly level headed partner to an obviously psychopathic husband. In fact this storyline introduces a lot of depth to the saga of the Kingpin which is quite surprising.
Elsewhere Spiderman battles some villains in a perhaps misjudged attempt to introduce more of a one-shot formula, and storylines featuring Prowler, Kangaroo and Elektro, whilst entertaining, don't get the space to breathe that they really needed. In one of the most amusing issues of the collection Spiderman finds himself battling his worst fears when he thinks he's losing his superpowers and confesses to everyone that he is, in fact Spiderman. The getout clause is a little convenient, but Lee's ever present tongue in cheek make it a winner....more
Comics like this are the reason that one reads comics. Bendis' writing is so exacting and self-assured that one has no choice but to go where his fligComics like this are the reason that one reads comics. Bendis' writing is so exacting and self-assured that one has no choice but to go where his flights of fancy take you, and he took me exactly where I'd want a Daredevil story to be going, the heart of the criminla underworld of Hell's Kitchen and the depths of Daredevil's psyche. Daredevil being outed as Matt Murdock (possibly) is the publicity stunt for the title, but with all good Daredevil stories the real hook is Murdock going insane and having a good old mental breakdown, and how this effects not just him but everyone in his life(characters new and old). Maleev's artwork is some of the best ever to grace a comic book title and it lifts Bendis excellent writing onto another plane of existence ... there are moments featured in this omnibus that provoke the dropping of the lower jaw, Daredevil spotting Bullseye in the crowd, meeting Elektra on a roof or ... well, just flick through the damn thing and enjoy.
it's an intense, blody, often humorous, somewhat addictive 35 issues of top-class comic book storytelling that, amazingly, is still not as great as the work that Miller did on Daredevil. But it's close....more
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