The comics reviewed are chosen by David not by That's Entertainment management or staff. The opinions expressed are his alone. If you have an opposing view you are welcome to respond to David directly by Email at the address above.
Title: UNCANNY X-MENIssue Number: 18
Title Arc: Avengers vs. X-Men
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Ron Garney
Colors: Jason Keith & Morry Hollowell
Letters: Joe Caramagna
Price (USD): $3.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
This issue comes with a warning to read AVENGERS VS X-MEN #11 first. It also has a decent recap of the start of the whole AvX war and how the Phoenix Five have dwindled down to just two. As Namor, Colossus and Magik lost their portion of the Phoenix power Emma and Scott gained that power and now the two continue their quest to aid mankind but are becoming increasingly corrupted by the Phoenix force. As Peter remarks to Illyana after they are transported to Siberia, they brought Heaven to Earth and brought Hell along with it. Half the book features the siblings musing about what has happened. While Peter has great regrets about the experience now that he is freed of the Phoenix force Illyana makes a startling revelation that causes Colossus to transform into something else and turn against his sister. If you are just picking up this issue to see how it ties into the main event there are some things in this part that are not clear. Regular readers of this title will fare better. The other half is mostly Scott and Emma sharing a meal in a telepathic reality while the two battle the Avengers, some X-Men and Xavier in the real world. It is that battle that is played out in AvX #11. But this issue focuses on the discourse between the two. It is quite disturbing in places. Some of the things each say are way out of character for heroes. In the end you know there will only be one left with the full Phoenix force that will become fire and life incarnate. I have mixed feelings about this issue. I only grabbed it as it seemed crucial to the main story and it does fulfill that purpose. The first half is interesting but left me wanting, not being a regular reader of the title. The art is certainly very fitting for everything that transpires. I would not say it is essential to the main event but it does fill in nicely bringing more understanding to Scott's condition as we head into the finale of the event. So I guess I would recommend it for that purpose and am anxiously waiting to see what happens in AvX #12 and beyond.
Title: BATGIRLIssue Number: 0
Title Story: A Fire in the Heavens
Publisher: DC
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Ed Benes
Colors: Ulises Arreola
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
This is the first of the New 52 Zero issues I chose to review this week. I followed the first few issues of this new version of Batgirl but lost some interest along the way. But since this issue deals with her origin, more or less, it is a good issue for casual readers to pick up on. It begins four years ago in a time when Barbara and her brother James are living with their dad, their mother having left. She idolizes her dad who has become a hero of the Gotham PD. She has been a driven person in both academics and other things like dance and martial arts. Now she is taking a course in criminology and convinces Commissioner Gordon to let her tour the precinct for additional color. With James along they get a personal guide to various areas but she is really looking to see things others don't suspect. It is here she will learns that the police realize Batman is not a legend or a myth. When a situation develops in an attempt to break out a new prisoner Barbara will start to put all of her skills to the test and that will lead her on a path that is her destiny. Interestingly her brother is witness to the events at the station and that may have some bearing in the future. The story features her first meeting with Batman and skips quickly over her first year as a costumed vigilante. The final page is something fans have been expecting since this title began. As a stand-alone story this is well worth the price. It shows Barbara doing what she must in a bad situation and developing her future from that event. The art supplements the narrative seamlessly making it a great comic. I highly recommend it.
Title: BATMANIssue Number: 0
Title Story: Bright New Yesterday
Publisher: DC
Creator: Bob Kane
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
Inker: Jonathan Glapion
Colors: FCO Plascencia
Letters: Richard Starkings & Jimmy Betancourt
Price (USD): $3.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
While this is not another Batman origin it does go back six years with Bruce fighting crime this time undercover - he never dons the cape and cowl during the story. He has infiltrated the Red Hood gang and is with them at a bank. He will learn a valuable lesson on preparation and the ruthlessness of the Red Hood when his cover is blown. It is clear he is not yet ready to undertake this type of mission but he is still working on other things to aid his efforts. There is a good conversation with Alfred, the later offering some sound advice that Bruce is not ready for. Later Lt. Gordon visits the apartments they are living in. Bruce prefers at this stage to live near where his parents died to remind him of his purpose. That meeting is interesting and a bit comical when split second timing helps conceal something that would be a giveaway. The last page of the story is an omen of things to come. While it is an okay story it is not that critical to the present except for the mentions of Philip Kane running Wayne Industries. The art is decent and the lessons learned are good for Bruce if not that exciting.
Back up story: "Tomorrow" by James Tynion IV with art by Andy Clarke & FCO Plascencia and letters by Patrick Brousseau
I found this story to be more interesting. It touches more closely on other members of the Batman Family. It is set five years ago and has a number of key points. It has Gordon setting up the Bat Signal for the first time with Barbara there to discuss why it is important to him and the city. It also introduces us to a young Tim Drake attending a Graystone Academy and is about to see his detective efforts pay off rather nicely and a bit humorously. Then we meet a young Jason Todd who is really a budding criminal at this point until events shape his future in unexpected ways. Finally we see Dick Grayson at the circus stopping a purse-snatcher on the day that Bruce Wayne will enter his life. The three "Robins" serve to give us perspective on the first scene. There stories tie in nicely as the Bat Signal is lit for the first time. While not full origins of any of the characters it is a well-crafted story that gives us a glimpse of the main characters on one day without Batman even showing up. This added story makes up for the extra dollar on the price. It makes it worth the price.
Title: TEAM 7Issue Number: 0
Title Story: Mission Zero: The Majestic Seven
Publisher: DC
Writer: Justin Jordan
Artist: Jesus Merino with Norm Rapmund and Rob Hunter
Colors: Nathan Eyring
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Cover Artist: Ken Lashley with Eyring
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Black Ops Adventure
With the launch of the New 52 DC has brought many of the Wildstorm characters into the main DC universe. They are now launching a new title starting with this zero issue. Hardcore fans of the old Wildstorm titles will recognize the names in this renewed version of Team Seven. Like most of the zero issues it is set in the past, some five years ago. It begins with John Lynch who has been tasked by the top-secret organization to devise a method to find, assess and if possible control the ever-growing metahumans population and general threats to humanity from extraterrestrials. This plan is called the Majestic Project and as a means to get there he has assembled his first team, Team 7. In flashback we see the members and how they are recruited. The top two operatives are Dinah Drake (yes, Black Canary) and her future spouse Kurt Lance, an expert in tracking in operations. Their first recruits are Slade Wilson and Alex Fairchild who are both ruthless mercenaries for hire. Then there is James Bronson and adventurer who pushes himself to the limit in everything. They also add another female, Summer Ramos, who is a very skilled pilot and of course Cole Cash, aka Grifter the bad boy of the outfit. Amanda Waller, the New 52 version, is also on the team along with Dean Higgins an expert in strategy. If you are keeping count that is eight people so... This issue serves as a standard "get the team together" introduction. Each segment shows the members and their strengths in various action sequences. By necessity this book is set in the past, as we know some of them have already established a presence in the present. It all ends with a splash page team shot with Lynch proclaiming, "Let's go save the world." For what it is the creative crew gets the job done nicely. The art is very effective and so far the plot is well established though a team of operatives facing threats to the world is not all that original. What comes next will be the key to the success of the title.
Title: LEGION LOSTIssue Number: 0
Title Story: The Predator and the Prey
Publisher: DC
Writer: Tom Defalco
Artist: Pete Woods
Colors: Brad Anderson
Letters: Travis Lanham
Cover Artist: Andres Guinaldo, Mark Irwin & Brad Anderson
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
The theme of LEGION LOST has been about seven Legionnaires who have been sent back to our time and have become trapped here without friends or their modern technology. Rather than explore the beginnings of that mission this zero issue goes back in their relative time to the 31st century and tells the origin story of one of the members, Timber Wolf. A very young Brin Lando and his parents live on the planet Zuun. His parents are developing a serum they believe will cure any disease. The subject will be able to resist disease, heal from almost any injury and will have his physical abilities greatly enhanced. But in order to accomplish this goal they have resorted to getting financial backing from Lord Vykor who is very demanding and not as altruistic. Disappointed that Dr. Lando is still a year away from human trials, not to mention needing government clearance to go into mass production, Vykor shoots Dr. Lando's wife hoping Lando will use the serum on her but she passes too quickly. Vykor gives him another month to perfect the serum while his men make sure he does not take his son and leave. As time quickly passes Dr. Lando devises a plan to get revenge by injecting both himself and his son before destroying the lab. This sets up the transition for our hero Brin when the aftermath leaves him alone and homeless on the streets. He is hiding from Vykor and planning his own revenge when he is old enough and skilled enough to get the job done. In the following years he hones his skills as a vigilante protecting the weak who cannot help themselves. Ever mindful of his ultimate goal he constantly searches for clues to the whereabouts of Vykor who has become a recluse. It is a tale of a man struggling with the beast within himself. How he reacts when finally gets the chance for his ultimate revenge will shape his future forever. This is a decent origin story that gives us all the elements of the forming of a hero both physically and mentally. The art team does a great job as well. If you are a Legion of Super Heroes fan but do not care so much for LEGION LOST I suggest you give this a try.
Title: DOCTOR WHO SPECIAL 2012Publisher: IDW
Letters: Shawn Lee
Cover Artist: Mark Buckingham with Charlie Kirchoff
Price (USD): $7.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Science Fiction
This special is a collection of four stories featuring the Doctor and his two human companions, Amy and Rory, as they travel through space and time. The Doctor (he is simply called the Doctor, not Doctor Who) is the last of his kind, a Time Lord can go anywhere and any when in his Tardis that from the outside appears to be a police call box so common in England. You don't really need to know much more than that, other than the fact that he also has some pretty cool gizmos and always has a plan.
"In-Fez-Station" by Len Wein with art by Matthew Dow Smith & Adrian Salmon
This story takes the team to Morocco. The Doctor wants his friends to participate in the old Festival of Sacred Music that occurs here every year. This particular year, not really identified, it has gone worldwide. The Doctor has even brought his own Fez to wear to get in the spirit of the event. This is a critical plot point. When a street vendor offers the others their free fez they are reluctant but since it is the only way to gain entrance to the main event the finally agree to wear them. As it turns out the special music being played tunes into devices in the free hats that takes control of the wearer's minds. It is part of a master plan by an alien race to wipe out all of mankind through the use of sonics. Their only mistake is going up against a Time Lord who has a sonic screwdriver to play with. It is a fun story that moves along well and ends nicely. The humor in it makes it all the more enjoyable. I am not a big fan of the art but it gets the job done.
"Time Fraud" by Richard Dinnick with art by Josh Adams & Charlie Kirchoff
This time the trio is planning a trip to one of the most beautiful planets in the galaxy but the Tardis is pulled off course as they land in Cuzco, Peru in 1992. There they come across another time traveler who is stranded in his first attempt. He is from the planet Helion. His race is the Ra'ra'vis, a race of bird creatures. They have used the solstice of Pajaro each year to bathe their elderly and sick in its healing beams. Now an even rarer solstice has given them the opportunity for time travel but the experiment went awry. Naturally the Doctor can help Entek return to his planet and time but what they find there is an invading force, masquerading as Time Lords, who hope to steal the power of the solstice in order to save their people. As we learn later the leader of the group has a more personal objective. This is a somewhat involved plot that has a unique twist ending and a possible link to a future story in the series. Once again the story is good science fiction and the art much more appealing than the last story.
"Escape Into Alcatraz" by Tony Lee with art by Mitch Gerads
When you are a Time Lord you can go just about anywhere. In this story the Doctor has learned of a riot at Alcatraz from the newspapers in 1962 San Francisco. Reading it he learned of the death of one Lucky Lucchessi, who is really the alien Mako a friend of his in disguise. The Doctor owes him a debt so after some preparation he manages to get himself imprisoned in the same cell a week before the riot. It seems Lucky owes money to some Silurians and is hiding in the prison from alien bounty hunters. Knowing the alien hit men are already there in disguise as prisoners or guards the Doctor has an elaborate plan (he always does). It will involve an alliance with Madman Malone, the King of Alcatraz who believes he once was abducted and probed by aliens. The story involves more gadgets and some critical timing for the Doctor's plan to work. In the end the resolution is satisfying for all concerned. This is an entertaining story as well. The art is mostly muted color wise to set the tone of being inside a prison. It is a good effective use of color only when absolutely essential.
"The Eagle of the Reich" by Andy Diggle with art by Mark Buckingham & Charlie Kirchoff
This last story is set at the Crystal Palace in 1936 in South London. The travelers had planned to visit the Great Exhibition in 1851 when the palace was still in Hyde Park but got pulled off course by a strange energy source. Never one to let a unique opportunity pass the Doctor convinces the caretaker to let them in and discovers a female archeologist searching the building for the famous lost pneumatic railroad. The Doctor knows where it might be and when they get to the location they find the bones of the designer of the railroad clutching a glowing orb the size of a soccer ball. Well, as you might suspect the female is really a Nazi agent looking for the Eagle of Ultima Thule. Nazi mythology says it is the ultimate energy source and can power the Reich for a thousand years. The Doctor knows it is nothing of the sort. It is a Phoenix egg once laid in the heart of a sun. They incubate there and drain energy until the time comes to hatch and return to their own dimension. This one was ejected prematurely and found its way to earth. He warns that touching it will not give energy but drain it. You can guess this one will not turn out so well for the Nazi. It is a shorter story with the fine art of Mr. Buckingham. The ending alludes to the trio heading off to their original destination in 1851 in DOCTOR WHO #1 coming in October.
IDW does a good job with these double sized specials. Any Doctor Who fan will want to grab it while they can.
*****
TRIVIA CONTEST!!!! WIN REAL PRIZES!!!!!
If you think you know the answer to the trivia question send your guess via Email to me at ComicBkNet@aol.com and you could win the prize. The first six correct answers will be assigned a number and a roll of the dice will determine the winner. You should put your real name in your message so we know who you are. Prizes must be claimed at our store within 30 days of winning. The prize will be a $10 credit slip, which will be redeemable for merchandise at regular retail or in-store ongoing specials only. Only one prize per person will be allowed per every 4 weeks. I will be the sole judge of the correct answer even if more than one answer could be correct. Submit only one answer per Email please but guess as often as you like.
Last week's trivia question:
SABRE, a graphic novel published by ECLIPSE in October of 1978, is credited by Overstreet with being the first graphic novel for the direct sale market. America's First Graphic Novel Publisher is claimed by another company two years earlier. Can you name the book and publisher?
Racket Rumba - was the first American graphic novel by NBM who claims the aforementioned title. No winner this week.
Here was your no prize question:
They account for more than 25 percent of all the mammals on the earth. What are they?
Bats are the only mammals that can fly. There are more than 1,000 species of bats in the world! They live on every continent of the world, except Antarctica.
THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION:
The DC/MARVEL joint venture AMALGAM Comics had characters from each company meld into one. Who did LOBO meld with in the June 1997 title?
Folks, you never know who among the readers is knowledgeable about the question so don't hesitate to send in an answer - even days after it appears.
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