Comics on 4/30

Here are the comics for 4/30, and now I am only 2 comics behind.

Hulk 3


Basic Plot: While Red Hulk and Blue A-Bomb fight, the identity of the Red Hulk is trying to be discovered.

Yeah, this was supposed to be last week, but my comic store didn't have it last week, but they did this week. Honestly, I really like Hulk. It is fun and crazy, and I really like the art. Now, certain things are kind of crazy and stupid, like the different colors. Red Hulk is pretty damn crazy and he is about to go up against Banner. I mean, the mystery is kind of annoying, but somewhat interesting. The beginning is awesome, as Tony goes crazy and wants to know what Banner said to Ross. The middle is cool, as A-Bomb and Red Hulk fight. Red Hulk is so out of his mind that it is awesome. He is trying to shoot people, and just crazy powerful. My guess is Ross, as he is intelligent and is trying to kill gamma-powered people. Plus, on the security tape, he blocks Banner from view as Banner whispers too quietly for the security tapes to pick up, effectively not allowing Banner to speak. Still, we'll see.

New Warriors 11


Basic Plot: The Warriors fight some techno-organic guy, and Sofia and the old New Warriors are interviewed about the new New Warriors.

I liked the series, and then it went downhill. It got a lot worse, but this issue was honestly better than most of the previous ones. They had short, but sweet introductions where basically, there are arguments about the way to find justice, which has been in question ever since Stamford blew up in Civil War 1. I guess my main complaint is that I don't really know the characters that well and I don't know what each one can do, and I am supposed to care about them. It is really hard for me. Still, I really agree with the Warriors in general, so I like seeing people support them in their own way. Plus, I do like Sofia, and I like seeing Jubilee trying to be an adult, which is hard for her, considering that she is often thought of as the kid. She had that persona for so long that it is interesting to see her come into her own as a leader.

The Order 10


Basic Plot: The team tries to rescue a crazy Mulholland that is destroying LA.

I didn't like the series for most of it, but I thought it ended on a high note. With Stane removing all of the Order's powers, they have to try to find her without powers. I never quite respected Anthem as much as I probably should have. He had to try and lead the team, although he never was a hero or even a superhero before. I mean, he has had to make a lot of difficult decisions. I actually really felt for the team a lot, as they lost two members and both were tragic. The series is over, but it was really good at the end and I liked how they ended it. Which one is a Skrull though?

Ultimate Human 4


Basic Plot: Hulk and Iron Man try to take out the Leader.

Okay, so this had some good action, and I enjoyed it to an extent. All in all, though the series itself wasn't very good and this issue was merely okay. Hulk going crazy was kind of cool. I am kind of confused about the entire thing though. So, what happened to Hulk after Ultimates 2? Seriously? He had it all under control. He was fine. Now, he is crazy and like old Ultimate Hulk. Well, Leader is crazy and never could actually face Hulk. Hulk demolished him. It was awesome. Now Hulk is gone. It made little sense to me considering Ultimate Hulk v Wolverine and the end of Ultimates 2 where Hulk was pretty much in control.

Blue Beetle 26


Basic Plot: A mostly-Spanish issue against Parasite.

I really liked this issue, although the Spanish was kind of annoying. They had a translation of the book in the back, but to read it, you basically had to keep flipping between the two. Still, it was a good story and a fun one. Basically, at a family reunion with his mom's side of the family that only speaks Spanish, he has to leave and fight the Parasite, and they converse in Spanish the entire time, along with Jaime speaking to the scarab in Spanish. It was kind of freaky, but cool at the same time. It was a good story. I recommend this series very highly. It is a coming-of-age superhero story that happens to be set right around the time of Infinite Crisis, where he really has to become a superhero quickly and then try and deal with the rest of life. This story is a perfect example of that.

Nova 12


Basic Plot: Nova, Warlock and Tyro have to face the Technarch that came back to Kvch.

Well, it could have been worse, but they found a good way to bring Nova back to full health after fighting the Phalanx techno-organic virus. Yes, I am a little late, but my comic store didn't have them when it came out and just got it in today. The series has been hit or miss for me, but this issue was a solid hit. Now I know how they all came back to face Ultron and the Phalanx. It was a good ending to the story. Now, on to Galactus apparently. I also love how the Nova Corps was the police of the universe much like the GLC in DC, but they aren't nearly as powerful. I mean, a single Centurion is fairly powerful, but not nearly as powerful. Also, with the full power of the Nova Corps, Nova is now a heavy hitter, but not able to face off against a single Technarch. I mean, there is a whole race of Technarch, and the entire Nova Corps couldn't stand up to a single one. I mean, the police should have more power than that.

Avengers: The Initiative 12


Basic Plot: While a hearing is held regarding MVP's death and clones, the others prepare for graduation.

Wow. The transformation is complete. From the very first issue of Avengers: the Initiative whern Cloud 9 just wanted to fly, she came full circle and is now a dedicated superhero with no fun whatsoever in flying. Oh my god, the costumes the graduates got are horrible. Komodo, Ultragirl, Hardball, 3-D Man (a new one-ish?), Cloud 9 and Thor Girl. Those outfits are just bad. Thor Girl and Ultragirl are closest with better costumes, but ugh. Maybe it is because I liked them in their other outfits with camo pants and stuff, or maybe because I hate the art (everybody has incredibly fat faces and it is freaking god-awful). I think the main problem is the tiny eyes everybody has, although Cloud 9 is just fat now. Seriously, look at the front page with the pic of Cloud 9, and then the pic on the next page where it has them preparing. Do they look the same? The best part of this issue though, by far, is that Gyrich is being forced to resign at Camp Hammond. Gyrich and Stark argue a lot and they threaten each other, resulting in both threatening with their contacts, but Stark winning, and Gyrich saying he is resigning to spend time with his family, at which point, Sally Floyd confronts him about actually having a family. Awesome stuff. Oh yeah, apparently Thor Girl wasn't even killed by KIA, and only 8 agents, Van (or whichever Scarlet Spider it was), Trauma and Dragon Lord died. Oh, and Trauma came back to life somehow. It was really weird, he juse kind of popped out of his coffin alive, then graduated. Oy.

Ultimate X-Men 93


Basic Plot: Phoenix faces off against Apocalypse.

Man, Jean Grey is crazy powerful. Oh, and what the heck was up with Apocalypse. Apocalypse, after being defeated, just turns back into Sinister. Weird. The main thing that got me about this issue was the art. It reminds of older artists wo basically try way too hard to get every detail, and end up making it look horrible. Muscles can exist and can be seen through skin, but Cyclops, on the two page spread at the end? While in a shirt, it is literally ridiculous what you can see through the shirt. There is way too much effort in the art and not enough talent and it makes it just weird and creepy. Well, Kirkman is done with UXM for now, and he ended on a high note, although the art makes it difficult to see it that way.

New Avengers 40


Basic Plot: What happens after the first issue of New Avengers: Illuminati with the Skrulls.

Well, this was awesome and I loved it. Cheung always does great art and I loved how they explained a lot in this story. Dorrek is crazy and he tried to silence his own daughter who believed in the Scriptures of ancient Skrullian history as opposed to science. After her predictions came true, they returned to her and showed her how they were able to actually replicate Terrans. The Black Bolt Skrull is showed off to the queen and she wants to help the forces as the person designed to do the most damage, Spider-Woman. So, Spider-Woman is actually the leader of the Skrull forces. WTF? So, the Skrull leader is actually Spider-Woman. Pretty weird. She was the one who took Elektra-Skrull's body to Tony Stark, and she was the one who called the New Avengers to the Savage Land. Then again, she is the one that was a quadruple agent or something. Pretty cool!

Design

Well, I have to say that I really like how the Thunderbolts abilities have been done in terms of how they are in the comics. Penance, I went over yesterday. Radioactive Man is good, because his radiation keeps people from doing things, plus makes him more powerful. Bullseye fits because he basically was only in the shadows, in the background, and would go out, stun a guy, and be returned to custody. So, as far as the abilities go, they definitely work and I do actually like how they are very based off of the characters themselves. Sometimes, abilities just exist and through a lot of effort, they can be explained in terms of the character's abilities in the comics. With these, they fit so well. Sure, Bullseye isn't the greatest character, and he could have been a lot better, but he isn't incredibly bad, and is in fact, okay, and a great representation of a man who just likes going after people with various objects with deadly accuracy.

Penance

Okay, so with Thunderbolts this week, I am expecting a Penance card, and by that I mean a Speedball<>Penance card since Speedball already exists (one card, but still) and Penance also is another character. I get my wish too, with a Speedball<>Penance, Painmonger. Still, I really hate how Penance came into being. I somewhat understand the reasoning behind how he came into being, but I don't really like it all that much. Speedball was so easygoing and fun and crazy. Then, he was blown up, lost his powers, gained new ones and became emo. In the maybe-canon Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular, Squirrel Girl confronts him about becoming Penance. She tries to convince him that the emo thing doesn't work with him. He blames himself for the deaths at Stamford, and Squirrel Girl tells him how Nitro mega-exploded only because Damage Control gave him MGH, so he couldn't have known Nitro would blow up that much. After saying how Damage Control isn't dark, Squirrel Girl reminds him he isn't either. He's Speedball. He bounces with balls! He had a cat too with the same powers. Of course, Robbie then shows her a new picture of his cat, in a similar outfit to his, calling him P-Cat, the Pentient Puss. His actions caused the deaths of hundreds, Squirrel Girl reminds him of when the Avengers blew up half of Washington and thousands died. He went n without a plan, so did Hawkeye and people love Hawkeye. His actions were televised, and so was Iron Man with a UN ambassador while drunk who is currently head of S.H.I.E.L.D. At this point, he just starts hitting his head against the wall and saying he is deep now and that self-punishment is deep. I personally liked Speedball to an extent as the crazy kid who loved just bouncing around everywhere. Now, he is trying to be deep, when he honestly doesn't have to be, as explained to him by Squirrel Girl. I mean, this was mostly worse because it was kids, but otherwise, there have been many times when superheroes are unable to prevent supervillains from killing lots of people.
The card itself is pretty awesome. I love burn, and he burns everybody for lots. His current power is that if he gets hurt, he releases power, and this ability fits well.

Norman Osborn in VS

So, next week is going to be the Thunderbolts, and I was thinking about how the Green Goblin is arguably Spider-Man's greatest enemy, and yet has only three versions. Luke Cage recently became a somewhat important character as part of the Avengers, although he currently has no versions on the Avengers. Before that, he was pretty obscure. Still, he has 8 cards for him. I think it is kind of sad that Norman gets so little respect. Now, it is true that he was dead for a long time before soming back, but he is still one of Spidey's greatest enemies. There are two other Green Goblins out there, with Harry and Phil being Goblins, but Norman himself has 3 cards, inlcuding only one for Silver Age from the MEX cards.

His weakest version is the one from MEX, Green Goblin, Friend and Foe. This one is also based off of Ultimate Green Goblin, so mainstream Norman gets left behind again.

Weak stats and loyalty, so his ability better be pretty good. Oh, look! Whenever a friendly character attacks a player directly, draw a card. That is pretty darn good! In Syndicate, they swarm and with swarming, comes attacking directly. With the crazy Green Goblin from USM, you get to draw each time you attack a player directly, allowing you to draw more ATK pumps or whatever else you need to finish them off. Definitely powerful.

Our next spot up the curve is his 5-drop version, Green Goblin, Norman Osborn. Part of the Spider-Man vs Sinister Syndicate deck before the MSM set came out, his numbering is low.

Okay, so we now have average stats, and let's see that ability. Holy crap! If they set up all in the front row to avoid Norman's ability, they leave themselves open to breakthrough. Otherwise, you get to outright KO one of theirs with them losing endurance also. Man, with something like Norman, Blastaar, Annihilus, nowhere is safe. Plus, it is just any character, not a stunned one or lesser cost, just any one. Only during your attack step, sure, but it is much better than attacking and will basically replace that. An amazing card that just represents how powerful Goblin is and how much he makes you hurt.

Last, and probably least, we have his 7-drop, Green Goblin, Altered Ego.

Wow, above average ATK and... DEF stats that a 6-drop could just stun him. Great. Oh, look! Loyalty also! Awesome. The ability is pretty crazy, I have to admit, but I don't think it's that great all in all. Basically, everybody loses 13. If you are winning, good for you. Otherwise, it doesn't help you, and could very well hurt you. Plus, you don't really want to leave him open to attack, so you probably would want to attack with him as opposed to try to make them lose a very bizarre amount of endurance. I do have to admit, though. The flavor text is great. He is definitely crazy on this card. Really powerful ATK, but doesn't do anything to defend himself, with an ability that hurts everyone. Man, who put this guy in charge of the Thunderbolts? Oh, yeah. Tony Stark, the Man of Iron that became an incredibly smart idiot.

Deadpool!

Yay! Well, good and bad news. Deadpool is getting a new ongoing series and that itself is great news. However, it is being written by Daniel Way. You know how I hate his writing Deadpool. Unfortunately, it is how Deadpool is getting his own series again, so I am going to support it. Plus, it is going to have a good artist. I like Paco Medina. The art on New Warriors was good even if the story got really shaky. I am really excited that Deadpool is getting his own series again. With a new series and the legend treatment, the Merc with a Mouth is looking really good. Plus, he is going to be in the new Wolverine movie as played by Ryan Reynolds. I am really looking forward to lots of Deadpool.

4/23 Comics

Well, it is hot up here in Troy. It is currently 80 and humid. Not the most fun environment for going down a lot of stairs while carrying a heavy backpack, only to go back up again. Still, I make the trek every week. Let's get to it, shall we?

Ultimate Fantastic Four 53


Basic Plot: The final fight against Thanos.

Okay, I have to admit, they wrapped it up in a way that was amusing and makes my head hurt. Basically, I really didn't like the UFF after Millar left, but I was able to struggle through it. This issue wasn't great, but it did end the storyline they started in a way that made sense. The Cosmic Cube worked with a safety so that you actually had to want and then make yourself act on something so that you wouldn't do something stupid like wish you were dead, and then you die. So, if you have followed it, you know how there was a Cosmic Cube that Thanos had and then lost or something, so he had Reed build him a new one? Well, basically, there has only been one Cosmic Cube in all of existence. Thanos found a Cosmic Cube that crashed through the sky and then he used it. Well, after they beat Thanos by taking away the safety, allowing Thanos to kill himself, Reed dropped it onto Acheron into Thanos's hands. Oh, time travel. How you make my head hurt.

Thor 8


Basic Plot: Thor speaks with Odin, and Donald Blake speaks with Jane Foster.

Not bad for a story, I think. It was rather fun and had a nice ending that is a surprise that many people (not me though) probably could have guessed. Although Thor is going to have to be king of Asgard, as Odin is stuck forever fighting Surtur and keeping him from escaping from his imprisonment wherever it is they are. Kind of cool, along with noble and boring as hell. Heh. Anyway, Donald thinks Sif might be in Jane, but she smacks him for his being the only reason he visits her. Sif is stuck in some old lady who Loki is keeping alive or something kind of weird. All I know is that Loki is really creepy as a chick. This was filler to an extent, so I look forward to the next issues. The filler really wasn't that bad all in all.

X-Force 3


Basic Plot: Bastion sets his plan in motion as X-Force rescues Rahne.

Um, this is an amusing comic that again, is really dark, and by that I mean the actual pictures and not the tone of the story, which, while dark, I can't really take seriously for whatever reason. Bastion is one crazy hybrid Sentinel-thingy. I have to admit, it is certainly an interesting plan. Although I am not sure how well it will work all in all. Take a bunch of mutant-haters and make them all part of the Technarchy. Their group has:
Stephen Lang, the head of Project: Armageddon, most famous for bringing the X-Men to space, where to survive coming back to Earth, Jean Grey had to become the Phoenix originally. Body Count (BC): 29
Graydon Creed, the founder of the Friends of Humanity, a crazy dangerous man, who is Mystique's and Sabretooth's son. BC: 147
Cameron Hodge, the founder of the Right, a crazy cyborg who was behind the X-Tinction Agenda, who has died multiple times. BC: 178
The Leper Queen, leader of the Sapien League, a group that is more active and violent, but otherwise similar to the Friends of Humanity. BC: 221
Donald Pierce, the leader of the Reavers, and also an important member of the Hellfire Club, who has tried to take over the group on multiple occasions. BC: 348
Reverend William Stryker, the Archbishop of the Purifiers, main guy behind God Loves, Man Kills, which became inspiration for X2, and most recently, killing lots of mutants after Decimation. BC: 414
Bolivar Trask, the inventor of the Sentinels, who died in his first appearance, trying to destroy the Sentinels after realizing not all mutants were evil but unfortunately, failing to completely eradicate them. BC (including the times after his death): 16,521,618
Well, the person there with the most kills actually tried to stop mutants from dying and he died to try and prevent that, so including him is interesting. All in all, I don't think that this is necessarily a good idea. All of them (except for Bolivar) hate mutants, but all are also egotistical and probably won't work well together. The series is interesting and is fun for those of us with history in the past of the X-Men, but it still doesn't really feel that dark in tone, while it is very dark in color.

Wolverine: First Class 2


Basic Plot: Kitty sets up a birthday party for Wolverine, not knowing Wolvie keeps his birthday a secret because Sabretooth always attacks him on his birthday.

Oops! I really, really like this series. Andrea Di Vito is an amazing artist, and Fred Van Lente knows how to tell a good story, combining the classic Wolvie/Kitty relationship from classic X-Men comics with the present. It kind of takes place today in the present, even though it is about the times in the past when Kitty was starting to hang out with Wolverine. The entire time, you have a tense and uptight and very paranoid Wolverine with a naive Kitty Pryde just trying to make him happy, so he'll drive her and her friends to a Dazzler concert. The fighting is good, especially with Sabretooth shoving wasabi into Wolvie's nose early on, so he can't go by smell. It really is just pure fun and I really enjoy the story. I like these classic tales that take part in the past technically, but they have stuff from the present (e-mails and cell phones). That's also why I like Spider-Man Family, because it is similar. I don't necessarily need the greatest comics in the world where every thing is a universe-shattering battle. Sometimes, stuff like this is just awesome. Like this time.
Oh, and in the back, it had a Secret Invasion themed Chris Giarusso story. It is pretty awesome, and from what I see, there is more of it later. Seriously, if you aren't looking for serious comics, but fun ones, read Wolverine: First Class. Issue 1 was great also.

Ultimate Spider-Man 121


Basic Plot: Spidey faces off against an angry Omega Red with his GPA's life in the balance.

Um, yeah. Pretty much a simple one-issue fun story. It all starts with the end of the baby project. Oh, no, the baby was destroyed. Why am I not surprised? The whole reason is basically that it was destroyed when Omega Red tried to get Jameson to stop printing hurtful articles about Roxxon, with whom he is trying to get hired and destroys a lot of the Bugle offices in a fight with Spider-Man. Even with everything destroyed, the story is actually good enough for a B-, which completely ruins Peter's life as his GPA will drop because of it. A fun story to tide over until whatever is next. More of Kitty being completely pissed off at not being an X-Man, which is funny if you read Ultimate X-Men, in which she no longer wanted to be with them at all. Confusing? Yeah, me too.

Mighty Avengers 12


Basic Plot: What has Nick Fury been up to since Secret War?

I don't like Maleev, but he was able to get the job done. It was a great story and I loved it, aside from hating the artwork. Nick Fury really is the best there is at what he does. No one is better. I am not a big fan of S.H.I.E.L.D. in general, but Nick Fury is definitely a very amazing individual, especially for no actual superpowers. Skrulls were able to track him down at one point, which if they can do that, I believe they can pretty much infiltrate anywhere. Oh, Nick Fury, you crazy bastard. What's next? Who knows? I certainly enjoyed getting a look at the life of Nick Fury in the post Secret War world.

Intewesting Devewopments

Well, the next set after MUN is going to be Marvel Evolution, based off of Messiah CompleX and House of M. I truly am sorry that DC fans aren't getting their next set, but hopefully the negotiations will go well and DC will get new sets again. That being said, I am looking forward to this November a lot because one of the legends in MEV (if that is what it will be) is Deadpool. Yes, I said Deadpool. The Merc with a Mouth is getting the legend treatment. Stu got his Squirrel Girl card, and it is awesome, and now Deadpool is getting the legend treatment. I know I am buying a case of MEV, right now. MUN, I'll probably buy some boxes, but MEV? DEADPOOL LEGEND!