3.5 Razors

The Thanos Imperative: Devastation

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Following the events of The Thanos Imperative the Guardians of the Galaxy are no more. Phaya-Vell and Gamora were killed, Star Lord and Nova sacrificed themselves to stop Thanos, and Adam Warlock and Drax are both dead (again).

This leaves the rest of the team scattered and Cosmo to fulfill Star-Lord’s final request: put together a new team of “absolute badasses” and “annihilators.” This one-shot follows Cosmo on his quest to gather the Silver Surfer, Beta Ray Bill, Quasar, Ronan, and Gladiator to stop Blaastar‘s attack on the Inhuman/Kree capital of Attilan and agree to band together to save the universe from whatever next big threat emerges.

Cosmo’s discussions with each of the reluctant warriors are well done. My favorite is the short scene with the cosmic telepathic dog taking a ride with the Silver Surfer on his board.

The new series, The Annihilators, is also set to return two former Guardians in their own adventures – Rocket Raccoon and Groot. As to what will happen to the rest of the Guardians, we’ll just have to wait and see.

[Marvel $3.99]

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Amazing Spider-Man #651

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You know what? It’s nice for Spider-Man to be fun again. The latest issue finds Spidey and the Black Cat breaking into the Kingpin‘s tower after the stolen Reverbium.

Spidey’s sporting his new stealth suit (something I’m still on the fence about) and the Black Cat is sporting her trademark teammate skills as the two find their secret mission discovered before it even starts when the Kingpin and the new Hobgoblin give the heroes a rather chilly reception.

I’ve really only got minor complaints here such as the length of time Fisk toys with the Black Cat without doing her any real harm (something which could have been fixed by reorganizing the panels a bit). I do like Phil Urich as the new Hobgoblin and the dark mirrored take with him selling footage of his other persona for his job at the Daily Bugle. There’s also a nice moment with Carlie when Parker realizes how naked he feels with all his Spidey stuff stored at his new job instead of his apartment.

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Batman: The Dark Knight #1

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I don’t know that we need another Bat-title, but as long as its not penned by Grant Morrison I’m not going to complain too loudly at Batman getting another monthly comic.

David Finch does double duty here as both writer and artist and I must say this isn’t a bad first issue. We get appearances by two classic Bat-villains as well as the introduction of a figure from Bruce Wayne’s past. I appreciated Finch’s decision to let us view Dawn Golden only through the eyes of the young Bruce before the death of his parents. Although the story centers the missing troubled young woman, who may have come to a gruesome end, the only relation we make to the character is the same one Batman does.

Finch does a good job of jumping Bruce back into the saddle of Batman but still showing some rust (such as his confrontation with Killer Croc in the dark alley). I don’t know that I’m ready for the “terrible ramifications” this story is meant to have on Batman’s life, but it’s a strong beginning. Worth a look.

[DC $3.99]

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Gotham City Sirens #18

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Selina Kyle knows Bruce Wayne is Batman. That’s a problem. But is it a big enough problem to justify wiping her memories surrounding Batman’s true identity from her mind?

The issue is really more about Zatanna and her struggle with the implications of changing someone’s memories, even for the greater good, than Catwoman herself. There’s also a B-story with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn trying to pry the truth from their friend while Talia al Ghul and Zatanna attempt to keep them away.

Although the outcome is cheapened a bit by a late twist (which sets up the conflict for next month’s issue), I actually really liked what writer Peter Calloway does here by wrapping the entire issue around a moral dilemma that has no easy answer. He also breathes some life into Zatanna who is much more vibrant her than in her own series.

While I’m not the biggest fan of how the issue uses Talia, at least it’s better than what Grant Morrison did with the character. This title has had some uneven stories lately but this one is worth a look.

[DC $2.99]

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The Trial of Captain America Begins

/ / Comics

The trial of Bucky Barnes begins here, and if this first issue is any indication most of the story is going to take place outside the courtroom.

The current Captain America only makes a brief appearance here as most of the issue deals with the recently Steve Rogers and the Falcon trying to track down the escaped Sin and dealing with the fallout of her leaked tape to try and discredit Bucky-Cap by claiming he was a willing soldier for her father, the Red Skull.

Far from a traditional super-hero story this issue, as fans of the title have come to expect from writer Ed Brubaker, this issue sets the tone for the next story arc well. I would have liked to have seen more of Bucky-Cap here, but the one scene we do get (the prison guards reacting to the news he’s a Nazi traitor) is one of the best sequences.

I thought the handling of the Winter Soldier’s past being disclosed to the public was pretty shoddy (not to mention rushed), now we’ll get to see if Brubaker can pull things back and give us the first big super-hero trial we’ve had in years.

[Marvel $3.99]

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