Avengers

Annihilators: Earthfall #4

/ / Comics

annihilators-earthfall-4-coverThe second Annihilators mini-series ends more with a whimper than a bang. I thought the main story stayed more interesting this time around (even without the Silver Surfer), as the Avengers and Annihilators banded together to stop the return of the Magnus and the rise of the Universal Church of Truth.

Although the two super-teams are able to work together its obvious the Avengers and the Annihilators have far different views on saving the day. Quasar hopes to keep his team in-check, but his final line to Captain America sure feels like none-to-subtle foreshadowing to me.

Sadly, poor Rocket Racoon and Groot‘s B-story with Mojo peters out in the few pages. If these mini-series are going to continue Rocket Racoon and Groot need to be given a bigger role, brought in on the main storyline, or given their own comic.

Much like the first mini-series Earthfall was fun, but not as good as I hoped it to be. Here’s hoping the next one knocks it out of the park (and gives us at least twice as much Rocket Racoon and Groot). I AM GROOT!

[Marvel, $3.99]

Annihilators: Earthfall #4 Read More »

Secret Avengers #20

/ / Comics

secret-avengers-20-coverThe latest issue of Secret Avengers opens with the deaths of Steve Rogers, Agent 13, and War Machine. To save her friends the Black Widow activates an “Escape Hatch” (a small time machine) which takes her five years into the past to begin planning a way to avert the catastrophe which took the lives of three of her teammates.

Sadly, she can’t simply show up and take out the group which ambushed her friends. The timeline must be preserved. Whatever the Black Widow decides to do, she must not leave any trace that the events have been altered.

Using the Escape Hatch the Black Widow travels to talk with the Beast about the the trouble with time travel, enlists the help of a sorcerer hours before his death and a black market weapons designer to make what she will need.

I’ve never been the biggest Black Widow fan, but the choice by Warren Ellis to choose the character who has no special knowledge or skill set of the concepts involved is a good one.

…

Secret Avengers #20Read More »

Secret Avengers #20 Read More »

New Avengers #19

/ / Comics

new-avengers-19-coverAfter teasing us on several fronts for months issue #19 delivers on a number of levels. We get the first public appearance of Norman Osborne‘s new Dark Avengers (although off-panel), Daredevil is finally part of the team, and the first steps to determining whose side Victoria Hand is truly on.

The action is relatively light, but Peter Parker isn’t the only one obsessing with the reemergence of Norman Osborn and Jessica Jones shares her fear with Luke Cage that Osborne will make good on his threat to go after their baby.

New Avengers is always a title that works best dealing with the small character-driven moments rather than big epic battles. An exception to this is the truly dreadful scene (that seems to drag on forever) between Squirrel Girl and Daredevil which is incredibly painful to read. The entire sequence feels clumsier than a production of Shakespeare staring Kevin James and Mandy Moore.

It’s not the best issue of the title we’ve seen this year, but the latest issue of the title does have its moments. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

New Avengers #19 Read More »

Secret Avengers #19

/ / Comics

secret-avengers-19-coverCaptain America, Sharon Carter, Moon Knight, and Black Widow go undercover in the East European city of Symkaria to uncover the source of what they believe to be the black market sale of Super Soldier Serum to the Shadow Council. What they uncover, however, is far more interesting.

It turns out the mysterious weapon being sold isn’t a drug at all, but magical properties of ancient creatures which can possess and enhance a person’s abilities, strength, and skill.

Intriguing story by writer Warren Ellis, and I like the twist when the team finds something they weren’t expecting. There’s also a nice scene between Black Widow and Agent 13 about whether they can trust the word of a guy who believes he’s empowered by an Egyptian god when he tells them the soldiers are possessed.

Warren Ellis is proving to be a good match for this book. I’ve only been disappointed with one of the issues since he took on the title, and I’m looking forward to see what else he might have in store for this team. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

Secret Avengers #19 Read More »

Annihilators: Earthfall #3

/ / Comics

annihilators-earthfall-3-coverNow that the Annihilators and Avengers have stopped beating the snot out of each other and taken down the base of the Universal Church of Truth on Earth they’re faced with a new problem. The Magnus has been reborn, his essence has been implanted in a group of human children and grows more powerful every second.

The two team’s quibbling on moral grounds about what to do with the children leads to even great problems when the Magnus imprints himself on 30% of the U.S. population and an army of Templeships show up to collect their deities.

Rocket Raccoon and Groot get the short end of the stick again, only earning a total of five pages here which sees the pair jumping through various simulations run by Mojo. (The ads for Rocket Raccoon and Groot action figures are a nice touch. Maybe someone at Marvel should actually get on that.)

With only one issue left it looks like both stories (even if the second isn’t being given as many pages as I’d like) look set to go out with a bang. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

Annihilators: Earthfall #3 Read More »