Monday, April 30, 2018
Today is tax deadline day. I was gobsmacked to find out that I owe the government money. After years of getting tax refunds I got dinged in 2017 for some reason. I will gladly pay up my fair share to help sustain this great country that we live in.
2018 will be noted for Marvel resurrections. We’ve got Tony Stark healing himself in Invincible Iron Man. Bruce Banner and his rampaging alter ego returning in Avengers: No Surrender. Logan/Wolverine comes back to life in Hunt for Wolverine. Who else died and needs to reappear on the racks? If you wait long enough it’ll come to pass.
No, I have not seen Avengers: Infinity War the movie. Friends who have, told me they liked it and some of them are going back for a second viewing. One friend did not give it a glowing review and I could see why they thought that the movie was disappointing. Hey, they can’t all be amazing. One fan’s Black Panther is another fan’s Fantastic Four.
The Demon: Hell Is Earth #6 – Andrew Constant (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Chris Sotomayor (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). An epic battle between Belial the father and Etrigan the son, backed up by his brother Merlin, concludes this 6-issue mini. It would have been nice not to have the ad pages interrupting the flow of Etrigan’s poetic dialogue. Other than that complaint, this story was very good and it upgrades Etrigan’s status quo.
Strangers in Paradise XXV #3 – Terry Moore (story & art). Get out your kilts, we’re going to Scotland.
All-New Wolverine #34 – Tom Taylor (writer) Ramon Rosanas (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). Old Woman Laura part 2. A dying Laura goes on one last mission into Latveria to deal with Doctor Doom once and for all. I love the team that Tom has pulled together. These future versions are super cool.
Archie #30 – Mark Waid & Ian Flynn (writers) Audrey Mok (art) Kelly Fitzpatrick (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). A sweet origin to a long standing Archie pairing makes this issue special. Archie is a menace to lives and limbs as he gets ready to perform at the school dance. The band is a nice surprise.
Darth Vader #15 – Charles Soule (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Daniele Orlandini (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). Burning Seas part 3. What’s a fight between the Empire and the Mon Calamari without a squid? Vader would make a lousy sushi chef.
Moon Knight #194 – Max Bemis (writer) Ty Templeton (art) Keiren Smith (Colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). It’s the origin of Marc Spector. We find out what caused his mental illness and it’s a really good story.
Invincible Iron Man #599 – Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli & Alex Maleev (art) Marte Gracia & Alex Maleev (colours) VC’s Clayton Cowles (letters). The Search for Tony Stark part 7. I am enjoying Victor Von Doom as the Infamous Iron Man in this book. I have a feeling this version of Doctor Doom will fade away with the departure of Brian Bendis and we’ll only get the super villainous hooded cape wearing despot after that. Tony’s slow return to the Marvel U concludes next issue. There are two surprise appearances in here that make Invincible Iron Man #600 a must read.
Detective Comics #979 – James Tynion IV (writer) Philippe Briones (art) John Kalisz (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). Batmen Eternal part 4. In this battle of wills between Tim Drake and the bad guy Ulysses, the winner will decide the fate of Gotham City. It’s nice to see Brother Eye and the OMACs back on the racks.
Saga #51 – Fiona Staples (art) Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Fonografiks (letters). Hazel learns to swim. Everybody should learn. It might save your life. Unless you live in the desert.
Old Man Hawkeye #4 – Ethan Sacks (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). An Eye for an Eye part 4. Clint’s hunt for old Thunderbolts takes him to the Beetle. He’s doing the duel to the death thing to give his targets a chance. Bullseye isn’t that charitable as he hunts Hawkeye however. I liked the bounty hunters that show up to mess things up for Bullseye and I think Blindfold is Canadian eh. I can’t wait to find out what happens next when the Venoms catch up to Clint.
The Silencer #4 – Dan Abnett (writer) Viktor Bogdanovic (art) Mike Spicer (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). Exit Strategy part 1. I liked the back story of Honor shown in flashbacks that explains her relationship with Talia Al Ghul. The change in artist makes Honor look completely different but I still liked the look. The appearance of Deathstroke is a nice addition to the story.
Avengers #690 – Mark Waid, Al Ewing & Jim Zub (writers) Pepe Larraz (art) David Curiel (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). No Surrender part 16. Time to move on now that the war is won. The only hero missing in action seems to be Quicksilver and Wanda and Doctor Voodoo are going to see if they can find him. Thought Pietro died didn’t you? I liked that the bad guys got dealt with too. The Black Order and the Lethal Legion are still around to cause mischief. The big thing is the return of Bruce Banner and I look forward to seeing where he goes from here. The new Avengers statue is ostentatious but man does it ever look sweet. Good job on that splash page Pepe.
The Mighty Thor #706 – Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC’s Joe Sabino (letters). At The Gates of Valhalla is the final appearance of the Jane Foster Thor. I got misty eyed reading this, but man, what and ending. I’m so happy to see that Thor will continue and Jason Aaron will stay the writer. Long live the Mighty Thor.
Hunt for Wolverine #1 – The first caption of the first panel on the first page says it all: “it was only a matter of time”. Fans have been waiting for this ever since Wolverine died, entombed in molten Adamantium. This $5.99 US one shot kicks off a bunch of minis following teams of heroes looking for Wolverine. There are two stories to get things started.
Secrets and Lives by Charles Soule (writer) David Marquez (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC’s Joe Sabino (letters) makes the shocking revelation that Wolverine isn’t where he was entombed. A mutant midget does make a shadowy appearance so it might not be Logan and thus the mystery deepens. I had a hard time believing that David Marquez did the art because it looked so different from his work on Spider-Man. There were a few panels that were close but I would have bet the farm some other artist had drawn this story.
Hunter’s Pryde by Charles Soule (writer) Paulo Siqueira (pencils) Walden Wong (inks) Ruth Redmond (colours) VC’s Joe Sabino (letters) has Kitty gathering the search parties. I really liked the art in this.
There will be four teams involved in the Wolverine hunt. “Weapon Lost” will have Daredevil and Misty Knight; “Adamantium Agenda” has Iron Man, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Spider-Man; “The Claws of a Killer” will have Lady Deathstrike, Daken and Sabretooth; and “Mystery in Madripoor” has Psylocke, Domino, Jubilee, Storm and Rogue. Plenty of options for Marvel fans so check the racks every week.
