Monday, May 7, 2018
We set a new sales record on Free Comic Book Day, Saturday, May 5 and I want to thank everybody for coming in to help make my day a whole lot happier. Ottawa ComicCon in coming up this weekend from May 11 to 13. It’s also the weekend that fishing season starts so you know where to find me. I’ve been itching to wet a line for months. It was a beautiful day Sunday so I went out for a long bike ride. I kept wishing that I had packed my fishing rod and a lure as I rode along the Rideau river and canal. I probably wouldn’t have caught anything but it’s the anticipation of feeling that tug on my line that makes it exciting.
Avengers #1 – Jason Aaron (writer) Ed McGuinness (pencils) Mark Morales (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). Yeah, yeah, it says #1 but I’m not playing Marvel’s renumbering game. The Legacy number is also in the corner box and I’m going to stick to that. This regrouping of the team starts with the core of three founding members, Captain America, Iron Man and Thor. But first we have to go back a million years to see what the latest global threat is. Odin and the Super Ancient Avengers prepare to battle aliens as powerful as Galactus at the dawn of Man. Huge threats, huge stakes and the writer of the Mighty Thor delivers a mind boggling new story. Ed McGuinness did Jack Kirby proud. The one thing that bothered me was how did Thor’s eye get better but not his arm?
Batman #46 – Tom King (writer) Tony S. Daniel (art) Sandu Florea (inking assists) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). This is one crazy Booster Gold story in an alternate universe with a Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman and a gun toting Batman who is not Bruce Wayne. We have to slog through this before we get back to Selina and Bruce’s wedding I guess.
Death or Glory #1 – Rick Remender (writer) Bengal (art) Rus Wooton (letters). There are deaths in this debut. Three so far. There is also Glory, the cute gear head trying to save a loved one who needs a new liver by ripping off a crime boss. The art is really nice and Glory is very likable. When she discovers what the bad guys are really dealing, that’s when I want to read the next issue.
Hunt for Logan: Weapon Lost #1 – Charles Soule (writer) Matteo Buffagni (art) Jim Charalampidis (colours) VC’s Joe Sabino (letters). The first team looking for Logan hits the racks in this 4-issue mini and the cover shows us that Daredevil and Misty Knight are on the team. Two others get recruited and they will surprise you. There’s going to be a lot of detective work happening. I wish Matteo Buffagni was doing the art on Daredevil too. It’s so nice.
Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander #2 – Frank Miller (story & art) Alex Sinclair (colours). The Game of Thrones theme song started playing in my head at the start of this issue as the Greek army returns to Athens. A neat trick makes Xerxes’ father command his ships to retreat as the Persians prepare to attack Athens. This historical drama shows why Frank Miller is on my list of master storytellers.
Captain America #701 – Mark Waid (writer) Leonardo Romero with Adam Hughes & J.G. Jones (art) Matthew Wilson with Adam Hughes & Paul Mounts (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). I wasn’t going to grab this issue off the racks to read but a friend alerted me to the fact that Adam Hughes did some pages so I just had to have a look see. Adam starts this story off in 1944 with Cap and Bucky trying to retrieve the super soldier serum from German scientists. The two page fight with Warrior Woman in her patent leather costume made my decision to read this issue well worth the time. The rest of the story surprised me because it’s about Steve Rogers’ descendants in the future and traitors working with the Kree. I’ve jumped on and off the Captain America bandwagon because of changes in the storytelling and this new story makes me want to jump back on.
Weapon X #17 – Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers) Yildiray Cinar (art) Frank D’Armata (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). Sabretooth’s In Charge part 1. Victor’s first mission as team leader is to catch the serial killer Omega Red. This bad guy is a threat because he’s a mutant succubus. He can siphon off the life force of other mutants. Plus he’s got Doctor Octopus like tentacles. I like that he wears a headband.
Astonishing X-Men #11 – Charles Soule (writer) Ron Garney (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC’s Clayton Cowles (letters). A Man Called X part 5. I have been waiting for a surprise ever since the return of Professor X and this issue delivers. Things escalate while the team is battling Proteus and pop goes the weasel. It’s “uh-oh” time.
Spider-Man #240 – Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Oscar Bazaldua (art) Laura Martin with Matt Milla & Peter Pantazis (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). This is it. The last issue that Brian Michael Bendis will write for this title. I have been reading this book since issue #1. That’s eighteen-plus years and over 300 issues that Brian has written. My favourite super hero is Spider-Man and when I saw Ultimate Spider-Man #1 on the racks I gave it a chance to see where this guy was going to take this iconic character. Well he took him right here in the form of Miles Morales. I love Miles and I hope that whoever takes over writing his adventures keeps that sense of power and responsibility that Brian gave the character. Take one look at the extra special last page by Sara Pichelli (art) and Justin Ponsor (colours) and you’ll see what Brian’s run was all about. That’s what made his run so special to me. No other title has given me more “I can’t wait for the next issue to come out” reactions when I got to the last panel than this one. This is going to be a tough act to follow.
