Book one of the Legends of Shannara duology, set five hundred years after the Genesis of Shannara. For five centuries the peoples led into an isolatedBook one of the Legends of Shannara duology, set five hundred years after the Genesis of Shannara. For five centuries the peoples led into an isolated valley and sealed behind protective magicks have lived in peace, but the discovery of two monsters from the outside world by the Trackers Pan and Prue reveals that the people of the valley are imperilled once more. As Pan and Prue try to raise the alarm, the Grey Man, last Bearer of the Black Staff, seeks to understand the threat posed by the world outside the valley.
It has been a very long time since last read any of the Shannara books (I think 'Straken' was the last and that was twenty years ago!) and I haven't read the Genesis of Shannara trilogy which this book follows on from (albeit with a 500-year time jump), so I wasn't sure how well I would get on with this story. Ultimately, though, Brooks does a good enough job of setting the scene and not relying too heavily on previous lore, so that you can easily pick up this book without any knowledge of the Shannara series outside of it.
I won't claim that I loved this book (certainly not in the way I did 'Elfstones...', 'First King...' and 'Ilse Witch') but it is a solidly enjoyable fantasy story with a compelling core group of characters and some impressive set-piece scenes. If I was to make one criticism, it would be that the villain from within the valley seems to want to indulge in evil schemes more or less because he's an evil schemer. He's almost a caricature and, as a result, I found him more annoying than compelling.
Book 2. Spider-Woman reveals to Iron Man that the Skrulls have infiltrated Earth, but before he can react to the news the population of Manhattan begiBook 2. Spider-Woman reveals to Iron Man that the Skrulls have infiltrated Earth, but before he can react to the news the population of Manhattan begins transforming into Venom symbiotes. Iron Man then discovers that the symbiote attack is the result of a biological weapon developed by none other than Doctor Doom, whom the Mighty Avengers then have to confront.
Weirdly the venom bomb event and the confrontation with Doctor Doom felt far less momentous than they should have done, seeming little more than minor annoyances to be dealt with before moving on. I suspect it's a combination of the Skrull secret invasion overshadowing these 'lesser' events and this team of Avengers being fairly uncharismatic.
Also, as with the last book, 'The Ultron Initiative', Bendis continues to make use of too frequent thought bubbles usually just filled with the character having obnoxious thoughts. It must be a specific choice, since Bendis' concurrent series 'New Avengers' doesn't feature them, but it's not a good choice and it undercuts both the dialogue and the scenes in general.
All that said, there is stuff to like here. I particularly liked the interplay between Tony Stark and Victor Von Doom, with their respective intellects, armours and technologies going toe-to-toe. They are an intriguingly matched hero/villain combo and it was nice to see that play out. I especially liked some of their dialogue, such as the scene where Tony threatens to have Sentry fold Doom's armour in half with him in it or the bit where Doom points out that, following the Civil War, more people hate Tony than hate him.
Book 7. Having discovered that the Skrulls have infiltrated Earth, the New Avengers are almost torn asunder by mistrust, worsened when one of their nuBook 7. Having discovered that the Skrulls have infiltrated Earth, the New Avengers are almost torn asunder by mistrust, worsened when one of their number switches to the side of their enemy Iron Man. However, they are pulled together as a team by an encounter with the magical supervillain known as the Hood, who has begun gathering together an army of supervillains and who intends to target them where it will hurt the most.
This book served to remind me just how much more engaging this team of Avengers is when compared with their contemporaries in Iron Man's Mighty Avengers. I'm also a sucker for an underdog story, so seeing this team of fugitives facing the terrifying implications of the Skrull invasion without any of the resources to deal with it was pretty powerful. The Hood and his crew also prove to be a genuine threat which takes a real toll on the team (not to mention what happens to poor Tigra).
Overall, another strong outing for the fugitive Avengers.
Book 1. Following his victory in the superhero Civil War, Iron Man uses his new unprecedented position of power to found a new team of Avengers, comprBook 1. Following his victory in the superhero Civil War, Iron Man uses his new unprecedented position of power to found a new team of Avengers, comprising of Ms Marvel, Wonder Man, Sentry, Black Widow, Wasp and Ares. The team is immediately put to the test when Mole Man resurfaces and a new version of Ultron takes control of Tony Stark himself.
Surely this is no-one's favourite Avengers line-up of all time, especially considering that this is the post-Civil War sellout Avengers. Nevertheless, there is some interesting mileage in the team dynamic, particularly in how the abrasive former-villain Ares and ticking-time-bomb Sentry fit into it.
In order to establish this new team, Bendis trots out some tried-and-tested villains to face in the form of Mole Man (seriously, just leave the poor dude alone underground) and Ultron. It's nothing particularly new, except the fact that the new Ultron is, for some reason, a hot and naked copy of the Wasp made by melting Iron Man. No, seriously.
This would all be perfectly alright if not for one big misstep in how the book is written. Bendis inserts thought bubbles after (approximately) every third speech bubble and often the things the characters are thinking are completely contrary to whatever they've just been saying. And when that's not the case, the thought bubbles are just them thinking spiteful things (Carol mentally calling Janet a tramp) or the men sexually objectifying the female members of the team. This book would've easily been 20% better without all of those thought bubbles and their often objectionable contents.
As the superhero Civil War rages, the young mutants of the Xavier Institute reel from a series of devastating losses. When the futuristic Sentinel NimAs the superhero Civil War rages, the young mutants of the Xavier Institute reel from a series of devastating losses. When the futuristic Sentinel Nimrod is reactivated those young mutants have to take on the threat, despite knowing that it almost certainly means their deaths.
This was actually my first encounter with this particular iteration of the young X-Men and the only character I really knew was X-23. Despite that, this book very quickly got me invested in the plight of these young mutants. They've lived though M-Day, are living in a mutant ghetto 'protected' by the Sentinels of the O*N*E, and have seen dozens of their friends and fellow students murdered by the mutant-hating zealots known as the Purifiers. They are very much beaten down and defeated when this story begins and then they have to muster the strength and determination to face Nimrod, a foe far beyond their weight class in terms of power. It was very easy to become emotionally invested in their story.
I also liked the scene where Carol Danvers (in her Ms Marvel incarnation) arrives as the Institute seeking to recruit the X-Men for Iron Man's pro-Registration side of the Civil War but is then given a thorough dressing-down by Emma Frost, who uses her powers to highlight for Carol all of the times the Avengers were conveniently absent when mutants were being persecuted. It not only conveys the justifiable bitterness Emma feels but also points out the hypocrisies of Carol and her ilk.
Overall, despite not having read volume 1 and 2 (at least not yet) I really enjoyed this book.
Book 4. In the wake of 'House of M', the Avengers are trying to keep the secret of those events out of the hands of SHIELD; something which becomes faBook 4. In the wake of 'House of M', the Avengers are trying to keep the secret of those events out of the hands of SHIELD; something which becomes far harder when in Alaska a mutant is empowered with all of the energies of those who lost their powers on M-Day.
It's hard to say why, but I just didn't entirely buy the threat posed by the Collective. Perhaps it's because they supposedly have all the powers of the 99% of depowered mutants and yet most just glow and blast the Avengers with generic energy blasts. It's not an interesting use of those powers and I also didn't like that the recipient of them is just some random guy called Michael. Would've been far more interesting if it was someone like Onslaught or even Apocalypse, someone whose empowerment actually meant something.
One other thing I didn't like about this book is actually probably an intentional writing choice but still interfered with my enjoyment of the story; Maria Hill. Having the Director of SHIELD be so aggressively obnoxious was really grating and it took me a little while to remember that this is the story directly before the events of 'Civil War' (by Mark Millar), where she'll turn her 'cape-killers' against Captain America on the bridge of the Helicarrier. So, it is all probably intended to be building up to the Civil War, but it still annoyed me.
How the story unfolds other than those gripes is perfectly enjoyable, but they really did limit my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
Book 3. The New Avengers, joined by mysterious new member Ronin, head to Japan in order to break up a meeting between Hydra, the Hand and the Silver SBook 3. The New Avengers, joined by mysterious new member Ronin, head to Japan in order to break up a meeting between Hydra, the Hand and the Silver Samurai. They are then forced to confront the complicated history and loyalties of Spider-Woman and decide whether she can be trusted as a member of the team.
Sooner or later every Marvel hero or team has to take a random detour to Japan in order to fight some ninjas and this is that for the New Avengers. Is it jarringly nonsensical? Yes, but it's still fun to see heroes fighting ninjas and I did enjoy the role Ronin had to play.
More interesting to me, however, was getting the condensed history of Jessica Drew AKA Spider-Woman, who is a particularly interesting character to me and exploring the details of her complex loyalties and personal struggles. It does feel a little rushed, but I still found it engaging.
Book 2. As the New Avengers begin to come together cohesively as a team, facing foes like the Wrecker, they find themselves confronted by the Sentry. Book 2. As the New Avengers begin to come together cohesively as a team, facing foes like the Wrecker, they find themselves confronted by the Sentry. Sentry is one of the most powerful superheroes on the planet but the problem is that no-one remembers him, often not even himself.
I really liked Paul Jenkins' 'The Sentry' and was particularly intrigued by the idea of a hero so powerful but so flawed that the very memory of him had to be erased from the minds of the world. This book revisits the character and those concepts but, it has to be said, with much less finesse.
If anything, this feels like a speedrun of how to rehabilitate and reintroduce Sentry as quickly as possible, and that feels like something of a betrayal of Jenkins' original story. Weirdly, in fact, Paul Jenkins actually appears in-universe in this story as a comic book writer who seemingly 'created' the Sentry. I think Bendis was trying for 'meta' but actually just ended up with 'weird'.
So, as a way of catching-up the uninitiated and reintroducing Sentry to the Marvel Universe, this is a perfectly passable book but, for me, was let down by how much lesser it felt than Jenkins' origin story of the character.
The Avengers suddenly find themselves besieged by a series of tragedies which leave several members of the team dead, the Avengers Mansion in ruins anThe Avengers suddenly find themselves besieged by a series of tragedies which leave several members of the team dead, the Avengers Mansion in ruins and some of them losing control of their own behaviour. Calling in all of their reserves, the Avengers soon discover that the enemy behind their misfortunes is one of their own.
This is one of those books whose actual content gets overshadowed by its obvious real-world influences. Bendis was clearly given the mission statement of breaking up the Avengers status quo to make way for something new (literally, the New Avengers, as it turned out) and that real-world imperative overrides any internal logic the book might have had. Too much happens in too short a time to be credible and, as a result, this feels somewhat like a box-ticking exercise. That's particularly tragic when you consider that some very famous and important Avengers die in this book.
All that said, this isn't a bad book and I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Avengers past and present come together in support of each other. Nevertheless, the story feels 'functional' when it should probably have been 'iconic'.
When Magneto launches an attack that kills hundreds in New York, the US Government discovers that Professor Xavier and the X-Men have been lying aboutWhen Magneto launches an attack that kills hundreds in New York, the US Government discovers that Professor Xavier and the X-Men have been lying about the Master of Magnetism being dead. The X-Men then find themselves to fugitives, treated as terrorists like the Brotherhood of Mutants, with the Ultimates determined to bring them down.
I don't know how, but I continually forget how much I dislike Mark Millar's take on the Marvel Universe (Ultimate or otherwise). Millar always seems to approach his stories with the mission statement that all of the characters involved should be horrible people, whether they're beloved heroes or not. For example, here the X-Men are all selfish and idiotic, whilst the Ultimates are ruthless fascists, with Captain America being the worst of them. Then, thrown in for good measure, we get an offhand reference to the Hulk turning cannibal and eating three nurses. Because why not?
I genuinely couldn't find anything in this book that I considered a redeeming feature, especially when Bachalo's artwork is an unpleasant mix of cartoonish and messy.
Two stories. In the Ultimate Universe, university students Elektra Natchios and Matt Murdock meet for the first time and romance blooms between them. Two stories. In the Ultimate Universe, university students Elektra Natchios and Matt Murdock meet for the first time and romance blooms between them. However, tensions arise over their differing methods when confronting a remorseless abuser. Then, in the original Marvel Universe, the assassination of a key witness puts Daredevil on the path to confronting the Kingpin and his newest enforcer, Echo.
I'm not sure that 'Daredevil and Elektra: The College Years' (don't worry, that's not really the title) was the right way to introduce these characters to the Ultimate Universe, but I do respect that they get equalling billing on the cover and, for the most part, this is actually Elektra's story. The truth is though, that this doesn't really do anything groundbreaking with the familiar characters.
I will applaud Rucka's story, however, for calling out the real-world injustice of rich white boys who get away with raping and abusing women because their daddy's rich and powerful. The injustice of it in this story hits very hard and is just a fraction of the real injustice that woman have to deal with in the real world. Interestingly, whilst usually I'm on the side of the 'killing people is wrong' heroes, here's I was definitely on Elektra's side when she decides to kill this guy who won't stop and keeps getting away with it.
The back-up story here is just a single comic issue long and doesn't really have anything of particular interest beyond introducing us to Echo (you should watch the 'Echo' TV show; it's much better than the pathetic racist/sexist/ableist frothing fanboys would have you believe). As well as not doing much, I really didn't like the visual style of the story, with a mixture of caption boxes and words build into the artwork, which comes across as confusing and very messy.
An old acquaintance from Peter's school days appears asking for his help with getting some scientific research funded. However, after allowing CharlieAn old acquaintance from Peter's school days appears asking for his help with getting some scientific research funded. However, after allowing Charlie to use his name as an introduction to Tony Stark, Peter discovers that his the other man is playing fast and loose with the safety of his experiments.
This story is very much akin to the 'villain of the week' style of stories from Spider-Man's early days but, it has to be said, definitely falls into the category of 'filler' too. This face from Peter's past is someone we've never heard of before and almost certainly never will again and the villain he becomes is so unremarkable that he never even gets a catchy supervillain name. Even the Kangaroo got a name (a terrible one, but still).
This isn't a bad book but there's nothing original or outstanding about it and a month from now I'll have probably forgotten I ever read it.
Peter finds himself targeted by two mysterious assailants with a grudge against both him and Spider-Man. His investigation into their backgrounds revePeter finds himself targeted by two mysterious assailants with a grudge against both him and Spider-Man. His investigation into their backgrounds reveals dark hidden truths about his own history and that of Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn.
I've been aware of this story due to its reputation for some time now; a reputation that is far from positive. I have to say that this reputation is pretty well-deserved.
Big retcons, where we find out the secret story going on between the panels of iconic comics, have never been something I've enjoyed and usually involve some new writer trying to stamp their legacy over the top of that of a (usually more iconic) writer from the past. This doesn't feel quite that cynical, but it certainly does feel like Straczynski had little or no respect for the tone and intention of the story surrounding Gwen Stacy's death as originally told.
The biggest criticism I've seen levelled at this story is how inappropriate the Gwen/Norman connection is and that criticism is absolutely fair. It is also very much a betrayal of Gwen as a character, cheapening her feelings for Peter by adding in an inexplicable attraction to Norman.
Personally, I would add two more criticisms of my own. The first is the damage this does to Peter and MJ's relationship. Although we know that Peter will always be a bit hung up on Gwen, to see him going full-on jilted lover over Gwen in front of his WIFE, feels really uncomfortable and a betrayal of all the work done to rebuild their marriage in previous stories. The other criticism I'd add is that the two characters introduced, Gabriel and Sarah, and their story arc in no way warrant all of the controversy this story kicks up. It's pretty bland and predictable and goes nowhere that would make all of this worthwhile.
When the corpses of thirteen mob enforcers are reanimated by a gamma explosion, the resulting hybrid, the Digger, goes on a vengeful rampage across NeWhen the corpses of thirteen mob enforcers are reanimated by a gamma explosion, the resulting hybrid, the Digger, goes on a vengeful rampage across New York. In order to save lives, Spider-Man finds himself reluctantly selling-out to mob boss Forelli in exchange for protection.
I found the Digger and his origins to be intriguing, as well as how Peter has to use his scientific smarts and his knowledge of gamma-powered beings like the Hulk in order to defeat the resurrected killer. I would consider it stupid that, despite the numerous negative results, the US government in the Marvel Universe keeps detonating gamma bombs, but let's be realistic; they'd keep doing it in the real world too if they thought there was a chance of a better weapon.
However, despite Digger being an interesting antagonist, he's not an iconic one and this book feels a little bit like the series just spinning its wheels with minor one-off stories that don't overly affect the status quo. Even the development of Peter and MJ working on their marriage doesn't actually advance at all here.
Spider-Man finds himself confronted by Shathra, an embodiment of the spider-wasp totem, whose enmity for him is pure and unalterable. When he eludes hSpider-Man finds himself confronted by Shathra, an embodiment of the spider-wasp totem, whose enmity for him is pure and unalterable. When he eludes her first attempt at killing him, Shathra changes tactics and goes on national TV claiming to have been his lover, putting at risk his fragile relationship with MJ and his secret identity.
I'm not really a huge fan of the whole 'spider totem' storyline, so this continuation of it didn't hit as hard with me as something with a more recognisable villain would have done. I was also largely unimpressed by the third act inclusion of Doctor Doom and Captain America, which felt very contrived and tangential.
That said, I remain a life long fan of Peter's relationship with MJ and I was fully engaged by the ups and downs of their attempts to reconnect after the failure of their marriage.
The troubles in Peter's private life are exacerbated not only by his unsuccessful attempts to reconcile with Mary Jane, but also by Aunt May discoveriThe troubles in Peter's private life are exacerbated not only by his unsuccessful attempts to reconcile with Mary Jane, but also by Aunt May discovering his secret identity. As Spider-Man he begins investigating a number of disappearances among the disadvantaged kids of New York's streets, encounter a villain caught between two planes of reality, the Shade.
At first I was a bit unimpressed with this book primarily on the basis that it didn't seem to be taking advantage of the benefit of Spider-Man's excellent rogues gallery of antagonists (well, except for a late appearance by Doc Ock). The new villain, the Shade, certainly doesn't measure up. So, without a convincing antagonist, what does this book have to offer? Well, it actually has a great deal to offer if, like me, you're invested in Peter Parker's personal life. Dealing with Aunt May discovering his dual identity, revealing his guilt over Uncle Ben's death, as well as May's own revelations about the day Ben died, there's some real emotional weight to the issues explored. But, for me, Peter's romance with Mary Jane has always been a core part of Spider-Man as a character, so I was particularly invested in seeing the two of them try to reconnect but struggling to put their shattered marriage back together amid the pressures of their respective lives as a superhero and a model-slash-actress.
Unfortunately, just as I was fully engaged with this book it did something that definitely knocked it down a peg for me. There's a scene on a movie set featuring the fictional-in-universe superhero Lobster-Man where a Producer and a Writer get into a dispute over the hero's origins. The dispute is whether the hero's traditional science-based origin is better, as the Writer and fans on the internet think, or whether, as the Producer wants, there should actually be the involvement of some sort of mystical lobster god. This whole scene is way too on-the-nose regarding the changes in Spider-Man's own origins from this very era of Spidey tales. I can't tell whether this is the writer pushing back against an editorial directive or if it's Straczynski calling-out internet trolls, but either way it felt more jarring than meta and I was not a fan (the irony of complaining about it on the internet is not lost on me).
After an encounter with the sorceress Morwen and the Asgardian god Loki, Ezekiel convinces Peter that his increasing confrontations with magical enemiAfter an encounter with the sorceress Morwen and the Asgardian god Loki, Ezekiel convinces Peter that his increasing confrontations with magical enemies is linked to his own metaphysical role as the embodiment of the spider totem. However, Peter soon learns that Ezekiel has an agenda of his own.
Although I don't hate it, I can't say I'm overly invested in the whole 'spider totem' storyline, so seeing it and Ezekiel's relationship to the totem brought to a head didn't feel like the cathartic climax that perhaps it was intended. That said, I did appreciate that Ezekiel's role in the finale of this book was more nuanced than it could have been.
I did also enjoy seeing Spidey have an unlikely team-up with Loki in the first half of the book and I enjoyed the dynamic between them.
Other than that, this book wasn't bad but was also pretty unremarkable.
Marvel's Mightiest Heroes Book 63. The first of the three stories here, from 1975, features Spider-Man battling the Jackal and confronting his clone fMarvel's Mightiest Heroes Book 63. The first of the three stories here, from 1975, features Spider-Man battling the Jackal and confronting his clone for the first time. The second story has Ben Reilly, now having become Spider-Man, confronted by Kaine and by his lost love Janine. The final story features the return of the original Green Goblin and brings Ben's story, and his time as Spider-Man, to a close.
The Clone Saga is a controversial one amongst Spidey fans, so some people will want to avoid this book entirely on that basis. For me, this book's big failing isn't that it focuses on some key elements of the Clone Saga but rather that it doesn't feature the Scarlet Spider at all, despite that being on the cover. I never particularly liked Ben's time as a Spider-Man and certainly wasn't a fan of the redesigned costume (although, for some reason, I do like that costume on Mayday Parker in 'Spider-Girl') and never bought into the idea that Ben had been the 'real' Spider-Man all along. What I did like about Ben, however, was his time as the Scarlet Spider (in a costume that I loved) and I was frankly a bit annoyed that we don't get to see any of his, admittedly brief, time as that hero. It's on the cover, for Christ's sake!
As for the actual quality of the stories, they're mostly middle-of-the-road. 'Even if I live, I die!' is pretty standard 70s fayre and has no hints of the larger impact it would have on Spidey lore. 'Redemption' brings the rivalry and ongoing conflict between Ben and Kaine to a close, but it was never really a conflict I was terribly invested in to begin with (and why is there still no acknowledgement of the fact that Janine looks exactly like MJ?). Finally, 'The Night of the Goblin!' mostly just exists to crowbar in the return of Norman Osborn and the return of Peter to the role of Spider-Man, whilst also quietly sweeping Ben under the carpet. It's all a little too convenient for my tastes and I really didn't like Norman's assertion that he's actually secretly been behind everything that's happened since his 'death'. It's a clumsy retcon at best.
Thanos the Mad Titan has assembled the six Infinity Gems and wears the titular Infinity Gauntlet, giving him godlike powers over Space, Time, Reality,Thanos the Mad Titan has assembled the six Infinity Gems and wears the titular Infinity Gauntlet, giving him godlike powers over Space, Time, Reality, Power, Mind and Soul. Accompanied by his lackey Mephisto, Thanos seeks out Mistress Death and, in attempt to woo her, uses his power to wipe out half of all life in the universe. As his megalomania grows, heroes and villains from across the Marvel Universe have to unite in an attempt to prevent the destruction of everything they know, from the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America and Doctor Doom to the likes of Infinity, Galactus and the Celestials.
The story that inspired the first decade (and a bit) of MCU movies, this book begins with Thanos already in possession of the omnipotent Gauntlet. I found that an interesting tactic, skipping the build-up (covered in comics elsewhere) and getting straight to the villain being at his most powerful. This means that 'The Snap' happens very early in this book and we spend much of the rest of it seeing the increasingly desperate attempts to curtail Thanos' power.
What I liked most about this book was just how good a job it does of establishing exactly what control of the six Infinity Gems means and how, having that power, Thanos is unbeatable by even the most powerful entities of the Marvel Universe. In addition to that, is the scene where, after Thanos has comprehensively dismantled all of Earth's mightiest heroes, Captain America still refused to flinch whilst face to face with the Mad Titan.
Despite being a long-time Marvel reader, this was my first time experiencing this story in its entirety and I was pleasantly surprised that it still managed to throw some curve balls I wasn't expecting (look at me, an Englishman with no interest in sports, using an American baseball metaphor!).
When media hysteria erupts around the murder of a boy in Canada, seemingly at the hands of a sasquatch, Peter Parker is sent north of the border to heWhen media hysteria erupts around the murder of a boy in Canada, seemingly at the hands of a sasquatch, Peter Parker is sent north of the border to help report on the story. However, as more bodies are discovered, Spider-Man finds himself having to try to prove the innocence of the Wendigo, with help from none other than Wolverine.
As a Spider-Man story, this one feels somewhat lacking, not entirely fitting the tone of Spidey's usual adventures. However, the truth is that this is really a Wolverine story and his aspects of it are far better, as he explores the moral ground that stands between animal and man. We get to see humans being inhumane, animals suffering as a result and the bestial-natured Wendigo caught between the two sides, all of which is a nice extrapolation of Logan's own internal conflicts.
The big downside to this book, other than not really being a Spider-Man story at all, is that the solution to the mystery is not all that hard to predict. The plot more or less unfolded as expected and not even the pointed criticism of sensationalist media can entirely counterbalance that.
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