Benjamin Percy continues his exploration into the new Krakoan status quo for the mutants and company, and his Wolverine is even better than X-Force. IBenjamin Percy continues his exploration into the new Krakoan status quo for the mutants and company, and his Wolverine is even better than X-Force. It's dark, it's crazy escapist scifi but also somehow grounded in the gritty underbelly of the Marvel universe, and it works. Of course, quite violent.
With excellent art by seminal Wolvie legend Adam Kubert, I always thought that best writer-artist team was with Larry Hama. Percy is now a strong contender.
The stories are about the CIA, drug running as only this weird setting could do, and vampires. Omega Red is in there as some 90s nostalgia, I never loved that character but he's utilized well and (spoiler) remains a villain while so many other Krakoans are 'good guys' nowadays.
One criticism for a plot point I could do without, Wolverine gets drugged and captured more than once which is both cliched and doesn't really make sense. Oh well~
Above all, I enjoy his relationship with other X-mutants such as Magneto. Somehow, Logan on this nation-state island where he bickers with the Quiet Council is an even better headquarters than the old mansion. Looking forward to catching up on all of his run!...more
After the House of X/Powers of X reboot, in which they all live in their own island nation of Krakoa and it's as escapist scifi as possible, various nAfter the House of X/Powers of X reboot, in which they all live in their own island nation of Krakoa and it's as escapist scifi as possible, various new X spinoffs were released to build upon the new status quo of Marvel's mutants. With that, X-Force has since been one of the more successful takes.
After initially only reading the main series by Jonathan Hickman, I've been getting interested in Benjamin Percy's writings. He also did Wolverine, so seemed worth paying attention to, and his X-Force certainly stands out.
It's been a long time since Liefeld's Cable and his team of militant teams, and X-Force has been the secret X-Men strike team for many years now throughout the different iterations. It works well, and makes even more sense as superhero genre stories where the characters go on specific missions--as opposed to just lounge around the mansion waiting to get attacked. Note the villains are, of course, extremely cruel humans who are mad at mutants.
This particular new version is very violent, embracing the more adult nature of comics these days. So sensitive readers beware, and Logan especially goes through a lot. It is trying perhaps a bit too hard to be edgy, with torture and the familiar ethical questions in such action stories about whether it's right to kill evil antagonists in anger...
Along with the most famous flagship X-Man, there's Domino which connects to the very first 90s team and Beast as background genius who is very important to the ongoing saga. This is only chapter one, a good start. I do know some about what will happen next, so I look forward to reading each volume and seeing the saga unfold. ...more
George¡¯s Run is a lovely nonfictional graphic novel about the late science fiction author George Clayton Johnson, and it is a personal story about carGeorge¡¯s Run is a lovely nonfictional graphic novel about the late science fiction author George Clayton Johnson, and it is a personal story about cartoonist Henry Chamberlain¡¯s inspiring relationship with him.
It¡¯s not a dry biography with lists of facts and details, but rather a visual memoir seeking to capture the spirit of the man. The simplistic style of the art, the full-panel pages and broad strokes using minimal words, may not be for everyone. But especially for fans of indie comics, it works great as an introduction to Johnson.
The countercultural author had many accomplishments, coming from seemingly nowhere. The narrative, reminisced over meetings with the old man late in his life, describes how he came to California in the 1950s and met many of the legends of the era. Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, and others make appearances. His breakout was Ocean¡¯s Eleven, of all things, and worked in early episodes of The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, and the title is named after his film Logan¡¯s Run.
There¡¯s politics in the book as well, covering the 1960s and racial challenges of the time. Cannabis legalization in particular was a cause of his. Chamberlain¡¯s friendship with Johnson brings heart and humanity to this biography, and makes the reader feel for the legacy of this writer. Very much worth reading, and will also inspire any reader to seek out old films and Twilight Zone episodes to revisit the classics herein¡ ...more
**spoiler alert** Sorry, I appreciate what the author was going for in this dystopia novella, but I think it didn't quite work...
A COVID-allegory in **spoiler alert** Sorry, I appreciate what the author was going for in this dystopia novella, but I think it didn't quite work...
A COVID-allegory in which a virus and then vaccine destroy the world, told from the point of view of a family that survives. Unfortunately, like COVID conspiracy theories in general, it just doesn't make any sense upon close inspection. The virus was clearly very deadly in the beginning of the novel, so why did it turn out to be a bad thing to take vaccines?
And there's how the government oppresses unvaccinated to the point of using them as slave labor and executing them, but then why doesn't can't that powerful government just like force soldiers to give people shots? I guess I understand writing about how mandates are oppression, even if I don't agree with it I suppose some people liken it to a discriminated minority, but the whole thing just doesn't make any sense in this scenario.
And why does the government want everyone to take a vaccine that eventually kills off most of the human race, why cover it up? There is no motive to be explained.
Furthermore I can't understand the point of censoring online media when basically everyone on earth is going to die, what could possibly be the motive of that? Again: I get that it's a social criticism of how some people think YouTube shouldn't censor medical misinformation--which I respectfully disagree with even though people can have that take--I just don't understand how this narrative works in the context of this story.
(Really, the simplistic 'censorship' angle just isn't as interesting as manipulative algorithms these days. That's what I think society should be worried about. In any case, the vaccine apocalypse thing is a silly perspective at this point. COVID-19 vaccines have been around for years, and there turned out to be no mass side effects that some people worried so much about. Still, that's what the author wanted to explore.)
It's a short novella, so the characterization is a bit slim. Halfway through it's revealed that the main father figure had military experience which is sort of out of nowhere. He does protect his family, which is the point apparently, and I suppose it's a successful dystopia in that it expresses what the author intends. I'll give it 2.5 stars although this story did not work for me....more
I think I understood it, and I love Al Ewing, but honestly this is just too weird for most readers. Very very high-concept, so much cosmic stuff, justI think I understood it, and I love Al Ewing, but honestly this is just too weird for most readers. Very very high-concept, so much cosmic stuff, just don't know if I can recommend... ...more
Surprisingly blown away by this X-Men crossover, a Marvel event tying in the Eternals and to a lesser degree the Avengers. Feels like real stakes, andSurprisingly blown away by this X-Men crossover, a Marvel event tying in the Eternals and to a lesser degree the Avengers. Feels like real stakes, and sort of makes sense as a proper plot as these different titles have gone in that direction.
Kieron Gillen's Eternals didn't seem necessary to me, but then the Immortal X-Men series led up to this in a perfect way. These days, the X-books are all about mutant society politics and weird science fiction ideas. Seems every writer is trying to top the previous, and Gillen keeps up alright.
The 'Judgment Day' part of the story felt like real stakes, with every character exploring how the end of the world shows whether or not they're personally worthy. I'll say little else, other than read the main series and decide for yourself if the endless tie-ins are also something to read. Comics in 2022 do tend to be of high quality, this is not some approachable Secret Wars for fun, rather it's the culmination of various Big Ideas utilized in big ways. ...more
As Gerry Duggan is the current mainline X-Men writer, I thought I¡¯d go back and read his original Dawn of X series Marauders.
About Kate Pryde being aAs Gerry Duggan is the current mainline X-Men writer, I thought I¡¯d go back and read his original Dawn of X series Marauders.
About Kate Pryde being a sort of pirate, it does have his signature sense of humor. And as this era goes, it¡¯s very much about politics and society.
Not necessarily the most crucial of the various X-titles to read, but it adds well to the world that was built by Hickman. Still, it¡¯s perfectly fine to just read the main title and not go so deep into this particular cast of characters. ...more
I like 80s Spider-Man, and the team of Roger Stern & Ron Frenz specifically, but this follow-up to the muddled origin of Hobgoblin was just too littleI like 80s Spider-Man, and the team of Roger Stern & Ron Frenz specifically, but this follow-up to the muddled origin of Hobgoblin was just too little too late. It didn't even fit into the 90s era. Just unfortunate what a mess the behind-the-scenes editing can be with Spidey, if only this story was told far earlier... ...more
Letters From a Dead Mentor is a kind of non-genre novella, seems very autobiographical but also contains several short stories in a similar vein. WritLetters From a Dead Mentor is a kind of non-genre novella, seems very autobiographical but also contains several short stories in a similar vein. Written in the medium of letters, it is a direct take on the author's observations about life as a foreigner in China and about the hearts of the men who end up there. Some leave, some work in Japan for a while, all while reflecting on memory and also imagining what might've been...
It's not exactly a story structure per se, but a way to simply saying what this letter writer thinks without much pretense.
The other short stories are vignettes about this specific feel. Subjects include trains, talking to girls, and of course that common job westerners get in Asia. The themes herein are not universal, they are about certain places in China at a certain time from a certain point of view. In this the book is successful and expresses that atmosphere well....more
Very fun Hulk crossover, with powerful storytelling by John Romita Jr (if you like that sort of classic art) and with Greg Pak's writing it seemed likVery fun Hulk crossover, with powerful storytelling by John Romita Jr (if you like that sort of classic art) and with Greg Pak's writing it seemed like the culmination of all the Hulk stories that had come before. Felt like real world-ending stakes, even though it's a superhero comic and we all know it goes back to the status quo eventually.
A pretty solid reintroduction of Star Wars and Marvel got back the rights, written by superhero scribe extraordinaire Jason Aaron. I still prefer the A pretty solid reintroduction of Star Wars and Marvel got back the rights, written by superhero scribe extraordinaire Jason Aaron. I still prefer the old novels, but Aaron does know his fun action.
Taking place after A New Hope, there are a lot of familiar faces entering before their film appearances. The initial storyline of Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader is a classic, it's not all that new just well done (the art by John Cassady is always great), then those Return of the Jedi characters start showing up.
Certainly worth reading for fans, and not even hardcore fans just anyone who liked these movies--which means almost everyone. Honestly, though, doesn't feel essential and doesn't add anything that new to the mythos. ...more
Jonathan Hickman's epic scifi take on alternatitve history-future America begins. It is epic indeed, full of intense violent moments as only this man Jonathan Hickman's epic scifi take on alternatitve history-future America begins. It is epic indeed, full of intense violent moments as only this man can write... But it also suffers from a usual problem with this writer: Who do we root for? There are a bunch of evil dictators and the horsemen of the apocalypse divying up the land. It looks cool, but which side are we on and why do we care?
It becomes harder to follow for much of that reason as the series progresses, but this was definitely a powerful start. Overall though, I still have to say I prefer it when Hickman writers mainstream superheroes (Avengers et. al X-Men) and at least the characters and sides are established for that reason. ...more
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