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SuperMegaSpeed Reviews

I only had one regular book come out last week, but i also bought into the hype and got the entire Battle Scars series to date, and the first three issues of Marjorie Liu's Astonishing X-Men. And i finally got all the pieces of Circle of Four. So we'll look at my one regular book and then those runs comprehensively (but still SuperMegaSpeedily).

New Mutants #43 - So i actually would have been ok with this crossover ending last issue with Sigurd being forced to marry the Dsir. I wasn't sure what this issue would entail. And while the twist that Bor's idea of marriage is a bit, uh, antiquated was clever, i still probably could have done without this issue. But it was fine.

Battle Scars - Well, it's better than a trip to Dr. Melinda Brewer. If we ignore the purpose of the series, it's actually a fun romp through the Marvel Universe, although the art could be a little better. Yost writes a good Deadpool. So add to the fact that this was going to happen, one way or another, and i think it worked out about as well as it could have (I'm being a little coy about what this series is about because min hasn't read it yet and has somehow managed to avoid all the chatter, and i don't want to spoil it). In any event, this series has a great soundtrack.

Astonishing X-Men #48-50 - There was a little kerfuffle where Dale Eaglesham, the artist from the Alpha Flight series that min got cancelled, complained that the Northstar wedding was originally scheduled for the Alpha series, with the obvious implication that the attention could have kept the series afloat, but that Marvel wanted the X-Men to get the attention instead. Then he subsequently retracted the statement. Certainly the Alpha Flight series laid the groundwork for this by developing Northstar and Kyle's relationship, and Northstar isn't a traditional X-Man character, but i'm glad to see it picked up in another book rather than just fade into limbo. I feel like Northstar is way too earnest and friendly in these issues, but i guess that's just us getting to see another side of him. I like the way Liu is handling the relationship part of this story, with Kyle's doubts and Northstar over-compensating with the marriage proposal. As for the rest of the plot, i could do without Kyle already getting kidnapped - such a cliche for a civilian love interest - and the repeating dream sequence device was a bit annoying, but i liked the character interactions and the use of the Marauders as dupes. The Beat article that first reported on the Eaglesham stuff also notes that Liu's run seems to be designed as a loose-end tie-up book, but i'm not really sure what the loose end for Karma is, exactly. If she was taking care of "Face", i guess i could see it. Anyway, i think i'll stick around for a while. Art isn't great (The Shiar lady's costume is terrible, having the Black Widow make fun of it doesn't make it ok, and the Black Widow herself looked terrible in that scene).

Circle of Four: Venom #13, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4, 14 - I knew that i didn't really need this and that if i managed to track them all down it would just be a letdown, but i did it anyway. And it was actually ok. Not great. There's some weird stuff going on in the Marvel Universe nowadays - Flash Thompson has no legs? And he's Venom, but he uses guns? They're really playing up the soldier angle, huh? Originally Flash Thompson was drafted and his soldier identity wasn't really emphasized once he got back from 'Nam, but i guess with the sliding timescale and the Spider-Man reboot that i've been studiously ignoring things have changed. The new Ghost Rider's snarky attitude was a bit annoying, and i really don't like the Aaron-introduced idea that there's really all these various Ghost Riders. You've got Johnny Blaze right there; use him! (And i await the mini-series that reveals that Blaze has a long-lost son that looks like Nicholas Cage). Other than that, i liked Blackheart, i thought X-23 was handled very well, Red Hulk-Venom Rider is about as kewl as you can get, and overall it was an ok fun little demonic romp.

By fnord12 | June 7, 2012, 9:36 PM | Comics


Comments

it's not true!!! i was paying attention! i knew about nick fury jr. i just didn't know it was going to be in a mini called Battle Scars.

also, after reading the first 5 issues, i'm totally not impressed with this guy. he's dumb.

ALSO ALSO!

nice pose there, Director Johnson. arched back, making sure both the butt and the boobs were thrust out. yep. that's totally how i get out of a car.

were you trying to rescue Marcus Johnson or offering him promises of a good time?

i also applaud the coloring error that gave her a nice, open v-neck in her SHIELD uniform.

NM: unless Dani's going to have valkyrie powers all of the time, can we stop making her a valkyrie every other storyline?

BS: Deadpool!!!!!!! i like Deadpool. i know he's a psychotic assassin, but still.

I want someone to calculate the Taskmaster's encumberance. did you see how many weapons he pulled out of his ass?

AXM: i wouldn't categorize those as dream sequences. they were labelled "Soon" so they were scenes of what was to come.

Why can't Kyle show up and not be kidnapped? between Alpha Flight and this series, he's been kidnapped and brainwashed in 100% of his appearances.

Art was awful. the Black Widow had man hands. and the outfit...someone get Perkins off of clothing design. the Black Widow should look sexy, not like she just got off her night job - standing on a street corner.

Co4: the new Ghost Rider's constant squinting of one eye while shouting with her big mouth reminds me of a Tick character. can't think of who right now, but he was always super tense and shouted words in bursts...
that's a bad thing, btw.

Didn't care for Blackheart's cutesy relationship with Gari Oyle. ugh. someone got paid to think of that name.

Everytime someone brings up Flash Thompson now, i keep thinking of that scene in First Blood when Rambo's shouting "I can't find your legs!"

Stop passing around the Venom symbiote and quit making everyone a Hulk, goddammit. there needs to be normal people in the lives of these super powered beings, otherwise, what's the big deal?

Just wait. the whole "i feel left behind" scene in Astonishing X-Men is a setup to give Kyle super powers. that or throw him off a bridge and then give him super powers.