Review: GENERATIONS: Iron Man & Ironheart #1

GENERATIONS: IRON MAN & IRONHEART No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
PENCILS: Marco Rudy, Szymon Kudranski, and Nico Leon
INKS: Syzmon Kudranski, Will Sliney, Scott Koblish, and Nico Leon
COLORS: Marco Rudy, Dean White, and Paul Mounts
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Skan
VARIANT COVERS: Marco Rudy; Olivier Coipel with Laura Martin; Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers with Paul Mounts and Joe Frontirre
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (November 2017)

Rated T+

Iron Man created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby

“The Iron”

Generations is an event miniseries from Marvel Comics.  It is a planned 10-issue anthology, published weekly.  Each issue is written and drawn by a different creative team, and each issue will feature a different team-up of a classic Marvel superhero with his or her modern-day counterpart.  The series is meant to unite the legacy of classic Marvel Comics characters with the next generation of heroes as both move into the future of Marvel Comics storytelling.

The sixth issue is Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart, which brings together two versions of a classic Marvel Comics character, Iron Man.  The first is the classic Iron Man, also known as Tony Stark, who first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39 (cover date: March 1963).  The second is Ironheart, who is Riri Williams, a teen prodigy and genius engineer.  This issue of Generations is written by Brian Michael Bendis; drawn by Marco Rudy, Szymon Kudranski, and Nico Leon (pencils) and Syzmon Kudranski, Will Sliney, Scott Koblish, and Nico Leon; colored by Marco Rudy, Dean White, and Paul Mounts; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart #1 (“The Iron”) opens with Ironheart experiencing free fall in a darkened sky.  Riri soon discovers that much of the tech and many of the features of her Ironheart suit do not function well or do not fuction at all.  Riri realizes that she is somewhere else, but she cannot believe that she is in the future.  She does not want to believe it when she meets some strange Avengers.  She still does not want to believe it when she meets this world's Sorcerer Supreme – Tony Stark!  He is going to show her a far-flung future of possibilities for her.

It took me six issues of Generations, so it is Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart #1 that convinces me that Generations has a running theme that revolves around mentors and mentorship, teachers and teachable moments, father-figures and mother-figures, and even predecessors.  Some entries in Generation do it better than others, but every issue has at least one moment in which one character stands as an example for another.

Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart #1 is, thus far, the best of series, which is what I said about the Hawkeye Generations last week.  So I am surprised by how much Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart #1 affected me.  It is philosophical; almost spiritual in an odd way.  This is written by Brian Michael Bendis, so there is a lot of conversation between future Tony Stark-Sorcerer Supreme (who popped up in two recent issues of Bendis and Alex Maleev's Infamous Iron Man) and Riri Williams.

Many comic book people (with agendas) have blamed Marvel Comics' recent sales slump on “diversity” characters, with Riri Williams probably being the most notorious.  Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart #1 can be read as Bendis' manifesto, one that says... no declares... that Riri ain't going nowhere.  She isn't disappearing because she is the future.

Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart #1 has a large art team of seven artists and colorists, but they are what makes Bendis' story work.  The design of these pages have a funky flower child/love generation appearance that reminds me of Neal Adams' classic X-Men run, J.H. Williams, III's art for Alan Moore's Promethea, and Jon J. Muth's art for the old Marvel/Epic Comics' Moonshadow.  These different artists and art teams come together to create a 30-page story in which disparate visual styles actually become a seamless visual poem that flows like a perfectly written pop song.

Make mine Marvel.  This is what Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart #1 convinces me I should do.  We can have new versions of classic Marvel characters.  We can have both – the originals and the new ones.  Here, Tony Stark encourages Riri Williams to reach for the stars, so we can have both characters in Iron Man armor.  Yes, we can.

A
9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------

Review: GENERATIONS: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor #1

GENERATIONS: THE UNWORTHY THOR & THE MIGHTY THOR No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Jason Aaron
ARTIST: Mahmud Asrar
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
COVER: Mahmud Asrar with Jordie Bellaire
VARIANT COVERS: Olivier Coipel with Jason Keith; Das Pastoras; Alex Ross; Jack Kirby with Paul Mounts; Dale Keown with Jason Keith
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (October 2017)

Rated T+

Thor created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby

“The Thunder”

Generations is Marvel Comics' current event miniseries.  It is a planned 10-issue anthology, published weekly.  Each issue is written and drawn by a different creative team, and each issue will feature a different team-up of a classic Marvel superhero with his or her modern-day counterpart.  The series is meant to unite the legacy of classic Marvel Comics characters with the next generation of heroes as both move into the future of Marvel Comics storytelling.

The fourth issue is Generations: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor, which brings together two versions of a classic Marvel Comics character, Thor.  The first is the classic Odinson, Thor, first introduced in Journey into Mystery #83 (cover date:  August 1962), and is now known as “The Unworthy Thor.”  The second is the new Thor, Jane Foster.  Once she was the love interest of Dr. Donald Blake (who was once Thor... so to speak).  Now, Foster is known as “The Mighty Thor.”  This issue of Generations is written by Jason Aaron; drawn by Mahmud Asrar; colored by Jordie Bellaire; and lettered by Joe Sabino.

Generations: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor #1 (“The Thunder”) opens “many years ago” in the “Weapons Hall” of Asgard, the home of the Norse god, Odin, and his subjects, the Asgardians.  Odin's son is trying to lift the enchanted hammer, “Mjolnir.”  Thor is rebuked by his father for his efforts, and is commanded to take on his princely duties.  The son of Odin, however, cannot resist the call/prayers of his followers on Midgard (Earth).  Before long he is leading them into battle against a familiar supervillain and is also facing a rival for Mjolnir.

The purpose of Generations: Banner Hulk & Totally Awesome Hulk #1 was for Bruce Banner to tell the Totally Awesome Hulk/Amadeus Cho that he would not be able to escape all the tragic aspects of the curse of the Hulk.  Generations: Phoenix & Jean Grey found two women reluctant and/or incapable of telling each other everything they knew about the curse of The Phoenix

Generations: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine #1 is mainly just a slice-and-dice Wolverine adventure featuring the classic Wolverine and the All-New Wolverine – a well-executed Wolverine slice-and-dice story.  Like the Wolverine tale, Generations: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor #1 is merely a Thor fight comic book featuring two Thors.  It is pointless.  If writer Jason Aaron wanted to emphasize that two beings want possession of Mjolnir and want to be THE Thor, well, he is already doing that in the current Thor comic book.

With Generations, Marvel Comics runs the risk of publishing several issues of an event comic book that read like nothing more than, at behest, mediocre, “Annuals,” published for the sake of being published, or, at worst, filler material.  Once upon a time, there were a lot of comic book writers who could pull off an exemplary stand-alone tale in 30 pages.  Alan Moore springs to mind, but many of the top comics scribes of the 1960s and 1970s could have delivered something better than what Aaron delivers in Generations: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor #1.

Now, I must say that the art here is beautiful.  It is the best work by Mahmud Asrar that I have ever seen.  He is a rapidly growing talent, and here, he gives the hackwork story TLC that it does not deserve.  Jordie Bellaire does a stellar coloring job on Asrar's compositions.  Leave it to Jordie; she'll color the shittiness right of a mediocre comic book, and she just about does that here.  Asrar and Bellaire are the reasons I am not giving Generations: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor #1 a really low grade.

B
6 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------------------

Review: GENERATIONS: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine #1

GENERATIONS: WOLVERINE & ALL-NEW WOLVERINE No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Tom Taylor
ARTIST: Ramon Rosanas
COLORS: Nolan Woodward
LETTERS: VC's Cory Petit
COVER: Jorge Molina
VARIANT COVERS: Declan Shalvey with Jordie Bellaire; Olivier Coipel
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (October 2017)

Rated T+

Wolverine created by Len Wein and John Romita, Sr.

“The Best”

Generations is the currently ongoing 10-issue anthology, weekly comic book series published by Marvel Comics.  Each issue is written and drawn by a different creative team, and each issue will feature a different team-up of a classic Marvel superhero with his or her modern-day counterpart.  The series is meant to unite the legacy of classic Marvel Comics characters with the next generation of heroes as both move into the future of Marvel Comics storytelling.

The third issue is Generations: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine, which brings together the classic Wolverine/Logan of X-Men fame and his clone-daughter, the All-New Wolverine, Laura Kinney.  This comic book is written by Tom Taylor; drawn by Ramon Rosanas; colored by Nolan Woodard; and lettered by Cory Petit.

Generations: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine #1 (“The Best”) opens in Tokyo, Japan. Wolverine is cutting his way through a horde of The Hand's zombie ninja.  They stand between him and his kidnapped daughter, Akiko.  There is a problem, however; Wolverine is about to lose and die.  Suddenly, in steps a young woman, unknown to Wolverine, but wearing familiar clothes and also bearing metal claws.  This Wolverine-like young woman is different, but like Logan, she is the best at what she does.  Two Wolverines will need to be the best if they are to survive an old enemy.

The purpose of Generations: Banner Hulk & Totally Awesome Hulk #1 was for Bruce Banner to tell the Totally Awesome Hulk/Amadeus Cho that he would not be able to escape all the tragic aspects of the curse of the Hulk.  Generations: Phoenix & Jean Grey found two women reluctant and/or incapable of telling each other everything they knew about the curse of The Phoenix

Generations: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine #1 is mainly just a slice-and-dice Wolverine adventure featuring the classic Wolverine and the All-New Wolverine.  It is, however, a well-executed Wolverine slice-and-dice story via the efforts of writer Tom Taylor and artist Ramos Rosanas.  The only creators who could have done better than Taylor-Rosanas are some combination of Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and David Mazzuchelli; the team of Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.; and finally Barry Windsor-Smith by himself.

I could have done without the mushy stuff at the end.  Part of me wants Marvel to let Wolverine be Wolverine.  That would be the stone cold killer of the early “new” X-Men of the mid-1970s, and not the Logan softened from being part of the X-Men family and by the tragedy of Jean Grey/The Phoenix.  That said, I like this action-packed, violent fight comic and its surprising guest appearance.

A-
7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-----------------------------

Review: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze's BLACK PANTHER #1

BLACK PANTHER #1 (2016)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Ta-Nehisi Coates
ART: Brian Stelfreeze
COLORS: Laura Martin
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
COVER: Brian Stelfreeze
VARIANT COVER: Brian Stelfreeze; Olivier Coipel; Felipe Smith; Alex Ross; Skottie Young; Sanford Greene; Ryan Sook; Disney Interactive
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (June 2016)

Black Panther created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Rated “T”

“A Nation Under Our Feet” Part 1

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an American writer and journalist.  This African-American commentator is also a national correspondent for The Atlantic, where he writes about cultural, political, and social issues, particularly as they regard to Black people in America.  Coates' second book, Between the World and Me (released in July 2015), won the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction.  In 2015, he was the recipient of a “Genius Grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Brian Stelfreeze is an African-American comic book creator who has been writing, penciling, inking, coloring, and/or painting comic books for over three decades..  In the 1980s, he first gained notice for his stylized covers, particularly for his unique graphic interpretation of Batman.  Stelfreeze was the initial series artist on the DC Comics' Batman title, Batman: Shadow of the Bat, and also produced over 50 covers for that series.  Stelfreeze is one of the original members of Atlanta's Gaijin Studios.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is the writer and Brian Stelfreeze is the artist of the new Black Panther comic book series from Marvel Comics.  The other creative talent on the series include Laura Martin as color artist and Joe Sabino as letterer.

In the world of Black Panther, T'Challa is the warrior-priest-king of Wakanda, and he bears the ceremonial title of that position, Black Panther.  To the world outside Wakanda, Black Panther is a superhero, specifically an Avenger, and of late, a member of the Ultimates.  However, Wakanda has fallen on hard times during Black Panther's time away being a superhero.

Black Panther #1 (“A Nation Under Our Feet” Part 1) opens at “The Great Mound.”  Here, Black Panther is in the heat of a pitched battle with vibranium miners.  In “The Golden City,” capital of Wakanda, harsh justice is handed out.  At the Nigandan border region, an army gathers.  Sure, Wakanda has undergone a flood that killed thousands, a supervillain-led coup, and an invasion from beyond the stars, but there is more bad to come.

I have been an admirer of Ta-Nehisi Coates for the past few years, ever since I first saw him during an television appearance (on MSNBC, I think).  Since then, I have seen him speak on independent news series, “Democracy Now,” and I have read some of his work at The Atlantic's website.  Upon hearing that he was going to write a 12-issue run of Black Panther for Marvel Comics, I was excited, but I did not know what I could really expect; after all, Coates had no previous comic book writing experience.

That turns out to be a good thing.  His clean storytelling builds on the work of previous Black Panther writers, Christopher Priest and Reginald Hudlin.  He mines what for me has always been an obvious source of conflict-laden storytelling – how does a man be both a superhero and the king of a country with resources highly coveted by dangerous interests.  And, you know, I have to give Coates credit for writing a script that insists on giving readers the names of every important character with a speaking role in the first issue.  I am tired of reading vague, introductory first chapters and first issues in which the only characters that are recognizable are the ones wearing familiar costumes.

I have not followed Brian Stelfreeze very much, but I have admired some of his work.  One could make an argument that he is the star here.  His stylish art and vivid, energetic graphical storytelling are a delight.  His character, costume, and graphic design for this series is surprising, simply because I did not expect such a fresh approach that also retains classical Black Panther tropes.  Laura Martin's colors over Stelfreeze's stellar art create some of the most striking visuals that can be found in comic books at this moment.  Letter Joe Sabino and designer Manny Mederos also deserve a shout-out for making this Black Panther one of the best Marvel first issues that I have read in the last few years.

I cannot wait for the second issue of this new Black Panther.  It is more than I expected, although now I expect a lot.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------------

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 20 2013

MARVEL COMICS

SEP130681 A PLUS X #14 $3.99
AUG130880 A PLUS X TP VOL 02 EQUALS AMAZING $17.99
AUG130895 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN EPIC COLL TP COSMIC ADVENTURES $39.99
SEP130667 AVENGERS #23 INF $3.99
SEP130682 AVENGERS AI #6 $2.99
SEP130768 CABLE AND X-FORCE #16 $3.99
SEP130822 CAPTAIN AMERICA LIVING LEGEND BY ALLRED POSTER $8.99
SEP130691 CATACLYSM ULTIMATES #1 $3.99
SEP130728 DAREDEVIL #33 $2.99
SEP130736 DEXTER #5 $3.99
SEP130729 FANTASTIC FOUR #14 $2.99
SEP130714 INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #15 $3.99
SEP130821 INHUMANITY BY COIPEL POSTER $8.99
SEP130739 LONGSHOT SAVES MARVEL UNIVERSE #2 $2.99
SEP130675 SECRET AVENGERS #11 INF $3.99
AUG130890 SECRET AVENGERS BY RICK REMENDER TP VOL 03 $19.99
SEP130820 SPIDER-MAN VS VENOM BY CAMPBELL POSTER $8.99
SEP130695 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1 $4.99
SEP130700 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM UP #6 NOW $3.99
FEB130606 TAKIO 2 GN HC $16.99
SEP130674 THUNDERBOLTS #18 INF $2.99
AUG130884 UNCANNY X-FORCE TP VOL 02 TORN AND FRAYED $17.99
SEP130756 UNCANNY X-MEN #14 $3.99
SEP130770 WOLVERINE MAX #13 (MR) $3.99
SEP130819 WOLVERINE ORIGIN II BY KUBERT POSTER $8.99
SEP130747 X-MEN #7 $3.99
SEP130764 X-MEN LEGACY #20 $2.99
AUG130899 X-MEN TP SKINNING OF SOULS $29.99
AUG130885 X-MEN TP VOL 01 PRIMER $17.99
SEP130684 YOUNG AVENGERS #12 $2.99

I Reads You Review: WOLVERINE #1

WOLVERINE (2013) #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: Paul Cornell
PENCILS: Alan Davis
INKS: Mark Farmer
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER: Alan Davis and Mark Farmer with Jason Keith
VARIANT COVERS: Olivier Coipel; Salvador Larroca and Frank D’Armata; Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado; Skottie Young
28pp, Color, $3.99 (May 2013)

Parental Advisory

Until Demon Knights #1 (DC Comics, 2011), I disliked every comic book written by Paul Cornell that I read.  Now, I have found another one that has really grabs my imagination.  It is the new eponymous Wolverine comic book, part of the Marvel NOW initiative that has seen the re-launch of several Marvel titles.

Wolverine is written by Cornell and drawn penciller Alan Davis and his longtime inker, Mark Farmer.  This new series is not specifically a team-up series, but it will apparently feature some surprising guest appearances by Marvel characters, both the familiar, the surprising, and the unusual.

Trying to stay relatively spoiler free, I will say that Wolverine #1 (“Hunting Season” Part 1 of 4) opens with Wolverine in a bad way.  The cause is Robert Gregson, a 41-year-old man on a murderous rampage, and Gregson’s young son, Alex, may be the only person who can help Wolverine put an end to a massacre.

To me, Wolverine #1 simply works because Cornell manages to put Wolverine in a perilous situation, one in which he actually seems imperiled.  The longer these superhero characters are published, the more they become like indestructible demigods and the less like fragile humans with special abilities, which is what most Marvel characters are in their beginnings.  However, without revealing spoilers, I can say that I certainly thought Wolverine would be killed, and that made Wolverine #1 an exciting read.

The other reason I like this comic book is Alan Davis.  I love this comic book artist, and it is always a joy to read comic books drawn by Davis – even when the story isn’t that good.  He brings humanity to the characters, emphasizing their vulnerability over their super powers.  I look forward to following this Wolverine series – especially if both Cornell and Davis keep delivering the good stuff.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Albert Avilla Reviews: X-Men #1 (2013)

X-Men #1
Marvel Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Brian Wood
Pencils: Olivier Coipel
Inks: Mark Morales and Olivier Coipel
Cover: Olivier Coipel and Laura Martin

Primer (Spoilers!)

They had me at the cover. They hit on all the important B’s: brawn, brains, beauty, boobs, and booty. Who else can put together a better all-female team? Even the villain in this piece is female. Girls just want to wreck it. Don’t let the good looks fool you; this is a band of thieves, ninjas, and former mutant-hunters who will kick some ass. If they did a survey of the top ten favorite female comic characters, where would most of these women place?

Mr. Wood doesn’t waste our time with origins; he hits the ground running. He gives a quick background of what the X-Men will be facing. Then, we have Jubilee with a baby running from a mysterious foe. She calls the X-Men, and they go running to save her. John Sublime goes to the Jean Grey School to ask for help against his sister who has an affinity for technology. Back on the train, the X-Men reunite with Jubilee. The baby is causing havoc with the electronics on the train. The X-Men jump into action to save the passengers. They take Jubilee and the baby back to the Grey School, where Sublime’s sister proceeds to take control of Karima Shapandar’s body. Yeah, that’s right; a being that has a biological imperative to dominant the earth has the powers of the Omega Sentinel. That’s the way you kick off a series.

Wood hits us with a fast-paced story and leaves us anticipating the story to come. With a team of characters with dynamic personalities and rich histories, Mr. Wood has a source of inspiration that should lead to a multitude of great stories.

The art is great. All of the different aspects of the art accentuate each other, which make for visual pleasure. Coipel has a great hand with faces and expressions. The costume design is also good.

I rate X-Men #1 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on the Al-O-Meter.

I Reads You Review: X-Men #1

X-MEN #1
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Brian Wood
PENCILS: Olivier Coipel
INKS: Olivier Coipel and Mark Morales
COLORS: Laura Martin
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
COVER: Olivier Coipel with Laura Martin
28pp, Colors, $3.99 U.S. (July 2013)

Rated T+

Marvel Comics’ Marvel NOW initiative (which began in Fall 2012) is the major re-launch of the publisher’s comics line. Within that major re-launch have been several re-launches, and one of the big unveilings is a new comic book entitled, X-Men.

The new X-Men is written by Brian Wood and drawn by Olivier Coipel. That is a major creative team, but the really big news about this new X-Men title is that it features a female-only lineup. This new X-Men comic book stars Storm, Kitty Pryde, Psylocke, Rachel, Rogue, and Jubilee.

X-Men #1 (2013) begins with Jubilation Lee (Jubilee, of course) on the run, and in possession of an infant. Someone is following her, and she calls for the X-cavalry. Meanwhile, John Sublime shows up at The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning in Westchester, New York. He has a tale of impending doom to tell.

Writing the X-Men means recycling the ideas of other writers, ideas that were first published decades ago. What Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and Chris Claremont wrote can be and has been rehashed, re-imagined, remade, and re-jiggered into countless new comic book stories. This has gone on for decades and can go on for many, many more decades.

Along comes Brian Wood. He is one of those writers that can take someone else’s concept and write new stories that are as fresh and as innovative as the original idea. See him do it on Dark Horse’s new eponymous Star Wars comic book with artist Carlos D’Anda. Wood’s new X-Men is the freshest take on the franchise since Grant Morrison shocked us with New X-Men 13 years ago.

One of the elements that made Morrison’s New X-Men so bracing was the art by Frank Quitely. Wood has an artist collaborator who is still ascending. Olivier Coipel, the French comic book artist, has not yet reached his creative peak, but he is a good storyteller. His pretty, eye-candy style is made even prettier by Laura Martin’s dazzling colors.

Coipel is making X-Men a stimulating, refreshing read. Also, amazing is that he is the first “artist of color” (or how about “Black guy”) to be the series artist (and not a guest artist) on a main or “flagship” X-Men title in the 50-year history of the franchise. When you consider that people associated with Marvel have evoked Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X to describe the X-Men, it is ridiculous that it took this long.

By the way, no African-American or Black writer has been the series writer for Uncanny X-Men or X-Men. Is this an accident or is it because the powers-that-be over the years just wanted it that way? Well, I guess Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel are as bold as it’s ever going to get.

Any way, I like X-Men #1. This is just the first issue, but I already think that the 2013-launched X-Men is a fabulous comic book.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Albert Avilla Reviews: Avengers Vs. X-Men Round 11

Avengers Vs. X-Men Round 11 (Avengers vs. X-Men #11)
Marvel Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis with Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction
Pencils: Olivier Coipel
Inks: Mark Morales
Colors: Laura DePuy
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Covers: Jim Cheung, Sara Pichelli, Justin Ponsor

It's not issue 11. It's round 11, because a real Marvel throw-down is about to start. If you're going to have about a million characters in a story, then you better deliver the action. This was accomplished big time. Xavier was cool hands in his pockets while holy hell was being unleashed around him. This was an intervention on the cosmic level, and Cyclops wasn't having any of it. The moral compass of the mutant race has become a power mad tyrant willing to do whatever it takes to remake the world in his own image. He's saving the mutant race if he has to kill every one of them to do it. Does he remember that Jean sacrificed herself to stop the Phoenix Force? He basks in the power that he has fought to prevent. He's doing a great job of getting mutants and humans to work together. Olay, I'm going off on a tangent. This has been the best round in the match so far.

Just the art in this round was worth the $3.99. Majestic is the word that comes to mind. The landscapes add to the immensity of the story. The pages are not large enough to contain the action; you can feel the power exploding from the pages. My copy is nowhere near mint, because I've thumbed through it so many times enjoying the art.

I rate this round Recommend It to a Friend.

I Reads You Review: ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS: BLADE VS. THE AVENGERS

ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS: BLADE VS. THE AVENGERS
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Mark Millar
PENCILS: Steve Dillon
INKS: Andy Lanning and Scott Hanna
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth with Matthew Wilson and John Rauch
LETTERS: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER: Leinil Francis Yu and Marte Gracia
EXTRA ART: Olivier Coipel and Laura Martin; Greg Land and Frank D’Armata
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4009-2; hardcover
152pp, Color, $24.99 U.S., $27.99 CAN

Several years ago, there were rumors or perhaps a semi-official announcement that Mark Millar was going to be the writer of a new comic book series featuring, Blade, Marvel’s resident vampire hunter. It never came to pass.

Now, Mark Millar writes Blade. Nuff said…

Well, not quite, but Blade gets his name in the title in the new hardcover collection, Ultimate Comics Avengers: Blade vs. The Avengers. Written by Mark Millar and drawn by Steve Dillon, this book reprints Ultimate Avengers 3 #1-6. This story arc sees the Avengers battle a highly-organized attempt at a vampire takeover of the world.

The story begins when Blade gets an offer of a truce from Anthony, a new vampire leader. Mysterious and charismatic, Anthony has encased himself in an old Iron Man suit of armor, making him hard to kill. Anthony’s plot to rule the world involves building an army of superheroes converted into vampires.

After one of their own is bitten and recruited into the vampire army, Nick Fury and his black-ops task force, the Avengers, find themselves on the frontlines fighting to save humankind. The new vampire king rallies all the various vampire clans to his ever-growing number of super-powered Nosferatu. Meanwhile, Fury is wary of half-vampire Blade, who offers his help. Is the Daywalker friend or foe?

This Ultimate Avengers story arc is not so much “Blade vs. The Avengers” as it is The Avengers vs. the vampire apocalypse – with Blade as a character on the periphery. It’s as if Millar didn’t realize that the Blade he was writing is supposed to be a major player and not just a player in a few interludes. Still, what we get of Blade is quite good. Millar’s knack for dialogue makes this a sparkling read. Millar doesn’t just write snark and satire. His dialogue defines the characters mood as well as it colors the scene in which a character speaks. Millar’s Blade is the most attractive since the 1970s Blade of Marv Wolfman and Chris Claremont.

Equally evocative is the art of Steve Dillon. With his clean style, Dillon conveys character, setting, and plot and executes a narrative that is as complex as it is streamlined. For all their photo-realism, cross-hatching, and computer coloring, most artists can’t touch Dillon’s depth of storytelling. For all this story’s craziness, Dillon even manages to wring out a few poignant and dramatic moments.

Yeah, I wanted more Blade, much more Blade, but I like Ultimate Comics Avengers: Blade vs. The Avengers.

B+

Ultimate Comics Avengers: Blade Vs. the Avengers (See all Superheroes Graphic Novels)