Review: AVENGERS No. 1.1

AVENGERS No. 1.1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Mark Waid
PENCILS: Barry Kitson
INKS: Mark Farmer
COLORS: Jordan Boyd
LETTERS: Ferran Delgado
COVER: Barry Kitson with Jordan Boyd
VARIANT COVERS: Alan Davis and Mark Farmer with Matt Yackey; Alex Maleev; John Tyler Christopher
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2017)

Rated “T+”

Avengers created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

The Avengers are a Marvel Comics team of superheroes.  The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 (cover dated:  September 1963) and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.  Known as “Earth's Mightiest Heroes,” the Avengers had an original line-up of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant Man, and The Wasp.  Captain America, a 1940s character from Timely Comics (Marvel's precursor), joined the team in The Avengers #4 (cover dated:  March 1964).

With The Avengers #16 (cover dated:  May 1965), every member of the Avengers, except Captain America, quit the team.  Replacing them were three former villains:  Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch.  Marvel Comics revisits those early years of the “new” Avengers in the new comic book series, Avengers 1.1.  It is written by Mark Waid; drawn by Barry Kitson (pencils) and Mark Farmer (inks); colored by Jordan Boyd; and lettered by Ferran Delgado.

Avengers #1.1 opens with “Avengers Assemble” as Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man (formerly Ant-Man), and the Wasp take on the members of the Masters of Evil:  The Black Knight, The Enchantress, The Executioner, and The Mysterious Melter.  After that battle, the remaining original Avengers decide to quit the team.  Now, Captain America is left alone to deal with three new Avengers who have controversial pasts.  Now, an enemy is prepared to take advantage of this awkward moment in the history of “Earth's Mightest Heroes.”

I am a fan of Silver Age comic books, especially those published by Marvel and DC Comics.  However, I am not necessarily a fan of modern comic books that try to retell those stories in a faux-retro style.  [After all, Marvel and DC Comics often retell stories they originally published in the 1960s with a modern spin via remakes or re-imaginings.]

I am a fan of Avengers #1.1 for two reasons.  The first reason is writer Mark Waid, who always seems to have the Midas touch when writing comic books that retell stories from the 1960s or at least tries to recapture the spirit of those comic books.  I can't quite describe it, but Waid gets it right with this first issue.

The second reason is artist Barry Kitson.  His clean compositions recall the classic mid-century modern and “New York slick” aesthetic of classic 1960s Marvel Comics.  It helps that Kitson's inker for this issue is Mark Farmer, known for inking the pencil art of Alan Davis.  Davis' comic book art has a timeless quality that looks like it could belong in any comic book era, and here, Farmer makes Kitson's storytelling resemble Davis's.

I am excited about Avengers 1.1 (or Avengers .1)  As long as Mark Waid is writing and artists like Barry Kitson are drawing this Avengers title, I will read it, although I generally avoid Avengers comic book series...

A-

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


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

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Review: INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #593

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN No. 593
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
ART: Stefano Caselli; Alex Maleev
COLORS: Marte Gracia; Alex Maleev
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Adi Granov
VARIANT COVERS: Alan Davis and Mark Farmer with Matt Yackey; John Tyler Christopher with Stefano Caselli and Marte Gracia; Mike McKone with Rachelle Rosenberg; Chip Zdarsky; Jack Kirby with Frank Giacola
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2017)

Rated “T+”

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

“The Search for Tony Stark” Part One

One could be forgiven for thinking that there was a new Iron Man #1 comic book of some type every year, and that would not be far from the truth.  I think that going back to 1999, there have been close to 10 Iron Man #1's of one type or another, if not more.

Thanks to Marvel Comics' new “Legacy” initiative, Iron Man goes back to its original numbering (plus several relaunch numbers) and the result is Invincible Iron Man #593.  The creative team behind the most recent Invincible Iron Man relaunch (which was just a year ago) remains for the “Legacy” launch.  That would be writer Brian Michael Bendis; artist Stefano Caselli; colorist Marte Gracia; and letterer Clayton Cowles, with International Iron Man and Infamous Iron Man artist/colorist, Alex Maleev joining the team.

With Tony Stark out of commission (following events depicted in Civil War II), Riri Williams, a teenage girl and genius, and Victor Von Doom, formerly the super-villain Doctor Doom, have taken on the mantle of Iron Man.  Riri does so as the armored hero, Ironheart.

As Invincible Iron Man #593 opens, Tony Stark's comatose body has disappeared.  Riri joins Amanda Armstrong (Tony's birth mother); Mary Jane Watson (chosen by Tony to run Stark Industries); and Friday (an artificial intelligence Tony created to help him) in the search for Tony Stark.  They better hurry!  Stark Industries' Board of Directors is making bold moves.  Meanwhile, the Infamous Iron Man Victor von Doom has to find some escaped prisoners.

I had high hopes for the 11-issue run of Invincible Iron Man starring Riri Williams, and writer Brian Michael Bendis delivered.  Riri is the most fascinating female character of color in superhero comic books since the X-Men's Storm, specifically during the first decade of Storm's existence as written by Chris Claremont.  Riri is a well-developed character, and would be fascinating even if she were not in a superhero comic book.  Her imagination and inquisitiveness are infectious; I want to learn with her and be by her side inventing stuff.

But many of the white dudes that read comics and control the means of production (allegedly) ain't having it.  It is time to bring the white Iron Man back.  Seriously, Brian Bendis writing about Riri the armored character “Ironheart” in Invincible Iron Man and about Victor von Doom trying to be good guy as Iron Man in Infamous Iron Man did some stellar work.  In my decades as a Marvel Comics reader, I have never read better Iron Man comic books than what Bendis wrote, and he was doing it twice a month.

Bendis recently announced that he has signed as an exclusive creator with DC Comics, leaving Marvel after nearly 20 years.  I don't know who will replace him on Iron Man, and I don't think the new writer (who will obviously be a white male) can match Bendis.  If he does, I doubt he can do it on two monthly books.

So this first issue of “The Search for Tony Stark,” which is probably Bendis' last Iron Man story arc (for a while at least), is a nice start, and the ending of this issue is quite intriguing.

A
8 out of 10

Thursday, December 21, 2017


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

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Review THUNDERBOLTS #1

THUNDERBOLTS No. 1 (2016)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Jim Zub
ARTIST: Jon Malin
COLORS: Matt Yackey
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
COVER: Jon Malin with Matt Yackey
VARIANT COVERS: Mark Bagley with Sonia Oback; John Tyler Christopher; Anthony Piper; Chris Stevens with Frank Martin
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2016)

Parental Advisory

There is No High Road: Part One “Power and Control”

The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team.  Over the years, the team has mostly consisted of supervillains, reformed and otherwise.  The Thunderbolts first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 (cover dated: January 1997) and were created by writer Kurt Busiek and artist Mark Bagley.

Marvel Comics recently launched a new ongoing comic book series featuring the team, entitled Thunderbolts, of course.  It is written by Jim Zub; drawn by Jon Malin; colored by Matt Yackey; and lettered by Joe Sabino.

Thunderbolts #1 (“Power and Control”) introduces a version of the Thunderbolts that is known as “Winter Soldier's Team.”  Coming out of the Avengers: Standoff! story line, the team consists of Winter Soldier (James “Bucky” Barnes); The Fixer (Paul Norbert Ebersol); Moonstone (Karla Sofen); and Atlas (Erik Josten); Mach-X (Abner Jenkins), and maybe Kobik.  Winter Soldier has decided to take up Nick Fury's mandate of protecting Earth from all threats, but things are complicated.

First, let me say that I am getting a kick out of the art of Jon Malin.  He seems like a third generation disciple or maybe even clone of Rob Liefeld.  If you took Liefeld's back-in-the-day work on New Mutants, X-Force, and Youngblood and made the compositions stronger or more polished, you would get Jon Malin.

I am a fan of the work of Jim Zub, especially for his work on his creator-owned series, Wayward (Image Comics), and for Samurai Jack (IDW Publishing), a continuation of the former Cartoon Network animated series.  For the past few years, I have been hoping that Zub would take over an ongoing comic book series for either Marvel or DC Comics.

That said, I am disappointed in Thunderbolts.  Not that I ever expected much of this comic book from the time I heard about it, but I had hoped that Zub would get to write a series that took advantage of his imagination and inventiveness.  I don't think this is it.  Thunderbolts is mere filler material, the also also-ran of the Marvel Comics line-up of Avengers-related team books.  I am not even going to say that if anyone can save this book, it is Jim Zub.  I don't plan on finding out.

C-

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.

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I Reads You Review: SUICIDE SQUAD #14

SUICIDE SQUAD #14
DC COMICS

WRITER: Adam Glass
ARTIST: Fernando Dagnino
COLORS: Matt Yackey
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher
COVER: Ken Lashley with Matt Yackey
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Rated "T+" - Teen Plus

“Death in the Family – Running with the Devil”

In “The New 52,” the Suicide Squad is a team of super-villains, in which the members take on risky missions in exchange for time served. The team’s base of operations is Belle Reve Penitentiary, a special prison for meta-humans and super-villains located in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana.

Suicide Squad #14 (“Running with the Devil”) opens in the aftermath of the team’s battle with Basilisk. The Suicide Squad gathers for the funeral of Floyd Lawton AKA Deadshot. The Joker crashes the par-tay with demands to make on his compatriot and Suicide Squad member, Harley Quinn. What does he really want? In the meantime, members of the squad struggle with changes in their lives and with their powers.

I haven’t read the Suicide Squad since Suicide Squad #1 arrived in September 2011 during “The New 52” month. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed that debut issue. Suicide Squad #14, on the other hand, doesn’t do much for me. It isn’t bad, nor is it really good. It’s inoffensive with a few interesting moments scattered throughout the issue. Of course, a middling comic book needs a middling comic book artist; enter Fernando Dagnino. He can draw, but his skills would be a better fit on an independent genre title, not a DC Comics title. There are better artists who can’t get work and who are more appropriate than Dagnino to work for a major publisher like DC.

The Joker’s appearance is a tack-on so that this issue is tied to The New 52’s reworking of “Death in the Family,” and while that tie-in is intriguing, it is a cheat. There’s just enough to make it an official chapter/tie-in. I’m not interested enough to seek out the rest of “Death in the Family.”

C+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The New 52 Review: HAWK & DOVE #1

HAWK & DOVE #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Sterling Gates
ARTIST: Rob Liefeld
COLORS: Matt Yackey
LETTERS: Dezi Sienty
COVER: Rob Liefeld and Hi-Fi
32pp, Color, $2.99

Hawk and Dove are comic book characters created by Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates. They debuted in Showcase #75 (1968), and starred in their own comic book, The Hawk and the Dove, which ran for six issues from 1968 to 1969.

The characters are Hank Hall, who is the Hawk, a conservative, hot-headed reactionary. His brother is Don Hall, the liberal and pacifist Dove. The Dove was killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths. In 1988, a Hawk & Dove miniseries, with pencil art by a young Rob Liefeld, introduced the new Dove, Dawn Granger.

Liefeld and the Hank and Dawn version of Hawk and Dove return in the New 52 Hawk & Dove #1. Based in Washington D.C., Hawk and Dove take on an airplane hijacking initiated by Alexander Quirk, the self-proclaimed science terrorist who wants to change politics. Quirk’s most fearsome creations are powerful zombies that prove to be difficult to beat down and keep down. Meanwhile, brewing under the surface of the main story, we learn that Dawn Granger is keeping secrets from Hank Hall (because she admits this to her boyfriend, Deadman).

After DC Comics announced that they were re-launching their superhero line “the New 52,” I started hearing that people were comparing the preview art for the new books to the initial Image Comics titles of the early 1990s. Well, the new Hawk & Dove is like a “classic” Image comic book. This is indeed a throwback comic book. Thanks to the art by Rob Liefeld, an Image Comics founder, readers who remember Liefeld’s New Mutants, X-Force, and Youngblood will have a disappointing feeling of déjà vu from Hawk & Dove. Some artists get better with age; others see their skills decline in one way or another. I have to give Liefeld credit for staying the same – for better or for worse.

Hawk & Dove #1 is not at all good, nor is it particularly bad. It is stubbornly, disgustingly, mediocre and average, but it isn’t all Liefeld’s fault, although every line of his art proudly carries the banner for rank amateurism. I’m not familiar with writer Sterling Gray, and I am disappointed that my first encounter with his work is this pedestrian effort.

C-

August 31st
FLASHPOINT #5
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/flashpoint-5.html
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/justice-league-1.html

September 7th
ACTION COMICS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/action-comics-1.html
DETECTIVE COMICS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/detective-comics-1-2011.html