#IReadsYou Review: NEW MUTANTS #1

NEW MUTANTS No. 1 (2020)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Ed Brisson and Jonathan Hickman
ART: Rod Reis
COLORS: Rod Reis
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Jordan D. White
EiC: Akria Yoshida a.k.a. “C.B. Cebulski”
COVER: Rod Reis
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Nick Bradshaw with Morry Hollowell; Stanley “Artgerm” Lau; Mark Bagley and John Dell with Israel Silva; Tom Muller
44pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (January 2020)

Rated T+

The X-Men created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; New Mutants created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod

“The Sextant”

The X-Men are a Marvel Comics superhero team and franchise created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Jack Kirby.  The X-Men #1 (cover dated: September 1963) introduced readers to a professor and his students, all of whom had unique powers and abilities because they were “mutants.”

The New Mutants #1 (cover date:  March 1983) was the launch of the first ongoing spin-off series of the X-Men.  The New Mutants was a group of teenage mutants who were both students at Xavier's School for Gifted Children and superheroes-in-training.  The original team of New Mutants first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants (cover date:  December 1982).

This past summer (2019), writer Jonathan Hickman revamped, rebooted, and re-imagined the X-Men comic book franchise via a pair of six-issue comic book miniseries, House of X and Powers of X (pronounced “Powers of Ten”).  October 2019 welcomed “Dawn of X,” the launch of six new X-Men titles.  The new series were Excalibur, Fallen Angels, Marauders, X-Force, X-Men and the subject of this review, New Mutants.

New Mutants 2020 is written by Ed Brisson and Jonathan Hickman; drawn and colored by Rod Reis; and lettered by Travis Lanham.  This relaunch of the New Mutants goes in a science fiction direction and features classic New Mutants and new characters on an adventure in the deep reaches of space.

As New Mutants #1 (“The Sextant”) opens, Professor X and Storm welcome Rahne Sinclair, the mutant codenamed “Wolfsbane,” back into the world... into their new world:  Krakoa, the living island and mutant nation-state.  Rahne is reunited with a mixture of familiar New Mutants teammates (Sunspot, Mirage, Karma, Magik, and Cypher) and some new friends (Chamber and Mondo) for a new kind of adventure.

One original family member is missing, Sam Guthrie a.k.a. “Cannonball,” who is with his family in the outer space territory of the Shi'ar Empire.  Well, these New Mutants want their teammate back, so fortunately (or unfortunately) they are going to get a ride to somewhere near Shi'ar space aboard the space ship, “The Starjammer.”  However, its crew of pirates, “The Starjammers,” especially their captain, Corsair, is an unsavory group.  And a mission in space alongside the Starjammers is often bad news... the fact of which these young mutants seem oblivious.

What writers Ed Brisson and Jonathan Hickman offer in New Mutants #1 could develop into something quite entertaining.  Still, much of this first issue made me say, “meh.”

On the other hand, the art and coloring by Rod Reis, which recalls the work of classic New Mutants artist, Bill Sienkiewicz, made me want to keep reading.  It is beautiful enough to encourage me to come back for more... maybe.

I can say that the ending of New Mutants #1 is a good cliffhanger, so I raised my final grade from the grade (a “C”) that I was originally going to give this issue.

5.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and  syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: HISTORY OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #1

HISTORY OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Mark Waid
PENCILS: Javier Rodríguez
INKS: Álvaro López
COLORS: Javier Rodríguez
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
EDITOR: Tom Brevoort
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
MISC. ART: Phil Noto
COVER: Steve McNiven and Mark Farmer with Sunny Gho
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Nick Bradshaw with John Rauch; John Buscema with Jason Keith; David Marquez with Matthew Wilson; Javier Rodríguez and Álvaro López
44pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (September 2019)

Rated T

History of the Marvel Universe is a comic book miniseries that chronicles completely, for the first time, everything that was, is, or will be in the Marvel Universe.  History of the Marvel Universe is written by Mark Waid; drawn by Javier Rodríguez (pencils/colors) and Álvaro López (inks); and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

History of the Marvel Universe #1 opens at “the End of Time.”  There, Franklin Richards and the planet-devouring Galactus await the final death of the universe.  Although both will move to the universe born of the death of this one, Richards is concerned about memories.  Before it all ends, he wants the history of this universe to have meant something.  Richards asks Galactus to help him remember everything.  Thus, Galactus recounts the history of this universe, beginning with a first chapter.  It starts at the so-called “Big Bang” and ends both in the Wild West of The Rawhide Kid and The Two-Gun Kid and in the wild north of Canada where a boy named James Howlett emerges.

There is no doubt about it.  Marvel Comics' History of the Marvel Universe #1 has more than a passing resemblance to DC Comics' 1986, two-issue miniseries, History of the DC Universe.  It is true that Mark Waid and Javier Rodríguez could find no better template than the one writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez laid down in History of the DC Universe.

Some people consider Mark Waid an unofficial Marvel Comics historian; I imagine some people at Marvel probably think that.  Waid does a good job gathering the varied “histories” about the beginnings, the ancient times, the recent centuries, etc. that have been depicted in five decades of Marvel Comics titles.  Waid also mixes in threads from Marvel's predecessor Timely Comics and the two decades of material the predates the publication of The Fantastic Four #1.  Of course, Waid has to take into consideration decades of “retcons,” in which Marvel Comics scribes went back and changed things after the fact – the Avengers of one million years ago, introduced in Avengers #1 (2018).  I won't say that this first issue is a great read, but there are some interesting bits in this first issue.

I can say that I love the art team of Javier Rodríguez (pencils/colors) and Álvaro López.  Here, they don't have to engage in graphical storytelling, so much as they have to draw pictures that illustrate Mark Waid's text.  [Waid's script is presented in caption boxes, not word balloons, all well-crafted by Joe Caramagna.]  Their art reminds me of art of Alan Davis.

Speaking of which, Davis' longtime inker, Mark Farmer, inks Steve McNiven's cover pencil art – with excellent results.  So, in conclusion, History of the Marvel Universe #1 is an occasionally interesting curiosity, but honestly, you, dear readers, don't need to read it to enjoy Marvel Comics titles.  History of the Marvel Universe #1 is not the monumental work that Marvel Comics' monumental history deserves.  [I think the history of the Marvel Universe would be best told in a long-running, ongoing comic book series, which won't happen.]

6 out of 10

[This comic book includes four pages of annotations, which list the Marvel Comics publications which acted as reference for the story in History of the Marvel Universe #1.]

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


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: SPIDEY #1

SPIDEY No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Robbie Thompson
ART: Nick Bradshaw
COLORS: Jim Campbell
LETTERS: Travis Lanham
COVER: Nick Bradshaw with Jim Campbell
VARIANT COVERS: Humberto Ramos with Edgar Delgado; Skottie Young; Gyimah Gariba (Hip Hop Variant)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2016)

Rated  “T”

Spider-Man created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

The Spider-Man that readers first met in Amazing Fantasy #15 (cover dated: August 1962) and then, in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (cover date: March 1963) was secretly a teenager and high school student named Peter Parker.  Over the years, a legion of Spider-Man writers depicted Peter Parker graduating from high school, going to college, becoming a college graduate student, a working stiff, a freelancer, an employee, etc.

If my memory is correct, Peter Parker was living on his own and might have been a grad student in the first Spider-Man comic books I ever read.  However, the first time I encountered Spider-Man in comics was a reprint of the story from Amazing Fantasy #15.  That was a seminal moment for me as a burgeoning comic book fan.  From that point on, I basically always favored the teenage Peter Parker, so the first time I saw an adult Parker, I found it odd.  It is not that I did not like a grown-up Parker; I simply preferred reading about a teen-aged Peter Parker being Spider-Man.

So my interest was piqued when I read that as part of the “All-New, All-Different Marvel,” Marvel Comics was going to launch a comic book that focused on the early days of Peter Parker's adventures as Spider-Man.  Entitled Spidey, this series is written by Robbie Thompson; drawn by Nick Bradshaw; colored by Jim Campbell; and lettered by Travis Lanham.

Spidey #1 finds Peter Parker having to be the Amazing Spider-Man on his way to class at Midtown High School.  It is the field trip to Oscorp that causes the real trouble when Doctor Otto Octavius crashes the party.

I tried to be a cynical old guy and not like Spidey #1, but it is the kind of throwback, retro Spider-Man comic book that I like to read on occasion.  In fact, I am ready for the second issue (which I think has been released as of this writing).  This is an action-adventure comic book that recalls classic Marvel, but without the storytelling density.  After all, early Marvel Comics squeezed an epic into practically each issue their most popular series.

Spidey writer Robbie Thompson offers something like a comic book version of the Saturday morning animated television series, “The Spectacular Spider-Man” (2008-2009).  Thompson pretty much sticks with standard characterization on all characters, including the supporting players, Gwen Stacy and Flash Thompson, so readers will recognize the characters they have come to love.  Thompson also manages two Spider-Man-in-action sequences, while offering the high school melodrama that is integral to any Spider-Man comic book

Artist Nick Bradshaw does his best Art Adams circa Monkeyman and O'Brien, but Adam's detailed style is made practical rather than stylish in Spidey.  Appearance aside, Bradshaw's storytelling is solid, balancing lite high school drama with explosive action.  And as every Spider-Man comic book artist should do, Bradshaw makes Spider-Man look good in action.  I don't know if Bradshaw will be remembered as a great Spider-Man artist, but he is starting off as an effective one.

So if readers are looking for a Spider-Man comic book for young readers, rather than complaining they can find Spidey.  It will entertainment them, also.

B+

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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Review: SYMBIOTE SPIDER-MAN #1

SYMBIOTE SPIDER-MAN No. 1 (OF 5)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Peter David
PENCILS: Greg Land
INKS: Jay Leisten
COLORS: Frank D'Armata
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
MISC. ART. Iban Coella with Frank D'Armata (flashback sequence)
EDITOR: Devin Lewis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Greg Land with Frank D'Armata
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Artgerm; Ron Lim with Israel Silva; Nick Bradshaw with John Rauch; Skottie Young; Todd McFarlane with Jesus Aburtov; Alex Saviuk with Chris Sotomayor
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (May 2019)

Rated  “T”

Spider-Man created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee

Spider-Man is the classic Marvel Comics superhero that readers first met in Amazing Fantasy #15 (cover dated: August 1962).  High school student Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, which gave him the proportional speed and strength of a spider and other strangers powers, including a spider-sense that acted as a kind of internal warning beacon.  Parker donned what would become his trademark red and blue costume that he made himself, so he became the crime-fighting superhero, The Amazing Spider-Man.

In The Amazing Spider-Man #252 (cover dated: May 1984), Peter donned a new costume.  A sleek, all-black suit, except for the white spider design, the costume seemed to have a life of its own.  With a thought, the costume would slide onto Peter's body and it could also transform (or morph) into other clothing, including shoes.

In The Amazing Spider-Man #258 (November 1984), readers learned that Spider-Man's black costume was actually an “alien symbiote.”  It had an amorphous, liquid-like form, and it had also bonded with Spider-Man's body.  It turns out that Spider-Man had received the costume on an alien world, as seen in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8 (cover dated: December 1984).

The five-issue miniseries Symbiote Spider-Man is set during the time period before Spider-Man discovered that his black costume was an alien entity.  The series is written by Peter David; drawn by Greg Land (pencils) and Jay Leisten (inks); colored by Frank D'Armata; and lettered by Joe Sabino.  The story pits Spider-Man against a classic villain, Mysterio.  [Mysterio actually did not meet Spider-Man in any of the comic books published during the 1984 to1988 original period of the black costume.]

Symbiote Spider-Man #1 opens at the end of an intense battle between Spider-Man and Mysterio.  Via flashback, we learn that Quentin Beck a.k.a. Mysterio has been looking to commit one big criminal score before retiring.  However, while robbing a bank, Mysterio witness a tragic outcome he did not expect.  Returning to the battle, Mysterio is seemingly defeated, but he has witnessed something that may finally give him an edge over Spider-Man.

I decided to try Symbiote Spider-Man #1 because I generally like the art of Greg Land.  In fact, as inked by Jay Leisten, Land's art in this first issue looks like the work of Terry Dodson.  Frank D'Armata heavily lays on his colors; it all looks a little too thick, except for the flashback drawn by Iban Coello where the colors look sharp.  Joe Sabino's lettering is nicely professional, so, in general this first issue is a good-looking comic book.

I have also enjoyed the work of writer Peter David, mostly because he is good at character drama.  Symbiote Spider-Man #1 strikes an odd note.  It is surprisingly melancholy, and a sense of grief hangs over the story.  The themes of loss – loss of life, losses in one's professional life, loss of respect, etc. – do not dominate this first issue, but they do seem as if they will be the dominate themes of this series.

I think Marvel Comics decided to release Symbiote Spider-Man because it was looking for a way to capitalize on Mysterio being the villain in Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios' summer film, Spider-Man: Far From Home.  Although this first issue is a nice read, I don't feel compelled to read the rest of the series, but the last page of this first issue does pique my interest.  I can say that Spider-Man comic book fans may want to try at least the first issue.

6 out of 10

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

The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN (2015) No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
ART: David Marquez
COLORS: Justin Ponsor
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: David Marquez with Justin Ponsor
VARIANT COVERS: Adi Granov, Ryan Stegman with Richard Isanove; Sara Pichelli with Jason Keith; Mahmud Asrar with Sonia Oback; Valerio Schiti with Jason Keith; Nick Bradshaw with Paul Mounts; Bruce Timm; Skottie Young; Brian Stelfreeze; John Tyler Christopher; Yasmine Putri; Dale Oliver photographed by Judy Stephens
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2015)

Rated “T+”

I was very happy with the most recent “new” Iron Man comic book series, Superior Iron Man, that was launched in 2014 as part of Marvel Comics' “Avengers NOW!” initiative.  As part of the “All-New All-Different Marvel,” there is a new Iron Man comic book, and it is entitled Invincible Iron Man.  This new series is written by Brian Michael Bendis; drawn by David Marquez; colored by Justin Ponsor; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Bendis and Marquez were the creative team of the second Miles Morales Spider-Man comic book, and Invincible Iron Man was the title of an Iron Man (2008) comic book written by Matt Fraction and drawn by Salvador Larroca.  I loved me some Miles, but I did not read a single issue of the Fraction-Larroca Iron Man, although I still plan to do so.

Invincible Iron Man #1 opens with an former A.I.M. operative trying to make a deal with Madame Masque.  Meanwhile, Tony Stark is enjoying some shop time and finally finishes him newest armor, his best armor.  He will need this new suit as enemies old, new, and transformed step forward.

This breezy first issue of Invincible Iron Man makes it difficult to be particularly critical or adoring of it.  But I do like it, and will read future issues.  I enjoy the Bendis-Marquez team, and if this first issue is any indication, I will enjoy this duo again.  Still, I don't know if this Iron Man comic book will be a particularly memorable one, which is something I can say about Superior Iron Man.  Knowing Bendis, I should have an idea soon.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.