I Reads You RE-VIEWED: UNCANNY X-MEN Annual (Volume 2) #1

UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL (VOL. 2) #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

STORY: Chris Claremont and Tony Bedard
PENCILS: Clayton Henry
INKS: Mark Morales
COLORS: Christina Strain
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
COVER: Leinil Francis Yu with Dave McCaig
48pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2006)

I Dream of Africa: A Special Prelude to the Wedding of the Century

You may know that classic X-Men character, Storm (Ororo Munroe), and The Black Panther (T’Challa) were once married.  The wedding took place in the Black Panther comic book series that launched in 2005.  Black Panther later informed Storm that he had annulled the marriage (in Avengers vs. X-Men #9).

Leading up to the wedding (depicted in Black Panther #15), there were several “prelude” stories.  One of them appeared in Uncanny X-Men Annual (Vol. 2) #1 in a story entitled, “I Dream of Africa: A Special Prelude to the Wedding of the Century.”  This story was written by Chris Claremont and Tony Bedard and drawn by Clayton Henry (pencils) and Mark Morales (inks).

Uncanny X-Men Annual (Vol. 2) #1 followed events depicted in Uncanny X-Men #471.  Storm was in Africa to help her people.  In the city of Turkana, she discovers a military leader, Colonel Shetani, who is scouring the African countryside looking for mutants.  In addition to his men, Shetani uses child soldiers, called the Little Simbas, to terrorize locals.  Storm summons her friends, the X-Men for help.

Now, Storm is injured, and as she drifts in and out of consciousness, she is confronted by Black Panther’s proposal of marriage.  In dreams or perhaps in some other altered state, Storm meets her ex-lover, Forge, and she debates versions of Marvel Girl/Jean Grey and Kitty Pryde.  Meanwhile, the X-Men who came to her aid:  Bishop, Cannonball, Nightcrawler, Psylocke, and Rachel Summers, find themselves facing Shetani’s forces.  And these guys seem specifically equipped to kill mutants.

While digging through a pile of comic books a friend gave me, I found Uncanny X-Men Annual (Vol. 2) #1.  I initially planned on giving it away, but when I noticed that it was tied to the Black Panther-Storm wedding, I decided to read it.  I am glad I did because I enjoyed it.  I won’t act like this is a classic, but it does feature a number of X-Men elements of which I am a big fan.

First, it focuses on Storm and delves into her past (although in a broad way), and I love me some Storm.  I once wanted to be Storm (Gasp! Choke!).  Secondly, the story features the X-Men in combat, fighting for their lives, against opponents that are genuine threats to their continued existence.  In fact, this story is classic Chris Claremont Uncanny X-Men, but without the Claremont’s unique dialogue.  So readers get Claremont, just without the grandiosity (pomposity?) and soap opera affectation.

Once again, this isn’t great stuff, but it is a good X-Men comic book.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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Albert Avilla Reviews: Green Lantern: New Guardians #0

Green Lantern New Guardians #0
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Aaron Kuder, Andrei Bressan
Inks: Greg Adams

(Spoiler Alert)
Are we about to jump off into something or what? Hal Jordan has gone off with Sinestro. Carol Ferris finds a ring in Hal's locker – not that ring, an engagement ring. A Lantern shows up; it's Kyle Rayner. He's looking for Hal, too. Kyle and Carole go off to fight some Black Lanterns. Kyle finds a place where a yellow power battery blew up. Then, Kyle throws down on the Black Lanterns with the green and blue spectrum.

Kyle explains that different colors are working through his ring. The ring says that Hal is dead, but Star Sapphire's love says he is not. It also shows that Kyle will combine all seven powers in the future. The Zamarons and the Guardians are united to destroy the seven corps. This is how you kick off a major crossover event. You give the reader a good savory taste of action. Give them a fist full of questions that need to be answered. Have the enemy marshaling their forces. Don't forget the good old foreshadowing that leaves them wanting more. This is what The New 52 should be about, a quantum change from the old DC.

Let’s talk about the art. Kyle and Star Sapphire are awesomely cool. You get landscapes, the night skies, unique energies, the zombie apocalypse, and splash page masterpieces. The color palette is exploited to its aesthetic maximum. The cover was the cherry that tops the sundae.

I rate Green Lantern New Guardians #0 Buy Your Own Copy.  Al-O-Meter #2 (of 5) ranking.

The New 52 Review: GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1

"Lord of the Rings"

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Tony Bedard
PENCILS: Tyler Kirkham
INKS: Batt
COLORS: Nei Ruffino
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
COVER: Tyler Kirkham, Batt, and Rod Reis
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Kyle Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #48 (cover date January 1994). He replaced Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern (of Sector 2814) and held that position until the events of the miniseries, Green Lantern: Rebirth. Now, Rayner returns to Green Lantern status – Green Lantern of Sector 2814.4. With “The New 52,” DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero line, Rayner headlines Green Lantern: New Guardians.

As Green Lantern: New Guardians #1 (“Part One”) opens, something bad has happened on Oa, and the Guardian, Ganthet, plans on making something good come of it. He chooses down-on-his-luck commercial artist, Kyle Rayner, as the latest member of the Green Lantern Corps. Meanwhile, power rings that tap into different portions of the emotional spectrum are decommissioning and abandoning their owner/wearers. So who is the replacement wearer for all these rings?

Apparently, Green Lantern: New Guardians is a team book starring Kyle Rayner (the Green Lantern of Sector 2814.4?) and representatives of each of the Corps that tap into a particular portion of the emotional spectrum. I can see this becoming my favorite Green Lantern series, even as much as I (thus far) like Green Lantern Corps. Series writer Tony Bedard injects humor, giving the portion of the Green Lantern mythos that he will direct a tweak without tearing it down to build something new.

Unlike the artists of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps, New Guardians artist Tyler Kirkham is not trying to emulate Brian Bolland. Kirkham honed his skill in a Michael Turner mini-factory, and while his style still shows the influence of the late Mr. Turner, Kirkham can draw and has an imaginative sense of composition. There are a few very nice splash pages and double-page spreads, and also a way-cool body shot of the Star Sapphire known as Fatality.

Green Lantern: New Guardians essentially says that when it comes to Green Lantern comic books, three’s company – not a crowd.

B+

September 28th
AQUAMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/aquaman-1.html
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/batman-dark-knight-1.html
BLACKHAWKS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/blackhawks-1.html
FLASH #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/flash-1.html
I VAMPIRE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-vampire-1.html
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/justice-league-dark-1.html
SUPERMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/superman-1.html
TEEN TITANS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/teen-titans-1.html
VOODOO #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/voodoo-1.html

The New 52 Review: BLUE BEETLE #1

BLUE BEETLE #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Tony Bedard
PENCILS: Ig Guara
INKS: Ruy Jose
COLORS: Pete Pantazis
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Tyler Kirkham and Sal Regla with Nate Eyring
32pp, Color, $2.99

The superhero Blue Beetle first appeared in Mystery Men Comics #1 (cover-dated August 1939) from the publisher, Fox Comics. The original Blue Beetle was Dan Garret, a rookie police officer who used special equipment, a bulletproof costume, and a super-strength formula to fight crime. In Captain Atom #83 (cover-dated November 1966), Charlton Comics introduced the best known Blue Beetle, Ted Kord. Kord was a student of Dan Garret’s and also an inventor who used special gadgets to fight crime.

After DC Comics bought the rights to the Charlton characters, the Ted Kord Blue Beetle starred in several series for the next two decades. The most recent Blue Beetle, Jamie Reyes, debuted in 2006 and is a Latino teenager who uses alien technology. “The New 52,” DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero line, gives Jaime Reyes a new comic book series. Blue Beetle #1 (“Metamorphosis, Part One”) opens a long time ago, as The Reach destroys a world in Space Sector 2. Readers will recognize that the soldiers of The Reach look like Blue Beetle. They are soldiers created by blue Scarabs.

Present day, the most important thing on Jaime Reyes’ mind is Brenda Del Vecchio’s party. However, the festivities are at Brenda’s aunt’s house, and Jaime’s parents don’t want their son in the home of Doña Cardenas. But a teen will do what a teen has to do, and Jaime is racing to the party with his pal, Paco. However, this car ride is heading to a date with super-villains and a certain scarab.

Simply put, Blue Beetle #1 is a top-notch superhero comic book and a great read. Writer Tony Bedard squeezes quite a bit of narrative into 22-pages, from the origins of the scarab that gives Blue Beetle his powers and uniform to the environment in which series star Jaime Reyes lives. Plus, Bedard includes two good battle scenes.

Bedard’s script allows penciller Ig Guara to show off his broad compositional and design skills in creating diverse settings: alien worlds, outer space battles, teen melodrama, and super-powered fights. These are four essential set pieces from the superhero comic book catalog, which Guara draws with a deft touch and captures with sharply defined emotion and explosive action. Blue Beetle should be a hit.

A-

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
SUPERGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/supergirl-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html