Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities April Comics Haul... (spoilers)

Well, I'll start a day early...

Today, I bought

FLASH #208

X-STATIX #20

JLA #95

AVENGERS/JLA #4

THOR: SON OF ASGARD #1 and 2

OUTSIDERS #10

AVENGERS #80/495

Some of these were from last week's shipment, I believe...

FLASH #208: It's always fun to see Jay and Bart show up in support of Wally. I was tired of the Wally-doesn't-know-who-he-is storyline, but am enjoying the recovery of memory issues. It was *great* seeing James Jesse again... I can't wait to see what happens as a result of his conversation with a certain 'world's best' tailor...

X-STATIX #20: Wow, I thought this storyline would last longer... Vivisector has been the least-featured character, and I'm glad to see that change, here. This wasn't a slam dunk, but was enjoyable, particularly if you have any fondness for gay, intellectual werewolves with father issues:).

JLA #95: Eh-- I expected more than bargain-basement vampires from Claremont and Byrne... a vampire/JLA storyline *could* be a good one, but this isn't it, I'm afraid. The menace takes a big back seat to this new incarnation of a beloved Silver Age superteam. Though it *does* seem to be flinging continuity into the fan's face, doesn't it? I wonder if there are clones involved...

AVENGERS/JLA #4: Crowd scenes galore-- with a couple of nice moments. I wish there hadn't been so many multiple versions of the same character(s)... just getting in 'one' of each Leaguer, Avenger and villain would've been *plenty*.

THOR: SON OF ASGARD #1 and 2: This is a fun series, so far. I always liked Sif and wished she'd been featured in other series than Thor's. In fact, I'd love to see her as a Thor-appointed Avenger one of these days. Admittedly, I wish the same thing for Valkyrie... I'm not sure which I'd pick, if I had to.

Fans of Norse mythology, or of old-time Thor Asgard stories should consider picking this up.

OUTSIDERS #10: Love me some Cap, Jr. Why in the world he isn't the cornerstone of some team's lineup, I'll never understand. He's more interesting than some of this team's regulars... though for the first time, I like Thunder here... and wish her dad would stay around. I don't think I've ever seen a father/daughter dynamic in a superteam before. That could be fun. (I'm not counting Magneto and Scarlet Witch, since neither knew who the other was at the time...)

AVENGERS #80/495: A new Captain Britain... oh, well. This was an improvement on the last couple of issues... I'm having a hard time with Jan suddenly deciding to grow after all these years. There should've been something leading up to that, I think.

So, what did you buy and what did you think of your purchases after you read them?

These were included with my last week's purchases:

X-STATIX #20: The fill-in art was okay, but I missed Allred quite a bit. Guess he's working on DC's new METAL MEN series right now. Good story.

JLA #95: Can't wait for the new DOOM PATROL to stand revealed!

OUTSIDERS #10: One of my top 5 series right now and this issue kept that trend going!

I have been disappointed overall with X-Statix the last few issues. It feels like it's meandering to me. It reminds me of when Milligan went really wacko on Shade a few yrs back, and we went from solid well written stories to everyone dying and "Flaky" showing up.
I wonder if he plans an over all direction of where he wants the series to end up or if it's all winged.

JLA: I don't much like "Crucifer" but the Doom Patrol was intriguing. I'm surprised they would let Claremont do a new Patrol so soon after the last one was cancelled.

Planetary: One of my favorite books right now, I am so glad it's back on a regular release schedule! This is one of those books where the overall direction IS planned, very carefully, and when the threads start to come together it just blows you away.

Flash: The lost memory thing is getting me down, but I love seeing Jay and Bart. It was nice to see Fallout again too. And I love the way Johns has revamped the Top so I'm looking forward to seeing what he does now that he's out. You gotta love a character whose straightjacket is part of his costume design!

This week, I bought the following:

CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE FALCON #2
EXILES #45
NEW X-MEN #155
UNCANNY X-MEN #442

I would've bought AUTHORITY #11, but my shop was out-- the same for the AVENGERS/THUNDERBOLTS miniseries (also happened with #1... guess I'm now officially 'tradesitting' for this one).

CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE FALCON: I don't care much for the art-- the action sequences are fine, but any male character has exactly one facial expression-- the 'constipated grimace'. Ugh. It was fun seeing the Scarlet Witch guest-star... mostly out of uniform, no less. But I *think* they have Wanda flying... I may have missed it, but she's never demonstrated that power to my knowledge.

So far, the plot's left me cold... though the 'fake' Cap is sort of interesting. Looks like this is going to be more of a 'real world' (unfortunately, perhaps, not of the MTV variety) type of book. Intellectually, I know this suits the characters, for the most part. But I remember when Cap and Sam fought werewolves, femme fatales with funny afros, and supervillains. I'd like to see a bit of that, once in a while.

EXILES: Great use of Blink's powers-- *very* similar to Gates for us Legion fans. I liked the closing scene, which showed the victorious characters talking up a celebration, but falling asleep in exhaustion as the TV news heralds the triumph of a 'mystery team'.

Though most issues of Exiles have been entertaining-- and the character interplay has been handled well (mostly), I'm a little tired of the similarity of the supposedly 'alternative' worlds. Basically, it's been which Marvel hero will be the big baddie this month. And there's been little yin to this yang-- meaning, there haven't been many 'villains' being written as corresponding heroes.

Guess that's why the Exiles have to 'port in... but couldn't they be a little more creative in the 'other' worlds?

NEW X-MEN: I don't like Emma Frost much, though I recognize her 'entertainment' value... I appreciate her much more in smaller doses. I think I'm in the minority, here, as she certainly has her share of fans. The last year or so of this title has really disappointed me. I enjoyed several things about Morrison's run (the new students... his POV of the characters and their relationships) and hated others (Darkstar's callous murder and pitiful excuse for a funeral... the Beast's transformation... Magneto's characterization). He didn't leave all that much to build from, in a way... and yet, also left all sorts of possibilites for new writers to explore.

This particular issue didn't impress me, much-- though it was good to see old friends Scott and Hank actually interacting in a meaningful way.

UNCANNY X-MEN: I liked Wolverine disagreeing with Xavier about Magneto-- though his timing was the stuff of impure melodrama. I would have preferred to see Genosha remain out of the X-verse for awhile, as I think it's been overplayed... but instead it's going to be the setting for one of the upcoming RELOADED titles.

I was glad to finally read the Polaris/Wanda (who's getting around this month)/Quicksilver scene-- brief as it was. I'd like to see this family explored... here, the twins' thoughts about their father were too one-note; their relationship is much more complicated than what is presented here. They didn't just hate their father, nor he them.

Given Magneto's most recent use, however, I don't see what else could be written.

I'm looking forward to the next issue, with Lorna, Pietro and Wanda confronting (perhaps too strong a word...) Wolverine and Xavier. I liked Lorna's final line "Allow me to play Devil's Advocate". Perhaps all the crap this character's gone through is about to pay off.

I can hope, anyway.

I also thumbed through ALPHA FLIGHT and decided not to buy it-- I didn't enjoy the first issue and saw little to change my mind here. I will check back and see how some of the 'captive' characters are used.

TN

Lessee...

EXILES 45-- I'm glad the arc is wrapped and was touched by Mimic staying with the team. Looking forward to the new writer lots of you seem to like so much.

FLASH 208-- MAN do I like Turner's artwork. I was aware of it before on Gen 13 and Fathom and Danger Girl but I'm getting a thrill seeing it on DC characters! Nice to see Howie Porter back too.

Still gotta read Supreme Power, JLA/Avengers and Ultimates.

I haven't had a chance to read any of them yet but here is what I've picked up for the last 3 weeks:

Action Comics #814
Aquaman #17
Green Arrow #37
Iron Man #79
JLA #95
JLA #96
1602 #8
Teen Titans #10
Chosen #1
PS238 #3
PS238 #4
PS238 #5
Nodwick #24
30 Days of Night - Return to Barrow #1
Authority #11
Dark Days TP
Exiles #45
Superman: Birthright #9
Supreme Power #9
Batman #625
Avengers/JLA #4
Lady Death: The Wild Hunt #1
Legion #31
Negation War #1
Reign of the Zodiac #8
Sojourn #33
Superman #203
Ultimates #13
Inhumans 12 - *sob*
Ultimate X-Men #44
xtreme X-Men #45

GREAT Week for comics. Let's begin, shall we?

FABLES #24 - Well, Willingham said that all the clues are now in place as to who the Adversary is. I must be dumb, because I'm still not sure. Love the cover. The story was great, too, as we get ready for an attack by the "Wooden Soldiers". This has just become the book I look forward to most each month.

JSA #60 - I almost gave up on this comic after the dull "Princes of Darkness" story. I'm glad I stuck with it, because Johns is writing some of the best stuff I've seen. The art was a little off, but the story made up for it. great scenes with Hourman, Mid-Nite, Terrific, and Hal Spectre who may be going through some big changes soon. All this and a guest appearance from the Atom!

Aquaman #17 - Best single issue of the series yet (which really isn't saying much). The mystery of San Diego continues with some interesting twists. Only complaint is the continuing absence of Aquaman's supporting cast. I'm also not too big a fan of the art and the over-use of splash-pages. The best part is that I have no idea where this mystery is going. That keeps me coming back for more.

Action #814 - The first Superman-only comic I've gotten in years. I stood in the comics shop staring at it trying to convince myself to buy it. The little picture of supes breaking the chains in the upper corner on the cover finally convinced me to get it. Glad i got it. Good story. Some characterization seemed a bit off, but it was still fun. I haven't seen the word fun be used to describe a Superman comic in a long time. I just might be back for more.

Teen Titans #10 - I really want to give this title a chance, considering the writer, but I'm really debating dropping it. Raven was probably my favorite of the Wolfam/Perez Titans, but I'm not sure if I have the patience to stick this one out to find out what happens. This story's been going on for a year now with no sign of any resolution. It doesn't help that I just want to smack around half of the cast (the youn Justice half). As usual, the fantastic art will probably keep me coming back.

Passed up - JLA #96 (I've been enjoying the story, but the wallet only has so much money, maybe next week) & Touch #1 (anyone get this? Is it worth it?)

Ok... this week I bought:

TEEN TITANS #10
INHUMANS #12
NEW MUTANTS #11
JSA #60
X-STATIX #21
NIGHTWING #92
ULTIMATE X-MEN #44

TEEN TITANS: Was that Trigon skeleton thingie freaky or what? Gave me a shiver, anyways. Brother Blood, Jr. is disturbing in a less transitory way. He's 1,000 times more interesting than the vamp now in JLA, IMO. And utterly psychotic... no shades of gray, here. The interchangeable 'mother' thing was chilling.

I liked the sequence of father ruminations. For just a second, I thought this was one of those 'middle-of-battle-highly-inopportune-rap-sessions', but was pleased to see there was much more going on. I particularly liked the appearance of Ares. The longtime comic-reading part of me knows that the villainous Ares is up to no good... but part of me wonders if Johns is going to do the nigh-unthinkable and actually portray the Greek god as in myth... changeable (as all the gods are) and equally capable of nobility and goodness as of 'evil'. Even the currently viewed 'good gods', Apollo and Athena, had their periods of hostile behavior and willful caprice that affected humans in myth. It's about time a comic writer explored that facet of the classical gods.

Probably won't happen, though. I'm not sure what I think about the 'new' Raven, yet.

INHUMANS: A fine series comes to a close. Sigh. Though this issue was obviously rushed, it really didn't show it all that much. There were nice endings to a couple of character arcs... but there could have been so much more.

If only Attilan was in the DCU, we'd be reading issue 212 by now. Re-sigh.

I think featuring a fairly 'new' cast of characters was a good idea... but one or two of the old guard should've had a prominent subplot or something.

I'd like to see the eventual relaunch (we know it'll happen sooner or later) have the Inhumans resettle in the Great Refuge of the Himalayas... maintaining a city on the moon. Maybe even have a third city on an island near Atlantis.

I *really* want to see more of Crystal and Lockjaw... Medusa and Black Bolt... Triton... Tonaja, Alaric, San, etc.

NEW MUTANTS: I liked the storytelling conceit of alternating between Rahne and Laurie... Rahne's history gets a nice bit of consolidation with some actual questions about her past answered (I had questions, anyway...) The last page was a sad 'surprise'. Maybe it'll somehow turn out to be different than it appears, but I don't really think it will. I enjoyed seeing that shot of the New Mutants of the first volume together. The image on the cover had absolutely nothing to do with the story in *any* way.

JSA: Great focus on Doc Midnight and Mr. Terrific, whose conversation stole the show. I'm enjoying these two as colleagues on the verge of becoming great friends. Love seeing the Atom pop up anywhere, anytime. Surely, *he's* due a new series, isn't he? Who's with me on that?

Green Lantern, Hourman and Flash... classic characters that makes the 10 year old in me squeal in delight upon seeing them used well. Still... after 60 issues.

The Spectre/Spirit King plot will be taking front and center stage... possibly tying in to IDENTITY CRISIS. I'm looking forward to it... but all the other moments are really where my heart is.

X-STATIX: Well, it's unusual to see the stars of a series so completely outclassed by their 'guests', but it sure happens here. I wondered how the meeting of 'Marvel reality' and the more ironic, cynical Statix would progress... and I'm still wondering. Liked Allred's rendition of the Avengers... but I feel sort of like I'm seeing a DC/Marvel crossover or something. The style of X-Statix has kept them in a separate corner of my comics brain. I'm experiencing cognitive dissonance seeing them interact with nonmutant (mostly) Marvelites.

X-Men Unlimited: Not so impressed. The Angel/Wolverine interaction was great... and the conversation between Prof X and Nick Fury was really interesting, though it went on way too long... and the artist chose to waste a good deal of space presenting it.

The concluding action scene was exciting, though... with a couple of surprises.

I looked through the newest issues of JLA and Green Lantern, but didn't buy. If there's any left, I'll probably buy GL during a 'slower' week, though. I like the Terry cliffhanger, but I don't think what appears to be happening, is happening. Though I think it *should*.

TN

This next-to-last week of April, I bought:

UNCANNY X-MEN 443
NEW X-MEN 156
OUTSIDERS 11
NEW MUTANTS 12
HAWKMAN 27
SUPERMAN/BATMAN 9

My cbs didn't get WONDER WOMAN, or I would've bought that... and they were sold out of the teen THOR title from last week, drat it... and GREEN LANTERN 175. I've put off starting a pull list, since my original comic book store burned down... guess I should start one up again.

UNCANNY X-MEN: Wow... readers will either hate this or like it quite a bit. I fall in the latter camp.

A book-long conversation/debate/argument between Professor X and Lorna Dane (Polaris) at Magneto's about-to-be grave on Genosha, I'm predisposed to like this because I enjoy conversational scenes and because really, the notion of a whole issue devoted to Lorna thrills me... even if I have wondered about how the current writer envisions her.

Current political world events could be read into the dialogue here; on that level, this issue doesn't really work. On its own terms, as a conversation between two long-time characters, I think it does.

This is one of those stories built upon previous issues, taking a character to the other side of a long-running arc. Towards the end of the comic, Lorna raises the metal statue of Magneto, destroyed by Wolverine last issue, and adds a representation of Xavier to the monument. A corner is turned.

It's been a long road for Lorna... from insane orphan running naked through the rubble of Genosha to jilted bride pushed over the edge of her brittle sanity.

The writer of this comic, Chuck Austen, has quite a few detractors-- I've understood why, while enjoying a good bit of what he's written more than many-- but I think this was a very well-written conversation that still held drama despite being dialogue 'heavy' (not a bad thing, IMO). At least when viewed only as dialogue spoken by particular characters in a particular story.

Lorna displayed the edge she's been walking upon here... maintaining it after tears and a statement of esteem for Xavier (that after threatening him in a strange display which I interpret as purely rhetorical... others may not). She continues to straddle the line between Magneto and Xavier, challenging Xavier while simultaneously honoring him. When Magneto eventually returns (you know he will...), Lorna and Xavier had better be included in the story, since it would make for compelling drama, IMO.

It appears Lorna will continue to be in one of the teams after the RELOAD event... good. I hope somewhere soon she'll get to spend some on-page time with her newly acquired siblings, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Their sideline status was one fault in the story here... though if you think about it, it is representative of their ongoing tangential relationship to the X-teams.

NEW X-MEN: Mobs, hate and lots of Emma Frost. Eh.

Loved Beast's conversation with Scoot, ending with "I don't like you very much, right now." Me either.

Emma gets a good spotlight here... if I'd never read older X-stories, I imagine I'd like her quite a bit. But I did read those old stories and I don't like her as an X-woman. She *does* get great lines, though.

Another young mutant meets an untimely end here... there's a bit of hope proffered to Jean Grey fans... possibly.

OUTSIDERS: OK... now this was another issue comprised largely of conversation. I enjoyed it as well.

Roy Harper is, as the title tells us, 'haunted' by his recent injuries. Restless, he seeks solace in the arms of Grace and then in a different kind of arms... fighting Nightwing. In between, he is overcome by fear in a very realistic, simple scene that I don't think I've seen in a comic before.

When Dick pulls a gun on Roy ('tough love'), I held my breath for a half a second. Loved their conversation on the last two pages... mostly.

I thought the scene between Grace and Roy was quite realistic. I imagine 'real world' superheroes would experience this sort of hard-edged grasping of life (sex) amidst death, fear and pain very often.

Liked Grace's 'sexual tension/Butch and Sundance' line... funny.

I thought the guest penciller, Will Conrad, did a great job. I'm unfamiliar with him. The image of Arsenal staring at his own bullet-pocked torso in a mirror was strangely sexy... and moving.

I hope we see this guy's pencils again somewhere.

NEW MUTANTS: A character I thought was dead didn't die... good. I enjoyed the way the students came together, finally. But I thought the Beast was written as uncharacteristically dim. And Rahne got off way, way too easily.

Not sure what I think about Dani Moonstar as Josh's legal guardian... why wait till now to tell him? Her parenting style seems unduly harsh at the outset of such a relationship. Maybe he needs it, but...

Ah, well... I think there's a full-fledged New Mutants reunion promised soon after RELOAD (in which this title becomes "NEW X-MEN, right?)... and I don't mean the X-FORCE miniseries. That should be fun. I think these writers have a decent handle on the 'old' New Mutants and I enjoy their 'new' ones.

HAWKMAN: I really admire Sean Phillips' art... and I enjoy these sporadic 'Past Lives' stories. The 'past' part of this one was quite effective, I thought. The final image was moving... very sad.

The 'current' framing pages were less involving... and making one of the minor characters a famous author was a little too cute, for me.

The new creative team takes over next issue. I hope they continue to produce these 'Past Lives' stories from time to time.

SUPERMAN/BATMAN: What do Legion fans think of another 'Kara'? I'm not sure what I think about her...

I did enjoy the contrasting thought-box narration of Supes and Bats.... I liked Turner's rendition of them. Not so much his Supergirl... a little too much mascara around her eyes, I think. She's innocent... does she have to look cartoonishly so, when no one else does?

Krypto hates everyone but Clark and Superboy? Is that new?

Fun seeing Granny Goodness (who never looked more like a man in drag than here...) and the Female Furies again... nice fakeout with their inclusion and then a different set of abductors at the end of the issue...

.... speaking of which, I don't think I like the apparent addition to Supergirl's mythos implied in the 'next month' box.

It would suit another character I'd like to see return shortly far better...

I also raided the back issue boxes for these goodies:

CHAMPIONS 9: Boy, did Darkstar get wasted as a character. I had forgottern that she'd been trained by the same folks that trained Black Widow. That little bit certainly never got much 'play'. It makes Laynia's recent comic book death even more disappointing. Sigh.

INHUMANS 2 (1975): As an 11-year-old, I thought this was terrific. Now, I see why it was quickly canceled. Maximus the Mad was just a crappy character, wasn't he? Boring, boring. Still, the Perez art was nice, if not particularly inspired.

I remembered the Iridia sequence as being much more powerful and central to the story. It was really just a throwaway bit. I was shocked by that. Guess a kid entering puberty could identify with ugly 'old' Iridia, huh?

INHUMANS KING-SIZE SPECIAL (1990): Somehow, I've never seen this comic before. I didn't miss much, unfortunately.

It was strange reading Crystal as a little girl through much of the issue. This just wasn't the addition to Inhumans lore it could've been.

Particulary, I found Medusa as a wondering amnesiac instead of a willful runaway quite a comedown. Was that how she was presented in the 60's? As an amnesiac? If so, I'd blocked it and taken more recent retcons as her 'true' history.

TN

Regarding X-Men and Uncanny -- I hate the art on the current storylines. I can barely pick up the book because it's so ugly to me. The penciling's bad enough, but Udon slathers some horribly fake tones and pseudo-animation looking colors on everything -- it's like crap on poop!

Hopefully the "reload" will pick things up. I have hopes for Joss, but it's been way too long since the X-Men franchise has been exciting. It has ranged from decent to completely forgettable. Morrison's run was ok as a different take on a familiar premise, but it didn't grab me emotionally. I thought the X-Corps thing in Uncanny was interesting at first since it seemed like every X-Man ever had some part in this sprawling worldwide organization, but that was never really explored.

Todd, you *almost* make me want to pick up the X-issue featuring Polaris. Almost.

So... Mags IS her Daddy after all, eh?

Im kinda bored today... sounds like some goodies are awaiting me at the CBS... maybe I'll head over there.