This was an exciting week, with a couple of exciting first issues, the seventh round of AvX, the third issues of three of DC’s second wave of the New 52, and much more. Let’s take a look at some of these.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #1: James Robinson starts the third of three series running concurrently at DC with this nostalgic return to Eternia. It is not, however, the Eternia we all remember: Skeletor has won, nobody knows how, and Prince Adam and his father are amnesiacs, living as woodcutters in the forest. Robinson’s writing is crisp and engaging, giving us far better story than one would expect, and Philip Tan’s art takes what could be a cheesy look back at the 1980s and instead turns in some real quality. Even Beast Man looks threatening! Unfortunately, so far there has been no sign of Orko’s body nailed to a tree or anything, but this is just the first issue of the series.
Hero Worship #1: Screenwriter Zak Penn flips the script and goes to comics (yes, it is usually the other way around), writing a new series for Avatar. Surprising for an Avatar book, there is no nudity, nobody’s guts come spilling out, and nobody has a cross on their face. What we have instead is a young man who idolizes his world’s one superhero, Zenith (not the 1980s British character, unfortunately!). When he wins a chance to tour the Zenith Foundation headquarters, he comes over sick, only to later discover he has developed super powers. It’s a little early to really judge where this puppy is going, but this was a well-paced, engaging first issue.
Avengers vs. X-Men Round 7: The Phoenix Five (wasn’t that a disco band in the 1970s?) have declared all-out war on the Avengers and are rounding them up whenever they can, trying to find Hope. The problem, of course, is that Hope doesn’t want to go with them. Throw in the Scarlet Witch, the only one apparently able to go toe-to-toe with the Phoenix Five and also the number one spot on their wanted list for crimes against mutantkind, and the shit is hitting the fan in increasing volume. With five issues (and about a hundred tie-ins) left to go, this series seems to be breaking Marvel’s usual habit of starting a crossover strong, then fizzling out halfway through before ending with a whimper. Instead, it started with Scott Summers being a typical schmuck, meandered around for a few issues before really taking off with Round 6.
iZombie #27: As Chris Roberson and Michael Allred’s completely subversive take on the zombie genre inches ever closer to its impending end, Gwen is faced with a horrifying choice: sacrifice the souls of everyone in town to save the world for a while, or let everyone get sucked up by a Lovecraftian horror. The big problem is, it seems everyone she knows is at ground zero, so if she goes with Option A, she’ll be sacrificing all her friends and family. This series has been one of Vertigo’s most fun offerings since Fables. It might not be as epic, but it has Allred art, which immediately gives it that extra oomph.
Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1: OMG. For everyone who ever stared lovingly at a Jae Lee cover and wondered why he didn’t do more interior art, this is the payoff. Len Wein’s origin tale of the villain of Watchmen is solidly written, but the art is what will make everyone want to buy it. It is simply gorgeous.
World’s Finest #3, Earth 2 #3, Dial H #3: Yes, yes and yes. World’s Finest and Earth 2 are inextricably linked in their stories, and China Mieville’s Dial H is so beautifully bizarre, it’s like having Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol back.
Amazing Spider-Man #689: If this is what Marvel decided to put out to coincide with the release of the new movie, they have some rethinking to do. It’s a decent story, but Spidey is such a whiny little emo bitch throughout, vacillating between wanting to save everyone, everywhere, and being just completely filled with rage. Of course, it could be worse. They could be doing a sequel to the One Moment In Time storyline.
Hulk #55: The latest installment of the Mayan Rule storyline is another gung-ho romp through Mayan mythology, as the south-of-the-border pantheon tries to revive more of their brethren by sucking the juju out of superheroes. When A-Bomb gets trapped in their pyramid, it might just bring the end of the world five months early. Parker and Eaglesham put in a good effort, although Parker’s writing is a little heavy on the “Gee, hasn’t Thunderbolt Ross grown as a person?”
Courtesy of Anthony Glassman and South Philly Comics
