2.158 (523) X-Factor vol 1 #11 ... Marvel ...

There was a time ... a few decades ago ... that whenever it was time for a huge crossover yearly event, it was what it promised to be - an event. Not just recycled old villains going through the motions on a larger scale but rather something new entirely

So this year is the year of a storyline called Mutant Massacre. The thread is straightforward. At this point in time, a hidden figure has sent forth some super nasty cold blooded assassins into the Morlock tunnels to assassinate all mutants living there. The X-Men got involved because Storm, leader of the X-Men at that time is also the leader of the Morlocks while X-Factor got dragged in due to the fact that they enjoyed running through the sewers more or less from their office to the outside world so that no one can linked them to mutant hunters' front that they were presenting at that time. Got it?

This issue is the tail-end of their involvement

We open up with the final bits and pieces of fight scenes between various members of X-Factor and loose factions of mutant-dom with them rescuing sorry looking kiddie muties and kicking ass a lot. Unfortunately, they didn't escape unscathed and one of those in serious medical issues is Angel

The really noteworthy bits about this issue for those of you who only know the team of X in more present terms are actually quite a fair bit and we will highlight them to you SPOILER ALERT as follows:

1. Angel is still Angel and in fact, it is because of this injury that is the opening act in him becoming Archangel

2. Apocalypse is a new villain in Marvel U having just finished his arc with X-Factor in issue 6 and is given cameos here as he goes about recruiting down-and-out mutants who have tremendous power and potential

3. Naturally here we are also introduced to a whole host of mutants like Scalphunter and others but not their enigmatic leader

4. Sinister will be identified as said manipulator and in a typical retcon of story telling, we will in decades to come find out that Gambit, future X-Men was part of the Marauders although throughout its original run, we were not given even a hint of Gambit - hah - bad retcon, eh?

Still, overall, an entertaining chapter in the life of a new comic series

Ratings: 5/10 (would be higher but the artwork didn't quite match this book's requirements)

2.157 (522) X-Men vol 1 #8 ... Marvel ...

Christmas Day 2015 and what better celebration than to do a review of one of the all-time favourite artists in comics - Jim Lee! Yeah, man! When you look back at these early 90s work, you can, naturally see that in many ways, it does look dated when compared to today's artists especially in terms of paper quality, printing and colouring but then again, you can see just how much energy and crazy detail Lee has put in into each of his pages

Anyhow, this tale is on the X-Men's downtime except that this time, they are really just chilling out instead of the usual soft ball game that was their past fave thing to do. What can we look forward to in this issue?

Well ... SPOILER ALERT ...

As the cover indicated, we see Bishop (waaay back then he was a grim and gritty policeman from the future not yet given over to the dark side ... ooooops wait wrong comics .... ) who is still adjusting to his time here on Earth in our timezone ... and trying to discover the identity of the man who would betray the X-Men. Gambit, being the sole survivor to Bishop's future, Bishop suspects that it is him and takes the opportunity to confront Gambit ... but rest assured, no big fights ensue

Then we have one guest star ... as we learn SPOILER ALERT that Gambit's other half is not dead but for some reason, still alive and kicking ... and coming to get him because the peace between their two families is about over and Gambit has a huge part to play in the forthcoming drama

And finally, the most interesting titbit continues as we see Psylock and uh-uhm ... Cyclops ... Cyke sure has a thing for telepaths, eh? From Jean to her clone, Madelyn then to this brief flirtation with Psylock before finally (in today's comic times) settling for Emma the White Queen, yet another telepath

Enjoy!

Ratings: 7/10

2.156 (521) Archer and Armstrong (2012) #1 ... Valiant ...

I am NOT going into the history of Valiant nor am I going to talk about this re-launch Valiant but instead I want to tell you, right up front, this is not your typical supes and capes type of comic. In fact, the good guys here wear pants and t-shirt and jackets and hats. The bad guys come in suits and military gear. There is only ONE sect whose henchmen dress in something resembling your typical superhero type of gear. But you know what? For someone whose comics are probably over 90% superheroes, I found that this series is so highly entertaining that I kept checking the shelves for each TPB that was released. Because it is so good that soft copy just isn't enough!

Okay?

So Archer is one of many kids raised in a religious compound that is also a religious themed theme park during the day. The children are raised in the believe that the best will be assigned special missions to achieve that of their adopted parents. And Archer was led to believe that he is the only one not adopted

On the other side, there is he who must not be named (no not Voldemort!), Armstrong. Armstrong is part of an ancient civilization who had thrived thousands of years ago. And one little incident wiped them out leaving Armstrong to wander the earth all alone as he watched civilization start anew. So while he is fat, loves to drink and takes young ladies to the bedroom, he is also incredibly knowledgeable and near "un" killable but not like Wolverine, okay?

Now that you know our primary players, let's get into the thick of things. We see here that Archer (Obie) passes the final tests by beating all the other kids and is thus assigned to go out and kill he who must not be named as well as to retrieve more pieces of an ancient machinery. What that is ties back to Armstrong's own past and as luck would have it, they ran into each other in a pub

It's a joy to see old-fashioned super uptight upbringing like Archer's colliding with our modern world juxtapose with someone who has the most right to be old-fashioned but instead is a freewheeling opportunist .. Armstrong is a bouncer in that pub! Naturally a fight ensues ... and we end with Archer learning a wee bit more about his "mom and dad" and it ain't pretty!

Great opening issue that feels like watching an excellent tv serial!

Ratings: 8/10

2.155 (520) Punisher War Zone (2007) #1 ... Marvel ...

This is sort of an odd issue for me in terms of the artwork. While I liked the fact that Ariel makes his figures huge and bulky and the facials are perfect, the fact that the colouring and inking/ shadowing using so much light/ watered down/ pastel effect simply makes the whole book ... or at least softens the impact of this comic which is a shame because as a storyline goes, this one opens with a huge BANG!

I mean this is Frank Castle, the Punisher we are talking about. The one real "hero" in the Marvel Universe who has no powers and yet is serious enough about crimes to put an end to it rather than those supes in capes who enjoyed incarcerating villains so that they can escape and murder others again and again and again ... almost as if ensuring that the supes have something to do, eh?

So sometimes the Punisher does feature in the more colourful main landscapes of the 616 while at others he is more street level. This series aims to bring Frank back into the landscape of the supes by having him take part in the Civil War between Iron Man and Captain America

Anyway, it starts up simply enough with Frank being annoyed about the Civil War but not participating. He goes about doing his job of taking down bad guys. Unfortunately, this is the one time where Stilt Man decides to go straight and thinks that when he encounters Frank, it is going to be a team-up ... well, he sure doesn't get Frank, does he? Because in Frank's books, if you are a villain, you stay a villain and the best way is to stay dead. Love, love, love the scene on how Frank brought him down (literally)

Well, if you are not reading the rest of the tie-ins to Civil War (like us), you will be left wondering why GW Bridge is now old and fat and a practising Muslim because hey in Cable? He wasn't. And why the heck is SHIELD suddenly asking him to bring down or bring in the Punisher

Seeing that the opposition has stepped up, Punisher decides he needs a new wing man kinda like his old pal Microchip. And away he goes recruiting ... SPOILER ALERT ... only to encounter after a few worthwhile trips a case of Civil War that has him left with literally no choice. If he stepped aside, a good guy could potentially bit the dust and it's a character that Frank knows well over the years. Thus that is how they introduce Frank back into the world of the supes ... and left us wanting more ... more violence and goodness hehehe!

Ratings: 7/10

2.154 (519) Secret Wars vol 1 #7 .. Marvel ...

[We have fallen way behind in our reviews. Today is already the 10th of Jan and we are still doing for 19th of Dec. Let's try to catch up, eh?]

In honor of the ongoing madness in Marvel's latest miniseries a similarly named Secret Wars, let's turn back the clock to the 80s where the original Secret Wars is. And now, we have just stepped past the halfway mark as we review issue 7

Talk about action, intrigue and a tale from many angles. Here in this issue, there is so much here that we cannot even find a quick way to summarize except to say that .. the heroes have split into two camps earlier with the mutants on one side (natch) and the heroes on the other. However, here, owing to ongoing investigation done by Prof X, he decided that the threat is so big, it will take both teams to re-combine SPOILER ALERT because Galactus is here and about to make his move! Cap obviously agrees because Mr Flag believes in the goodness of everyone or some such nonsense. Hahaha!

While on the villains side, it is even worse. There is, at this point, the mysterious Beyonder who is still nothing more than a presence. Then we have Galactus as mentioned earlier with his world ship and devices planning his own move to either defeat or get away from the madness of Battleworld

Obviously Doom is his own team since he believes himself the superior of everyone. And even in defeat and near death, he learned something new. But what will that result in? Future issues for us to find out. On Doom's side, we have the mad Klaw and equally loony Lizard. But the surprise of the moment is Ultron

Finally the remainder of the villains are seen fleeing inspite of having achieved a momentus victory by trashing She Hulk to within an inch of her life. The biggest casualty is Molecule Man who was savaged! So they are retreating but find that they have no safe haven. Will they team up with Doom?

And what's up with the alien healer, Esaji?

So much goodness all in one flimsy issue. Is it any wonder that this comic was a hit?

Ratings: 7/10

2.153 (518) Darth Vader (2015) #2 ... Marvel ...

By now, everyone out there who doesn't live under a rock would have heard how awesome was the sales numbers of Star Wars the Movie Episode VII ... and of course the limp ass Kylo Ren, baddie, Darth Vader wannabe because he looked so cool in the previews but so lame in the movie. Anyone can give him a hard time. You sort of wonder how he managed to sabotage Luke Skywalker then, eh?

Anyway, that's neither here nor there because what we want to talk about is the awesomeness of this comic. And in issue 2 it doesn't let up one inch in the awesomeness department. First up, just look at that amazing cover, eh?

Well this issue continues right off from 1 with Darth Vader trying to preserve his tenuous position in the Empire what with challenges from the military not counting his own Sith Lord, the Emperor and all the while trying to track down the user of the force, the boy Skywalker

We see him putting plans in motion even as someone suspects him of doing something he shouldn't. And the "overseer" who is sent to work with him naturally meets his own just desserts

What is really awesome here is the artwork. Salvador Larocca is a perfect fit here. The lines are clean and the background is chockfull of details. Yet at no time is there clutter i.e lines and items for the sake of filling up space. And at no time, does it feel too polished. In fact, it feels just right. Shiny and smooth breathing menace!

Ratings: 8/10

2.152 (517) Captain America vol 2 (Heroes Reborn) #1 ... Marvel ...

I have to admit that prior to this release, I was not a fan of Captain America. I did not mind when he made his appearances in Avengers but his own solo title was good for the casual peruse while at local convenience stores' spinner racks (back in those days). So when it was announced that Captain A would be one of the titles involved in Heroes Reborn, it was not on my pull list and look at the cover! So not there when compared to say Iron Man or Avengers. But the moment I bought it (with the white cover) and got home and read it ... well I was hooked and knew for sure, I would follow the next few issues. That's how good it was

Of course, if you do online googling, you will find that this issue is one of those that earned creator Rob a lot of flak from his detractors but you know what? To heck with them all. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Don't read it. Why bother spending hours and days just typing up articles to put down someone, right? And anyway, no one artist is perfect. Here in this issue, there is so much goodness that why anyone would want to look at the negatives is beyond me ...

Examples of what I enjoyed included:

Page 3 - with Cap holding his shield up close and looking serious - every inch the war hero!

Nukes - the page where Agent Hunt (Mission Impossible? Hahaha) - come on! That is so awesome and scary - the shiny and clean lines of the Nukes versus the darker, warmer colours of Hunt and his rocky outcropping

Nick Fury - splash page - you can tell that Rob is a fan of Fury. That is one awesome Nick!

See?

SPOILER ALERT

Story wise, everything goes off at a rapid pace with no time wasted on why Rogers is awake from WW2 without remembering anything (kind of like Wolverine). We see him dreaming more and more of a time in WW2 when he is dressed in a costume but he does not know why he has this dream and is afraid to tell his wife even though he supposedly is in love with her

And one fine day, while engaging in his routine dredge of a job, an old black chap ... who apparently has been tracking him down for over 50 years ... finally sees him passing by and waited for him to finish work ... because this man found the shield of Captain A and is looking for Steve to return it. Unfortunately all is not on the up and up in Steve's life as some of those around him are posing as friends and colleagues for Master Man and his World Party

Master who?

Master Man is one of the engineered super humans from WW2 who like the Skull survived WW2 and is now establishing a new party called the World Party aimed at Aryan Supremacy. Some of the rhetoric he spills when standing in front of his supporters ... well if you take out the Nazi reference ... can fit many of the situations in our world today as there are still politicians who do this. Scary when you think about it. Open racism!

Anyway, aside from Master Man and the Spy Hunt, we also see a new "Barnes" in the form of a young girl named Rikki whose dream is to be a dancer. And her dumb brother who is buying into the World Party spiel

So what happens next?

Fight fight fight that's what! Great stuff here with Rogers recovering part of his senses and taking down goons but how much does he really remember eh? Well that's for issue 2

Ratings: 8/10