278. Global Frequency #4 ... Wildstorm ...

Well, we know we do not usually review a non-superhero comic back-to-back ... so this is not really back-to-back ... but it is soon enough after issue 3 ... and why? Because it is not to be seen as a comic but a book with a story that is told using graphics

In issue 4, once again, the phone control chap, Aleph calls up a real policeman having problems at work (in Australia and he is an Abo) ... and his partner is a lady, a female, a Brit who is in Aus for reasons she will not explain and what is their mission?

Well, the writer is awesome as he tackles 2 topics in one: death cults that believe in getting their members killed along with innocents just to spread their message ... and the internet craze where everyone who posts online their messages and hopes that others will read them ... without knowing if there are others reading ... kind of like my review here. For all I know, there is only 1 reader? Hehehe!

And there you have it ... so they are storming a building ... lots of carnage ... where death cultists are holding hostages while committing themselves to death!

Ratings: 8/10

277. Ultimate Avengers vol 3 #1 ... Marvel ...

Okay - we know we skipped the second volume but heck it was with more gun-toting people and that artist. Yes, sometimes that artist produces awesome work but usually very rush work. That's why we do not want to mention names here but volume 3 has Steve Dillon on interiors and Steve about rocks it even though his work is clean lines and almost cartoonish style with nearly one angle view

Right

Volume 3 is all about the vampires. So we start off with Daywalker Blade whose sole mission in life is to track down and kill vampires and what an opening sequence we have. He is in a hotel room shagging while being attacked by vampires. Naturally he goes all ninja/ samurai blade on them chop-chopping everyone to pieces while learning that there is a new vampire boss in town

Similarly switch to the other guy on the cover. We find a new young blind teen taken under the wing of Stick to be the next DD as apparently the original died (say what?!?!?!?) ... however, instead of getting more into this new DD, well, he lost it before he even got a whole issue out. We kid you not. Like we said earlier, this is the  Ultimate - verse where nothing is sacred and people who die generally do not make a comeback

So where do the Avengers come in? Well they take a backseat in this issue except with them being assembled to investigate what the fuck is going on and to see Cap now working with Fury and team ... now for me that's stretching it especially after what happened in vol 1 eh?

Ratings: 7/10

276. Ultimate Avengers vol 1 #1 ... Marvel ...

For those people who came into the comics reading and collecting late, you will probably hate what's going on in the Ultimate-verse. It's no surprise as most of us have given up on it - poor artwork, crappy storylines. No wonder they are killing the line by merging it all into this year's big crossover. I mean all the other -verse that are merging are limited or gone timelines but Ultimate is alive so you know it has to suck something major, right?

Now what's special about this -verse? Well it was created basically to give new readers a chance to jump in by updating existing star characters for the new generation and that was like 15 years ago. Naturally over time it builds up its own garbage. The only problem was it is express garbage as the Ultimate-verse ... everything moves super fast

And the worst part of it is that it is told in series of limited series with sometimes no linkage so for those of us who buy this occassionally, we get lost wondering which comes before or after

Now what about this?

Well this has something going for it. THAT AWESOME COVER. Carlos Pacheco + Dany Miki = Awesome ness

Aside from that, this continues after Ultimates 2 ... where we start off with a huge bang ass sequence. Basically Ultimatum limited series has happened (see? not new reader friendly). The world was almost destroyed an many heroes are injured or died. So the remnants are left struggling to find their footing while others take advantage by being baddies

Nick Fury is out of his old job and trying to find a place while Hawkeye offers him to join a new Black Ops version of the Ultimates ... called the Avengers. Hah! Formerly only select operatives now it has been expanded. On the team includes Nerd Hulk (clone of Bruce Banner), new Wasp (with armor like suit), new Black Widow (Fury's bitchy ex), new Iron Man (apparently richer and smarter than Tony Stark is Tony's brother (WTF right?)), and Rhodes as a war and kill crazy bastard

Their first critical mission ... find and contain Captain A ... why? Because he has encountered the Red Skull ... and found out his identity ... who? Well wait for the next issue, yes?

Ratings: 9/10

275. Web of Spider Man vol 1 #2 ... Marvel ...

A looooooong time ago, launching a new series for an existing character is important and not to be taken lightly especially for a popular character. Amongst some of the issues to be considered would include over-saturation

So from Amazing Spider-Man, we had Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man and Marvel Team-Up. And then after 150 issues, it was time to call it a day before the team launches a new title called Web of Spider-Man (this is not counting reprints like Marvel Tales) ... so basically it was a decision made to have had enough tales of Spider-Man always meeting other heroes every month and going back to a proper Spider title that has a focus on the supporting team in his life

And the first issue dealt with some heavy stuff - Venom (at that time known as the black costume!)

So for issue 2?

We have the Vulturions. This is a group of cons who met the Vulture in the slammer and copied his tech. Then they got out of prison and decided to use the tech to commit crimes. The only challenge is that they are stupid to fight Spidey and decided to carry weapons for the next encounter. Why next encounter? Because they think they now want to be Kingpin's assassin

So they actually call up Kingpin to view as they attacked Spider-Man. Talk about losers! What's next? Their timing because Kingpin is not in a good mood and they did the show in front of him! This is quite a sweet turn in storyline

About the only thing that works is the costumes look better than the Vulch's!

Ratings: 6/10

274. Global Frequency #3 ... Wildstorm ...

I cannot remember if this limited series came out when Wildstorm was part of Image or when it went to DC but whatever it is, that's not important. What's important is that this is an AWESOME comic and I kid you not. No hype. This is not a comic about superheroes and even though it is a 12-issue limited series, you can pick up the earlier issues as a single issue and still know what's going on.

A good example is this - 3

We start off with a regular lady receiving a phone call from a unique phone while going about her daily chores and that unique phone? It's part of a global aid organization called Global Frequency and she has just been summoned for the first time in her life ... why? Not because she has some special powers but because of a thesis she wrote on something very unique ... that's it

So out she dashes in reply because ... hey ... a car is coming to pick her up ... and it all sounds so dramatic because the caller is arranging for car ... clearing traffic lights ... and even police escort!

Now let's side track a bit. That girl? She is a lesbian because we are shown a few scenes a few pages in. And the lady who called her? Well she is base at HQ having sex ... how do we know? Because we have one word balloon conversation and one pic

See? That's wildstorm trying to be mature by throwing in sex wherever possible and in odd situations. While I find it "funny" but to me, it doesn't matter if there is regular sex or no sex. Sorry!

Anyway, what's the mission? It appears that someone dialed into a virus that spreads and controls people ... not zombies or death but basically turns you into a hive mind and is spreading fast ... and it has control of one whole neighbourhood ... anyone going in gets converted ... so our team has to figure out how to get in alive and fix the problem

Suffice to say there is no continuation ... it ends in one issue ... brilliant pacing!

Ratings: 8/10

272. West Coast Avengers vol 1 #7 ... Marvel ...

Well with the next upcoming movie for the Avenger 2 ... focus on Ultron as baddie ... then it's only right timing that we review this issue ... as it gives probably one of the most unique interpretation/ tale on Ultron ever in the history of Avengers comics

For those of you who have tried the first few issues of this particular run of the WCA, you will have noticed a subplot involving Ultron where something doesn't seem quite right. Well, here is where it gets full blown treatment and guess what? It finishes in one issue. Yup. Ultron = 1 full issue

Anyway, Hank Pym once more gets suckered into the nonsense that is Ultron except that this time, the Ultron he met has once more evolved and explained that he is like a child growing through his teenage rebellious period (fighting against the Avengers) but is now matured (like an old man) and wants to instead get to know his father (Hank his creator) better!

And so a ray of hope glimmers into the sad pathetic life of Hank Pym aka Ant Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket and what-ever else

However, as this is comics, all is not meant to be as Hank is then sucker punch/ attacked by Ultron. SPOILER ALERT. Because as fate would have it, there is yet another version of Ultron around (like the cover says it all) and this Ultron is back for more of the same. Hence it's Ultron v Ultron - one to love and one to kill and right smack in the middle is Hank and Wonderman (obligatory muscle)

A most interesting read ... and a touching ending ...

Ratings: 8/10

271. Tangled Web #12 ... Marvel ...

Let's do another review from this series before we move on to other titles, eh?

Firstly, I am not a fan of the writer or the artist but here, the cover sort of kicks all kinds of ass. I mean, Frogman? Hah!

And that's what this tale is about - loser of a villain who is being released with his secret identity made public and coming home. His kid who is now a teen has been having a tough time with a criminal dad who is a lame criminal. And high school being what it is, everyone gives him a tough time. Just when he thought things have approached something of a stability, this has to happen - dad being released and hitting prime time news meant more bullying especially when his biology teach got into the act too

What's charming here is how Spider drop by for a visit and then had to ask for help as his cab had boomed out of town not waiting for him anymore

And then the kid decided WTF why not try on dad's costume and instead of being a baddie, be a goodie. Except he forgot one important thing. When you are pathetic physically in real life, a costume with springs on the soles of your shoes is not going to help you much

While for dad, he realized what he has been through and decided to come through for his son. On the one hand, he scored for standing up for the kid. On the other hand, he hit bottom with his choice of making money (moron!)

Ratings: 6/10

270. Tangled Web #11 ... Marvel ...

Firstly, this is a Spider-man comic and I am not a huge fan of Spider-man inspite of being a huge fan of Marvel for 30+ years. The only time I ever collected Spidey on a somewhat regular basis are the Todd Mc launch Spider-Man (and left after he then Erik Larsen departed) ... and this, Tangled Web because the offbeat storylines are told with heart

So for this particular issue, it is done by Darwyn Cooke. Cooke is famous for retro artwork and story telling and this comic has so much charm that even the villainous slugfest feels somewhat "innocent"

SPOILER ALERT

Here it is in summary. As the cover indicates, it is Valentine's Day but Spidey being Spidey is out swinging about and trying to stop the Vulture from a robbery. However, this time, the Vulture is prepared and whacks him but good ... all in the face of Daily Bugle offices ... to the delight of JJJ

Naturally anything with JJJ can only complete with him blowing a gasket or three ... and we get treated to that ...

On the sidelines, or rather, other threads of the storylines include a newbie intern at the Bugle who runs for coffee, a mate (or competitor) in the barista spiking said coffee for JJJ, how JJJ got his, why the Vulture stole and Spidey's double date with double hotties!

So much goodness packed into a told in one issue! Now who says good things need 6 issues, eh?

Ratings: 7/10

269. Weapon Zero T-3, T-2, T-1 ... Image ...

For those of you who are not familiar with Joe Benitez, this is an awesome, awesome, awesome book to introduce you to his world as you can see how effective he draws gigantic creatures, technology stuff, armour, babes and dudes ... and lots of cool action poses and sequences! I kid you not and the covers are awesome too!

As for the numbering, well, basically it is a play on the countdown of a bomb etc and the series proper starts with 1 so this is a limited series

What's really cool about this series is that after the introduction of so many characters, in these 3 issues, we finally get the backstory of how each of them (in bits and pieces) are plucked from different times in our world, experimented upon and now wake up in a different time ...

We also get to see that there are 2 warring factions with Earth caught in-between and that Stone, the main he-dude, is married to a wife who is actually one of the warring factions. Does she really love him or is all a sham?

And why doesn't anyone seem to know who it is except for some crazy neighbours?

As the series continues, we are starting to learn that perhaps both sides are not actually good guys even though our heroes may have obtained their abilities from one and helped by the other as each of them has their own agenda and even amongst the aliens, there are double-dealings too

A most entertaining comicbook - no super heroes here but just story told using art!

Ratings: 9/10

268. X-Factor vol 1 #24 to 26 ... Marvel ...

This is it! The big one! Celebrating the second year of X-Factor and also the big 25th issue double-sized extravaganza and and and wait for it a tie in to Fall of the Mutants storyline. So what's with this Fall of Mutants storyline? Well, basically, as the header indicates, the mutant titles are going to be hit hard by events that will cause significant changes to their current line-up

Here's a summary - X Men had a huge fight with a cosmic entity, New Mutants went rescuing one of their new friends only to result in a loss of life and innocence and finally there is X-Factor. So as you can see, while all three titles are interconnected, yet each of them have their own tale i.e you do not need to read another title to get the full story and that works just fine

Ever since his introduction in the first few issues of X-Factor, Apocalypse has been lurking in the background planning for something big and we finally see it as Angel makes a come back after losing his organic wings to be replaced by a pair of tech wings that screams and shoots blades! And he looks so much cooler even if it is through the hands of Apo

As for the rest of X-Factor, well, they were caught with their pants down more or less because they kept running into obstacle after obstacle not counting their own internal problems including Beast who is getting stronger but each time he pushes his physical prowess, he loses his grey cells (sorry but that's the storyline) while Iceman needs a belt harness to control his powers otherwise he goes ballistic freezing everything and everyone including himself!

And with all that going on, Apo launches his Horsemen led by Angel now called Death and soon to be called Arcangel (hey that's the fan of reviewing books from years and decades ago!)

It's a great thrill of a ride

Lots of action, lots of big bang and a huge discovery about the base that is being used by Apo - all in all, a definite must read!

Ratings: 8/10

267. X-Factor vol 1 #8 & 9 ... Marvel ...

Once upon a loooooong time ago, Mystique, shape changer took control of the Brotherhood of Evil when Magneto up and disappeared. However, she being the smart cookie that she is, decided to offer their services to a govt that is panicking about the growing number of mutants in their population and thus is formed Freedom Force

Yes, only in comics can criminals be pardoned overnight and become sanctioned legal enforcers

And as part of their assignments, they are asked to track down and bring in Rusty who is a young mutant ... who in earlier issues, discovered his powers and saw his powers out of control ... hurting someone unintentionally

Where's Rusty been all this while?

Hiding within the safety of X-Factor and thus that's how the tale comes about. So basically this time, our heroes are actually the bad guys as they tried to protect their ward, Rusty from the official arms of the law ... so how do we, the readers, relate eh? Do we side by X-Factor or not?

Ratings: 6/10

266. X-Force vol 1 #12 ... Marvel ...

First 12 issues marking one year in publication and one year of success ... so it's a little disappointing to find that there is no special commemorative effort when this issue first came out ... no momentous storyline ... no one died or left the team ... no double-sized issue or special back up feature ... nothing!

About the only thing special here is that the new artist for the cover is able to channel that Liefeld energy and detail in his work. Check it out. It's awesome

As for the storyline, well, as you can see, we got to learn more about a new sub plot but this is not the end result yet of said sub plot. Basically there is something called the Externals i.e. mutants who are long lived and generally more powerful than most regular breed. They know each other, fight with each other trying to weasel themselves into positions of power. Now with the way they look and dress, one is surprised that no one knew of their existence and where the F is En Sabah Nur, Apocalypse, eh? Or for that matter another protege of his?

Anyhow ... let's move on. So here like in any clan, there are those who are more dog like and those who strut and be the ruling class and so it happens that Krule (wow how imaginative) decided he has had enough being a dog and went against Gideon (guy with long hair) who seemed to be a good fighter and that's all his mutation gave him

So it's a decent slugfest type of tale ... and that's it!

Yes, X-Force does feature but they play a backseat in this issue!

Ratings: 6/10

265. X-Force vol 1 #11 ... Marvel ...

It's almost the end of fabulous Rob Liefeld's tenure on X-Force but at the time this issue came out, I obviously was not aware and about the only gripe I had with this run so far are the fill-ins where we buy because Rob does the cover only to find out that he is not handling the interiors. However, if he gets a good fill-in like here, hey, it's cool

Basically in between missions, X-Force heads back to base

And here we discover someone who is not what she seemed as one night, in comes none other than Merc for Hire, Deadpool. This is the Pool's third appearance because he is such a hit character and what does he do? He snuck in and finding Domino on duty, the 2 of them go to it with a vengeance

However, all as we said is not what it seems as apparently Pool came to serve a reminder to Dom to remember who she really is and who she is on assignment for ?!?!??! Boy was that a sudden twist in the storyline that left us wondering WTF is really going on?!?!?!?!

Ratings: 7/10

264. Uncanny X-Men vol 1 #192 ... Marvel ...

With young John Romita Jr finally coming into his own with his fast-developing style that is today's signature, Chris Claremont continues to ramp up the new villains and interesting storylines. At this juncture, active X-Men has dropped to almost an all-time low with only Rogue, Nightcrawler and Colossus. Wolverine is as usual, in and out while Storm, now depowered is embarking on a personal journey of self discovery while Cyclops does what he does best which is being strict and moody

So what happens here?

SPOILER ALERT

For those who enjoyed the past decade's cosmic crossover, it all starts here with the Magus. Magus is the daddy of Warlock, an alien who is a techno-organic being. This means he uses energy to survive and his body can change into a number of shapes with the only exception being that he looks like a machine albeit one that has feelings

In their world, for the young to survive, he must slay his father but in Warlock's case, he decided to flee and ended up on earth with the New Mutants. Thus when papa Magus flies all over the universe searching for him, well, naturally a being who can rip a sun in 2 is going to be serious problems, right?

And that's what happens here ... the above are part of ongoing subplot ... and how do the X-Men combat him when strength is not enough?

About the only way they didn't die here is because Magus stupidly fights them instead of converting them into techno organics and sucking the life force out of them. Dumb villain! Anyway after a running fight, Rogue figures out a way and BANG laid Magus a world of pain ... so much so that he up and teleports away

Yup, he escaped and the X-Men being tired decided to let him go ... and that's another thing, the X-Men will never follow up and wait for themselves to be attacked in future by villains. Crazy right? That's comics for you

Ratings: 7/10 (would have been higher if not for that last paragraph above)

263. Uncanny X-Men vol 1 #183 ... Marvel ...

There's nothing better in comics, in general, than seeing two super strong chaps going at it, trying to slug each other out, even when the outcome is generally obvious. I guess that's why we have boxing, real wrestling and those MMA fights!

So, in this oldie from the archives, SPOILER ALERT, as the cover indicates, it's a big punch up session between Colossus and Juggernaut. Now as we all know, Col is strong and quite invulnerable but he is nowhere near Jugs. Jugs can go toe to toe with Hulk and Thor, for goodness' sake. He is not just strong but with special army and mystic power that protects him and like he says, he cannot be moved if he doesn't want to be. So it will take something special to even budge him. What's up with Col eh?

What's up?

Basically, this is a downtime issue for the X-chum. So each of them chill out in their own manner. Col is feeling out of sorts (kind of like T-bird in our last issue) and so he goes out with a few of the X-mates. And whom should they encounter but Jugs in civillian hanging out planning nothing?

In short, this is Col mistake for challenging Jugs ... and the best part? His X mates were looking on not interfering because they want Col to "get it out of his system." Now there are many ways to look at this. If you don't over analyze, it's an enjoyable stand alone tale but if you do ... well Jugs is a criminal ... and he doesn't faze from killing and to let the 2 of them knock about destroying property and risking civillians lives? Hmmm ....

Ratings: 6/10 (would have been higher if not for that last paragraph)

262. Uncanny X-Men vol 1 #94 ... Marvel ...

It had to happen, right? Back before mutants were a hot commodity, the X people failed (to sum it up quick) ... and basically the only X-title (shocking right?) were into reprinting their early adventures ... until a new team was introduced and it took off lightning quick!

So within a few issues, the chums in-charge decided to push it even harder sales-wise by knocking off one of the new heroes permanently. Yup. You read that right. New hero, new background and they killed him off and he never came back even until today. Why? Obviously, they tested him and he wasn't that popular a chap.

SPOILER ALERT

So the X-Men was on a mission and trying to stop the baddie (cover tells all) ... and like Cap A and Bucky in WW2 ... as the enemy was fleeing the heroes leapt on the plane and tried to subdue him only to have it going KABLOOEY so people without super healing factor ... you know you are goners!

Now amongst the new X-Men, who is the most boring and under-developed character, almost as if he was created merely to fill some token for racial diversity? Thunderbird. He is an American Indian, raced on a reservation and has a huge chip on his shoulder because of the frustration he felt living on the ranch. However, he is superhuman everything like faster, stronger, a warrior spirit and a hunter/ tracker. Turns out this is his mutation so Charley Xavier drafted him onboard

However, frustration continues when he comes. Because the new team is cosmopolitan from Russia, Africa, Canada, etc and when compared to his team mates, somehow, there is always someone doing the same thing Thunderbird can do but better

Strong - Colossus
Fighting and hunter/ tracker - Wolverine

So what's his duty on the team?

Even he was at a loss and in the end, to prove himself, he did a stupid stunt. Sigh!

Ratings: 7/10

261. Youngblood vol 1 #1 ... Image ...

First comic out from the Image stable (if memory serves correctly) waaaaaay back when Image was formed is from our superstar artist, Rob Liefeld! And he totally rocked it! He showed what "alternative" publishing could achieve if the person doing it took it seriously and not accepting the fact that without one of the bigger publishers, sales would be low!

What do I love about it? First up is the choice of paper for cover and interior pages and the usage of awesome colouring. Then the absolute best? That cover! Rob's art here is sooooo good when compared to his last few works in X-Force. Seriously! I thought back then, X-Force got better with each issue but with this? WOW!

Then there are the characters. Yes, they didn't read as if they are a breath of fresh air but for me, it wasn't that big a deal. There's always similar type characters even from the Big Two so if the stories are interesting and the artwork is spectacular then it's fine

What's Youngblood?

They are basically super-cops for USA (as opposed to Stormwatch from Jim Lee - that's for the UN). So naturally they undertake missions against those who would stand against the old US of A. Story wise, this issue didn't read that well but then again it wasn't a triple sized first issue so there's limited pages to introduce a new universe, new characters, new villains, new storylines and a new team producing comics. With all that in mind, I was more than willing to collect subsequent issues of Youngblood. Hehehe!

Ratings: 8/10

260. Kazar vol 2 #3 ... Marvel ...

And so the action moves up a notch and closer to the end of this arc ... as we see an angry Ka-zar and his wife finally put their own challenges aside (read that as marital strife) ... retrieve their kidnapped son and finally come face to face with the right hand man of the true villain i.e. Ka-zar's real life brother!

And who is this villain? Why, he is there on the cover ... Gregory ... the guy who trained Spidey villain, Kraven the Hunter!

So he is supposed to be bigger, badder and nastier ... but is he up to the challenge?

Well, in the frozen wastelands, he is going to learn a hard lesson!

Ratings: 8/10

259. Hulk vol 2 #55 ... Marvel ...

We jumped slightly less than 2 years down the line and see that the saga of Banner and his travelling journey has gone far but yet there remains a wee bit more to go before the end. However, at this juncture, the writers have decided to make a switch and give us all comic fans a breather

What does this mean?

Why a genuine super powered villain in the form of the Absorbing Man and boy what a villain this chap is. Creel has always had the potential to be one of the greats except that he is a thug with powers and so never one for grand schemes but here? Wow!

It's a terrifying new take on Creel as he finds a new way to utilize his powers. This is but the first issue of a new story arc and if you want an absorbing read (no pun intended) get this

The only thing that didn't work for me is the over and the interior artwork. Sorry people

Ratings: 5/10

258. Hulk vol 2 #36 ... Marvel ...

Interior artwork is by John Romita Jr at his best and you know what this means ... lots of motion lines ... but lots of gigantic chunky figures smashing things apart! Just ... plain ... awesome! Yet when coupled with a writer of Jones caliber, the story becomes something more like the old TV series of the Hulk where we have Banner trying to evade attention and moving from town to town

Here it takes that premise except that many parties seem to be after him and none of them normal law. We have men in black suits, men who seemed to be more than human and someone else, someone mysterious contacting him via a chat online ... this part is similar to the second movie with Mr Blue and Mr Green and what-not

So who is Jones? Honestly, until this series came out, I do not know who Jones is/ was but he is an awesome writer. He got me waiting each and every month for a few years following the trail of the Hulk! And I enjoyed it even when it was a quieter non action issue ... even when the artist changed ...

And what's this issue about? Wow! There are just waaay too many elements.

1. You have a lady who is supposedly the mom of the kid who supposedly died in one of the Hulk's rampage thus seeking him out for revenger

2. You have Banner in his human form not believing what happened when he was the Hulk and once again trying to be discreet and moving on

3. You have men in a dark room watching tv of a potential recruit who is super lethal and yet is apparently or seemingly human

4. You have a woman who we do not know much about coming across said person in 3 and proving herself equally adept and offering something more even though we all know it's a double cross coming

5. You have someone on death row and acting strange yet accepting her fate

6. You have an ambulance being ambushed

Enough for your 22 pages or thereabouts?

Ratings: 8/10

257. X-Men vol 1 #151 to 154 ... Marvel ...

And so it ends ... Grant Morrison's awesome vision of the men and women of X ... and how did he end it all? By pulling one huge final sprawling tale that has subplots dredged up everywhere ... including the final pages of 150 (our previous review) and a tale about the cosmos, the Phoenix force and even the first days of Earth's formation! I kid you not here!

Anyway, at the end of 150, we saw for some inexplicable reason, after Mags was defeated, the spirit of the school was gone and Scott sort of gave up on everything ... but also we have a small part where Beast said he realized what was going on ... and in the final bits ... a jump into the future! So what's that all about?

Well, basically the heinous villain of the tale is finally revealed. You see, when Earth was first formed, there was a first self aware sentient being who was not really a being in the common sense more like an awareness that can control DNA and this thing calling itself Sublime has been riding each wave of creation ... from Dinosaurs to us the humans and never worried because they have the ability to control DNA ... genome and thus their/ its fate is protected

Until mutants emerged ... with mutants, the abilities are ... anything goes with some potentially becoming invulnerable and thus unable for this thing to merge with on any levels ... fearing one day that it might be supplanted by the mutants, it thus engineered the destruction of the mutants

And so queue 150 years into the future ... where the world is torn apart thanks to this thing ... that has possessed the Beast's body and is creating hordes of creatures splicing DNA trying to totally eliminate mutants ... naturally in its way stood a loose group of survivors and heroes ... and some of the existing X-Men ... not sure how they all survived but some include Wolverine, 3 of the Cuckoos, Martha and Cassandra Nova ..

And the best one of all ... a human young man and his Sentinel guardian ... shades of love there too!

Lots of big ideas, lots of big fighting scenes ... full of emotions and the return of Jean Grey and perhaps this time, the true meaning of sacrifice ... very touching ending! And a spark of hope is planted in the final two pages

One gets the feeling that an extra issue would have helped this story along instead of issue 154 feeling so cramped ... still it was enjoyable and Marc Silvestri came along for these 4 issues turning in some of the best work of his career!

Ratings: 9/10

256. X-Men vol 1 #150 ... Marvel ...

Four years and so many issues later, Master Morrison showed no signs of slowing down with new concepts after new concepts and new takes on old storylines without making the series feel convoluted like a Hong Kong movie, know what I mean? In fact, it actually feels to have the same kind of energy like a Claremont era tale ... updated for the timeline style naturally

And in terms of style, as per our previous review, this time on art duties is none other than the awesome Phil Jimenez who pumped in tons of details and lots of goodie scenes ... the only let down for me is actually the cover. It looks kind of average and pretty much a meh kind of feel

Anyhow, Planet X the storyline reaches its conclusion as we see Magneto, who has been planning to take down the human race once more and this time has spent years (in comic time) planning including infiltrating the X-Men as healer Xorn (not sure how he fake those abilities) ... finally has his comeuppance

He has sealed off Manhattan and assembled a tiny group of Xavier students to be his new Brotherhood ... he is hoping to amass new mutant followers ... however he failed to understand the current generation's short attention span ... and naturally when he himself is addicted to mutant power enhancement drug, kick ... well it doesn't help Mags think straight

O yeah and to give himself a bigger platform this time ... basically Mags want to spin the earth on its magnetic field ... but the X-Men stopped him in time ... but hey if you want to see this actually done, go to Ultimate U ... hmmm same idea different execution ...

O yeah x 2 ... Jean who by now is back to being the Phoenix after months of hinting that she may be able to tap into that primal power ... well for all that ... she had some moments at the start rescuing Wolvie from space ... but then as always she turns out to be a wuss in the end! Pffft! I won't spoil it for you here though





Ratings: 8/10

255. X-Men vol 1 #118 ... Marvel ...

Yes, yes, yes ... it's another Marvel comic review. Why so many? Well, because I am now in my childhood home of Penang and waaaaay back then I was mainly a Marvel fan. Almost nil DC and hey it's not my fault that even the newsstands hardly ever carry any Superman or Batman

This issue is a random sampling in Brit writer Grant Morrison's three year plus run on the mutants and what joy his stories were. The characters were essentially as they were except that suddenly we see them developing on a personal level. Of course, the uniforms have changed to match the movie but Morrison gave us the reason

And throughout the bulk of his run, Marvel paired him with top notch artists (or at least generally those that I love like Quitely, Van Sciver, Jimenez ... all three of whom have awesome work in DC)!

This issue features van Sciver

And the title is Germ Free Generation - how awesome a title is that, right?

Okay ... storywise it continues from previous issues with the X-Men trying to recuperate and recover their sense of well being after frenetic action and intrigue but as they are mutants, there ain't no such thing as cutting themselves a break

So who plays the villains here? Seems like lots of people are involved with multiple subplots. We have Johnny Sublime and his third species team ... with people who love his book and causing violence while Johnny himself isn't all that he seemed ...

We have new mutants just emerging including Angel, a non-Caucasian girl whose power is just plain EEEUUUURGH ... she spits something from her mouth, her skin is bubbling, she is overweight and shows of her belly button all the time! ARG!

While all this is going on, Prof X and the Beast are on the casualty list while Emma Frost is getting her stride bitching side by side with Jean Grey! How much more coolness can you get from such an epic dialogue scene?

Ratings: 8/10

254. Daredevil vol 1 #214 ... Marvel ...

Daredevil ... may be a guy in red tights with underwear on the outside ... but the stories are usually grim, serious, and shall we say this ... adult/ mature? Take for instance this issue and let's break it down section by section:

1. Cover - beautiful, dark, moody and lovely muted colours

2. Interior artwork - nothing flashy, almost workmanlike but still the intense tone of the story is conveyed well between inks and colours

3. Villains - the villain of the piece is not dressed in tights or some sort of super villain but yet his story is compelling enough to grow as a subplot until reaching here over several months - and yet at the end, we feel for the villain!

4. Story - while all heroes must have great villains, after the slightly more upbeat tone (pursuant to 200), we see this arc with Micay Synn taking DD down a darker type of story telling and it's not going to let up at all until well after issue 300 ... yes that far down even though there are changes in writers

5. What's it about? Well basically there is supposed to be a tarzan like chap ... a whole clan of white bloke who still lived wild and finally found by modern day civilization ... so while he may be rich but his morals are different and being from the jungle the way he handles things are nothing short of ruthless. And like all primitives, the so-called civilized world has many temptations that in the end made a king a slave to its addictions

Ratings: 6/10

253. Defenders vol 1 #152 ... Marvel ...

Another review, another THE END issue ... hehehe! We have had many first issues so it is only appropriate we have a few final issues as well. And this is yet another unique title in the sense that when it was first launched more than 10 years ago, the team consisted of a roster of solid (Hulk and Dr Strange) characters with others that have also had their time in the sun

It was supposed to be Marvel's non-team team ... ie they are all solo players ... but someone forced them to work together for if not, life as we know it on planet Earth will go awry and so they did

And over the course of the years, their members did change including at one stage more mystical oriented characters besides Strange ... and some mentally challenged paranoia split personality types as well ... it makes for good reading

While the issues may not always be action pack, you can bet that quite often the stories are not for "kids" or at least not for 6-year-olds

As for its end, we can only assume that failing sales had a factor ... that and the fact that the Mutants have other places to be ... and the team too is generally weaker at this point in time

In this final issue, it is not only the end of the comic but for some of the characters as well. Basically Moondragon (a human who was raised on an alien planet and ended with great martial arts and mental powers and is supposedly the daughter of Drax the Destroyer) has been tainted by an evil cosmic presence called the Dragon of the Moon (yeah, right, please bear with us) ... even though she has always been arrogant and condescending in past appearances while being in the Avengers ...

Earlier in Defenders run, she had become the baddie and they thought her defeated but here she is back for one final gambit and this time, she planned well. The good side is still fighting the bad side but the bad half of her is ascendant and capitalized on her own inner sense of failure to control her ... and in turn, she channeled it into the Gargoyle, a fellow Defender who became corrupted and caved in to the demon's body that he inhabited

And so we end this issue with all the Defenders going against her and Gargoyle ... and when this is not enough (not revealed on the cover so SPOILER ALERT) ... an Eternal and a past enemy came to give their aid ... so who lives? And who dies (for a while anyway since this is comicdom)?

Ratings: 7/10

252. Dazzler vol 1 #42 ... Marvel ...

The End ... to those who came on the Marvel bandwagon in the 90s and beyond, you may or may not have encountered Dazzler and if you did, you would never expect her to be the first Mutant gal to have her own ongoing series but yes she is the first and even until today none of the X-ladies could hold a candle to her

So after 42 issues and a 4-issue limited series, her story comes to a close ... in all likelihood due to declining sales but you know what? The ending is actually good and well-planned instead of feeling like rushed or left with too many plots

For the past several issues, Dazzler aka Alison Blaire has picked up a bounty hunter and his awesome dog along the way while playing the duo with X-Men alum the Beast in said limited series. And still with each issue, something is brewing when people are sent to take her down, to test her and ... is that glimpses of her past? Her dad and ... her supposedly not around anymore mom?

And the villains introduced along the way are pretty cool too!

So when it finally ends here, it is touching as all the elements are brought together and she finally utilized her power to their limit in order to achieve victory ... but at what cost? To her and the family?

The ending ... well, I shouldn't spoil it for you. I do advise you to hunt down the past 6 issues to get an appreciation of this title

Ratings: 7/10

251. Clandestine vol 1 #6 n 7 ... Marvel ...

I feel sad for this series. During the hype up to its launch, there is so much potential. New characters, new histories and done by the great Alan Davis. Needless to say tons of speculation abound on its cancellation within the year ... but I rather not indulge except to say ... what a waste!

Okay ... basically as the title indicates, this title is about a special family that seemed to have very long lived and very unusual members ... with some who looked like brothers and sisters but are in actual fact not ... while others looks far more aged or younger than they should ... the history and truth behind are being fed to us bit by bit while there is an ongoing story with villains for each issue

These 2 issues are pretty much one story arc where we finally have a wee bit of a downtime after the first 5 ... and here the younger Destine brother and sister (twins) ... are attending regular school and having a bit of a problem ... but as they are recently inducted to the world of capes ... young Rory decides to go on an adventure to get away from their guardian ... his twin sister follows along and escapades and laughter ensues

As the cover shows, he dreams of working alongside as partner/ sidekick to the greats in America and so its off toe USA for the kids!

Good stuff and decent Davis' artwork

Ratings: 7/10

250. Captain America vol 1 #291 ... Marvel ...

Our big 250th review. So you may wonder why this issue of Captain America? Well we have hundreds and thousands of comics to choose from but ... we decided to make it different and look for an issue that is different and this one is it!

What's different?

The Tumbler!

I mean, seriously, this is Captain America - a guy who has fought from WWII until today and has fought Nazis, robots, aliens, demi gods and a horde of super villains. So why o why o why ... did they give him a throw away villain named the Tumbler? What's this guy's gimmick? Tumble dry clothes? Hahahahahaha!

Let's forget the story okay? There is a wee bit going on but not much and it reads as if a filler. And as for the customary or token villain? Well, the Tumbler is like a lame ass version of Batroc the Leaper. As you can see from the cover, he also jumps on Cap! Sigh! And you know he is going to be defeated with ease. That's why from the cover, this is a tale told in one. And if you are sampling Cap for the first time, high chances you will not follow up with the next issue

See? How silly it can be?!?!?!

Ratings: 5/10

249. Alpha Flight vol 1 #16 ... Marvel ... John Byrne

It all ends here, folks! For those of you who have picked this series up from the back issue bins or online, and read bits and pieces, basically the first attempt at Marrina's origins more or less concludes this issue. It started way back in #2 and through various other character's storylines and even crossing into the Avengers, but finally, it ends here!

Basically, originally, everyone knew that Marrina had human parents and we subsequently found out that like Superman, her parents found her and she hatched from an egg. So she is supposedly otherwordly

Along the way, whenever she gets annoyed, she can turn a little bit more monstrous but aside from this, she doesn't actually do much in this series, I kid you not. However, inspite of all this, she somehow captured Namor, the Sub-Mariner's heart and he wants to wed her! Yup, crazy fish prince!

As if that isn't enough, by the time this issue hits, we found out that as Marrina reverts to more and more savagery, she is breaking away from both Avengers and Alpha Flight with Namor in hot pursuit. However, someone else, a new villain in Marvel-dom, has emerged calling himself Master of the World and he supposedly has been around for a long time but keeping himself to himself

Well for some reason he wants her and thus encounters the flight

Even the origins of the master keeps on changing over the years making him also a strange person with near immortality and outer space links! It can be fun for the serious comic reader but for everyone else? A bit of a headache, eh?


Ratings: 7/10

248. X-Men vol 1 #4 to 7 ... Marvel (natch) ...

Well, first day of 2015 .. and to start it right, we continue where we left off in 2014 ... to show continuity (yeah, right!) ... and because we want it to start on a BANG and the next story arc continued where the first 3 issues finished off!

Before we go to the story, let's talk about the artwork - Jim continues to churn out over-the-top detailed artwork with great inking and colouring ... except that the legs of his babes can be a wee bit too long and sometimes the thighs are huge ... hehehe but it all works in one tight package!

Now .. for the story ...

If you thought after the huge long arc, it's time for the X-Men to have some downtime, you are right and wrong because just as each of them starts to attend to their own problems, BANG BANG n BANG trouble comes to them


First up we have new baddie Omega Red, Russian from Wolvie and Sabretooth's past, who comes invading the X grounds and then KICK the shit out of all of them and kidnapped ... Wolverine! Yup, that's right! So the X-team goes scrambling trying to find Wolvie

And basically that's it ... they rescued Wolverine ... but not after having a hell of a time trying to get through to the fortress that is their enemy's base of operations

So who else makes an appearance?

The Fenris Twins (from Uncanny 200), the Hand cult through Matsuo, the old professor from Wolvie's past ... as apparently everyone is after a mechanism and that the location may be hidden within Wolvie's memories ... and as we all know waaaay back then, Wolvie's memories are a mess!

Awesome! And we get to see Psylocke flexed those thighs hahahah!

Ratings: 9/10