2.242 (607) Avengers vol 3 #5 ...

It has been a while since our last v 3 review and so we finally reached issue 5 and honestly while I did enjoy some of the past decades Avengers especially the first round of New Avengers and Mighty Avengers, unfortunately, with each relaunch and renumbering it got harder and harder to follow unless one is a constant reader. Sigh!

In Issue 5, the Avengers have just been reassembled with a whole new team as of end of 4 and this time consists of some all time fave and two so-called active reserves ... and as our cover clearly indicates, the Avengers have another run-in with the Squadron Supreme

For those who are wondering, basically years ago, Marvel did a maxi-series on this group of heroes in an alternate universe. There the mighty took it upon themselves to reshape the world thinking that with their power they can bring some sort of utopia to their world. Now as we all now even here in the real world that no such thing can ever be and if might is all it takes, we all also know that it's only a matter of time before things crumble

So the Squadron is their world's kinda Avengers too and while on some mission or other ended up stuck on our world looking for their way home

This issue opens up nicely with the new team having personal time like some going shopping and others exercising and training to hone their skills while even more others are in the lab trying to help out. And as the title is Avengers, all you need to know and I am sure all you are expecting is that a call will go out and before you know it, it's time for AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

As is common now in comics, that call is attended to which leads to a common misunderstanding with our two teams coming to blows. Normally the blows would be sorted out within a few panels but not this issue. With Perez at art, everyone wants to see big groups of heroes pounding the tar out of each other and both writer and artist did not disappoint

In other words, the tale ain't done here and we have to come back for Part 2

Hah!

Ratings: 8/10

2.241 (606) Crimson #8 ...

Humberto Ramos' penciling is full of energy and an excellent development from a manga style with oversized feet and hair to stylized facial expression or should that be the occasional explosion? Regardless, I liked his work from DC's Impulse and have followed him for a while from one series to another. However, if there is one gripe I may be permitted to express: it is his covers. Somehow, they are not popping if you know what I mean and this issue is no difference

Contentwise, we open to see Scarlet, the lady who hunts vampires with a crossbow and dressed in skin tights and a cloak, fight against another attack of some sort of creature (demonic children?) and while this is the opening scene, as the series progresses, we are given more to think about as we see Alex, our protagonist (human turned unwilling vampire) agonizing about life in general while his mentor, the odd shaped creature named Ekimus is hovering over someone close to Alex

So is Alex turning into a vampire a mere accident or something more?

And while we are pondering this, we also get a glimpse of good guy cop who is trying to help Alex's parents find where their son has disappeared too starts getting visions of someone who looks a lot like him except dressed in King Arthur esque armor?!?!?!?!

And if that is not enough, is that Alex and Scarlett developing feelings for each other? Now while this may seem normal to you for us, because of the artwork, when they first met, we thought she was like a young adult (above 21) while Alex is mid to early teenager hood (14 to 16). So what gives, eh?

Sadly, this issue while moving the main story arc forward does little else and feels like one of those in-between chapters in what could be a potentially exciting book. So if this is your first taste, we recommend you do not make a decision but go and buy the first TPB collecting issues 1 to 6 for a better feel of what this tale is about

Ratings: 6/10

2.240 (605) All Star Superman #2 ...

This is one of the oddest comic mini or maxi series I have ever read - not because it is by Grant Morrison but because of the tone of the entire series. If you read each comic by itself, it feels so self contained which is awesome and yet as the series progresses (because each issue is so good both art and storyline that you are drawn to come back for more) you get to see the overall arch and its linkages sprinkled throughout each issue in minute amounts

This entire issue deals with the fact that Superman is in love with Lois and wants to give her a special birthday surprise. However, she doesn't know yet that he is Clark. So he whips her up on his broad shoulders or should we say he hoist he car and flew her to his fortress

And then he gives her a tour of the mysteries contained

We are given access to her thoughts when Superman went somewhere private (to prepare for her present which we will not SPOIL for you readers who have yet to try this) .... as Lois does what a nosey reporter does ... nosing around and her misunderstanding of so many things there made her think that perhaps her own life is in peril for discovering some shit about Superman's lineage! Hah!

It is light hearted, it is funny, it is charming and Frank Quitely's controlled linework tells this tale so wonderfully!

Ratings: 9/10

2.239 (604) Archer and Armstrong (2012) #2 ...

You know how some comics when you first heard about it or even glance upon the cover you didn't think much of it? Until somehow, some day, when you happen to be so bored and your fingers itch to turn the covers on some comic that you never tried and you find yourself addicted? This is that title for me. Once I read issue 1, I had to go get the TPB and from that onwards until the big 25, I followed this title

And in issue 2, we see that the fun and mayhem from issue 1 continues unabated

But firstly, artist Clayton Henry who is never on my to-read list delivers up an awesome job and going forward, if he ever does anything, I know I would give his works at least a one-issue trial

Anyway, all you need to know is that Archer is a young teenager who was raised in a cult like compound. Unfortunately he and all his fellow youthful troopers have been lied to by their leaders. The cult's intention is to seize upon some almost mystical like items that supposedly when joined together can grant immense power to them so that they can control the world and its destinies or some such nonsense which however as the pages are turned seemed to be the truth and that item actually has that ability

And that very item is linked to Armstrong and his brothers who ... as we will find out are near immortals having lived the centuries and though may be hurt are near impossible to kill

So in issue 2, Archer has to make a hard decision to believe what he is seeing happening in front of him or believe his so-called parents. However, this is not all about a teenage rebellion. Nope. We have lots n lots n lots of action with them busting each other and then busting their captors. After that, there is a quick jaunt to certain places in Europe where more head-busting ensues

So all in all a very fast paced action issue that manages to squeeze in humour and characterization. Awesome!

Ratings: 8/10

2.238 (603) West Coast Avengers #10 ...

Wow it's ... it's just wow! That's how I feel about the first year or two's worth of issues from the old WCA series. Firstly the stories are interesting with a good combination of lighter moments (mainly from Hawkeye and Mockingbird) as well as character developments (Wonder Man and Hank Pym) to the usual bad guys trying to takeover

But this issue is a true testament to the strength of the series

Simple clean lines gives us the ideal way of drawing super heroes accompanied by colours that literally pop and prop up the line so well ... loved it!

In this issue, we start off with the Thing actually wanting to join the WCA. And Hawkeye deciding to choose the Thing instead of Firebird (religious sort of gal) ... however, this is just during the Thing's own title where he mutated into something more rockier. And so as expected when the time comes for the press, he skipped town

We spent the rest of the issues following the WCA as they go about trying to find out where is Ben since they didn't know about his mutation and so many times they come close until ... a villain called Headlok decided to ambush them with the help of the Griffin. Now we are not told at this point why the 2 villains decided to just jump on our heroes because hey there should be a plot right? So if you are jumping into this series here, then we will keep mum

Suffice to say that as this is a told in one type of tale we did get resolution in the form of closure on the Thing's status. And boy is it a sad ending

Ratings: 7/10

2.237 (602) Fallen Angels #1 ...

Honestly we have no idea what was the purpose of this entire mini-series. Seriously ... average artwork to average story (some issues are actually boring) ... issued during a time when mini-series were still not the norm ... one would expect this to be huge but it was not

Anyway, Prof X has files on mutants including students and one of his files was on Sunspot and the potential for him to be a bad guy some day simply because he is headstrong and comes from a moneyed background and his daddy is some sort of industrialist while his mom is some of professor type that goes all Indiana Jones

So to make a long story short, as the cover shows, Sunspot lost his cool and smacks Cannonball aka Sam aka his best friend down. Shocked more than anything made Sunspot panicked and he fled along with a few others

And that's what this is about

Sunspot left with a few of the other Mutants going to the streets trying to find their purpose in life and whether they should move on, just exist or go back. There are some pluses here. We got some new people introduced during this series. And we get to see some characters from the Marvel U who hasn't been seen in a while

And that's just about it ... a ho-hum kinda effort that didn't make me feel like continuing to buy this when it first came out

Ratings: 3/10

2.236 (601) Factor X #1 ...

Right - I am surprised I have never reviewed a single issue of this four issue series so let's get to it. Basically this happened during the mid-90s in the original Age of Apocalypse run where all the mutant titles got canned and for four months, we get alternate versions of these titles. So Factor X is X-Factor ... more or less ... perhaps more less if you get what I mean

Here in this opening issue, we see that Cyclops is Mr Prim and Proper to a certain extent in the sense that he carries out his master/ boss wishes to the point that he actually loses one eye. And in this universe, as he is a mutant he is one of the master race and his own master is none other than Sinister

During this time, he was in-charge of slave pens where humans etc are being caged for uses including experimentation and being menial labour... serving alongside him is his younger brother Alex aka Havok who has a bit of an inferiority complex except in this universe, that inferiority has developed into full blown jealousy and potentially hatred. So what can happen if this is left unchecked eh? Well you won't get it in this one issue but if you are patient enough you will find out and it can be shocking!

Speaking of shocking, as the cover shows, we also get the Dark Beast who has many of the same traits as our regular Beast except that here he has not the ability to relate to anyone on a humane level. Thus to him the science is all and his passion is to experiment on anyone and everyone. Hence his awesome love of the slave pens

With that out of the way, the story progresses and we see a Scott struggling with his inner self trying to justify what he is doing on a daily basis while surrounded by those who actually loved the stage of ruin and despair and carnage all around him. You just know that it will not be long before all goes BOOM

Ratings: 6/10 (o yeah  artist is Steve Epting before he became awesome on Captain A)