snap judgments

Remember these? Funny thing is, I’ve still been reading what they send, though DC’s been totally slacking on sending the store their preview copies. So for once, it’s not my normal bias, but a lack of sneaky new books.

But Marvel’s got my back, so let’s see what they sent me:

Doctor Strange: the Oath #2

It continues to be everything I want in a Dr. Strange comic, even things I didn’t know I wanted. Like an arrogant Doctor Strange, but yet still very practical when it comes to his first profession. A hardboiled Wong, ready to play down his life for Strange no matter how much the good Doctor disagrees. And, most surprising, Night Nurse who doesn’t jump into the role of ‘girl friday’ or ‘besting sidekick’, but a rather practical gal on the side there to aid both Strange and Wong as they’re on half strength. Exposition is done elegantly, from the Eye of Aggamotto to talks on the subway about where they’re going and why, leaving this a title people can still jump into on #2. There’s even a little catchy flashback to remind us that Dr. Strange, pre magical mysticism, was a dick and that this might come back to bite him in the end, no matter how much good he’s done since. As Strange has fought some extradimentional horror to obtain an elixir that can cure Wong of his lethal tumor,it turns out it can cure cancer. All cancer. Thus, he confirms this with an old doctor friend and later gets shot in his home on Bleeker Street by a their who’s obviously more than he appears. Good stuff, can’t wait to see where it’s going.

Annihilation #4

Galactus as a weapon. Think about it. Take into detail the idea of putting an eminent cosmic being, locking him to a machine, and forcing him to destroy planet after planet, but with none of the nourishment that comes from such an act. Just enough to keep him alive to do it again. And again. Hand to God, gives me the shivers every time because Keith Giffen has thought about it and explained it all very well to you, the reader. Annihilation is honestly some of the best of Marvel this year and it just keeps getting better every step of the way. A cosmic story that you don’t need pounds of backstory to understand since the characters dealing with this incredible threat are very good at focusing down to points that we can relate to.Nova had to disband the resistance but knows this war isn’t over. Annihilus is power mad and seeks only to destroy everything so that he may know peace. Drax was created to destroy Thanos and hones in on this fact like a laser beam. And Thanos, well… he’s just pleased to be at the center of it all. It’s just fantastic and while some brave souls might be willing to go grab up the comic off the shelf and wade on in to the story at it’s mid-point, only some will point themselves back issue first and most will say they’ll wait for the trade. Trust me, this story is worth it. Because in a few issues, Galactus is going to break free of being used. And boy, is he going to be sore.

Fantastic Four Presents Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius - Happy Franksgiving!

Don’t forget to grab a copy of the latest Franklin Richard’s special, “Happy Franksgiving!”. Five all new stories, each one just as fun and silly as you’ve come to expect and love, there’s just a Marvel Universe-Guiding Light comic preview in the back. What can I say besides this comic is sure to sell out, just like the others?

New X-Men #32

Funny how the “New” X-Men books is the closest thing you can get to “old school” X-Men style stories on the shelves these days and I think I’m going to get into that over at Blog@Newsarama. Remember Whither? Apparently, after M-Day, he dared to touch the chick he liked only to maim her as he hadn’t actually lost his powers. He runs off to Mutant Town and we don’t see him as the camera is firmly fixed on the Nimrod storyline. Well, guess what? Nimrod storyline over, the camera goes right back to where it should with the dangling plot with Wither! Who knew?? No matter what happens in this book, the story is so tight nothing slips through the cracks and even if I don’t like the characters all that much, I have to give them props for character growth and continuity. Like all mutants with a lousy power, he is troubled about not touching anyone and fears the life ahead of him; but unlike some characters (*cough*ROGUE*cough*), he seems to be trying to make it on his own and wrestle over what he can do about it. Taken in my mysterious old woman, he pours his heart out to her while she seems to be trying to get him more comfortable with his “gifts”. Yes, we’ve all seen the cover so we know the woman’s Selene, but it’s still neat to see poor Whither wrestle with what God gave him.Meanwhile, the X-Mansion has another funeral to do, this time it’s a Guthrie. Mrs. Guthrie, a woman who’s given three kids to the cause of Xavier’s Dream, is not the angry screaming woman from Civil War, wondering why it’s her child who died and yanking her kids out of the school fast enough to get whiplash. No, she’s a brave, strong soul who admits to believing in Xavier’s Dream and is proud to have her children there, no matter how much she fears for their safety. A powerful funeral scene follows her speech where Kitty Pryde and the last of the Mansion residents remember those who have fallen fighting for a world that fears and hates them.

Wolverine: Origins #8

Getting better! More foreign intrigue and espionage as Logan goes in search of Omega Red whose taken Jubilee and the Carbonadium Synthesizer, taking him to Germany as he has a little reflective flashback about working with Creed and Maverick. I have to admit, I’d like to see back in the day stories when they didn’t immediately go for the throat and were forced to work together. But in the end, we get a Natasha Romanov cameo and SHIELD still on the trail. Man, those guys are slow.

Bullet Points #1

There’s been some hype around the book and there are some real die hard J. Michael Straczynski fans out there who continue to put him on the Spider-Man books and we all know that Quesada thinks the world of him. So… let’s face it, someone gave ol’ JMS a copy of JLA: The Nail and he went “Hey! I could do this!” Now, I’m not saying that getting inspiration from books the Distinguished Competition (man, remember when they used to call DC that? Good times.) has already done; thanks to Kingdom Come, I got Earth X, one of my favorite Marvel reads. JMS goes the “bullet” route instead of the “nail” metaphor and ponders through mini-series all the things that could come if the scientist with the Super Soldier serum was shot before administering it to Steve Rogers. I guess we’re not counting “Truth” in all of this or something.Anyways… the good news is that it’s a fun quickie history lesson through WWII (or at least tries to be) and die hard American altruist cannot be denied the change to fight for his country. Everyone one remarks on how extraordinary the guy is and thanks to the art and narrative, we really believe it too. If the story stayed with the Second World War and what would have happened without a Captain America it would have been an interesting look at the Greatest Generation through Marvel eyes. Sadly, this is not to be as the Iron Man armor wasn’t built in a Vietnam POW camp, but was ready just in time to be tested on a driven and eager Rogers. Okay, I could live with this. Also, Ben Parker was shot along with the scientist holding the Super Soldier serum, leaving May a widow of a very young marriage. This makes her a “single mom” raising Peter Parker (as his parents play out their fate just fine); without Uncle Ben’s influence, Peter’s a bit of a rake and roustabout who winds up with some kids at a military testing site where the gamma bomb is going off.

Now it feels like he’s trying too hard. Why would a lack of Captain America mean that there would be no Rick Jones? And was Bruce Banner just waiting for Jones then and didn’t bother too rescue this kid? I know he wants to make this one big Butterfly Effect study (because someone at Marvel read a book and it’s become the hip new idea amongst the writing staff), but come on. I have a sinking feeling it’s just going to get more ridiculous as we go on.

Amazing Spider-Men #1

I wonder to myself when the store is dead and we have more than one copy of Spider-Girl Digest TP vol. 1 why this book isn’t flying off the shelf. It’s got a great story, it’s real roots-style Marvel writing, what gives? I think it might have to do with some people thinking this is going to be a Spider-Man book with boobs. Or a (heaven forbid) a GIRL’S BOOK! When, in actuality, if this was just a Spider-Man with Boobs™ book, I don’t think it would work as well. This is just a great book for teens, the kind of books parents would want kids to read, all about growing up, doing the right thing, actions having consequences and a snappy fun fight from time to time with the bad guys. Nothing more, nothing less than good clean fun in a comic book for real true all ages.Spider-Girl disobeys her parent’s wishes and investigates as an abused woman stops by the shelter she volunteers at after school. The woman’s a grifter and might have stolen something that the Hobgoblin could use for mysterious criminal power. Hearing that the shelter’s volunteers have been targeted by thugs, Mary Jane entrusts her daughter to wear the Spider-Suit, and Mayday gets to feel a little guilty that she was running around before permission was given. Now, the neat thing about that exchange with Mary Jane doing her best to trust her daughter not to ruin her life with the Spider Mantle is that it is straight, to the point and gets you right back to the heart of the story. Strangely enough, going right to the second page with Spider-Girl swinging away in moral debate makes the short time they had stick more than if it was a long drawn out sequence. Maybe that’s just me.