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YES – Reviews for 01/31

YES.

Finally, I can speak about the great and mighty preview book we got in the mail last Wednesday.  When I opened the UPS envelope and saw it, I held it aloft like the mighty Excalibur for my co-workers to bask in it's glory.  And lo, it was awesome.

But first:

Ms. Marvel Special One-Shot #1

Okay, real quick, all you need to know out of this issue is that AIM was actually trying to make more mutants like Wanda Maximoff (people who could change reality at whim) that would be under their control.  Because it tends to work out so well for everyone.  There was this little boy (probably a few of them, really) that could alter reality to whatever he was reading, making the story 'come to life' as the only life there was around.  Okay, easy enough: kid reads a sci-fi novel that Carol Danvers wrote about her time as Binary and she convinces the kid to change the story so that they can defeat her novel's antagonist.  It's something the kid has never done before as he's been 'trained' somewhat to read from a script to change things around him, but he tries hard, alters the story to his will to allow Ms. Marvel to become Binary for a second so that everything can go back to normal.  Well, as normal as it will ever be again now that this kid has unchecked reality warping powers thanks to Ms. Marvel's lesson in changing the ending of your own story.  Will we see this kid again?  Maybe not, but once again reality becomes more and more thin and stretched in the Marvel Universe.

Annihilation #6

YES.  Yes yes yes yes yes!  I can barely express how awesome this book is.  It's like Christmas and my birthday and Wrestlemania all in one.  All of you who had been hesitant to read this story for any reason?  If you've been reading Civil War because that's where Spider-Man is?  Please pick up back issues or, heck, wait for the trade if you're so inclined to get the best ending of a story arc I have read yet.  Heck, I'll go so far as to say Annihilation is the best event Marvel has pulled off in a long time.  Andy Schmidt and Daniel Ketchum have helped Keith Giffen give me everything I wanted in an epic cosmic scaled story, deftly drawn by Andrea DiVito, and I can only hope that Civil War is a tenth as good as this series.
First page, recap sets you up for everything that has gone down last issue and we are set for the wild ride that is the fury of Galactus.  Are there the vaunted 'Editor's Notes' so hotly debated on news boards?  Nope!  Not needed as the setup for this story is all over and done, no mid-show minis or tie-ins or extra information other than what has already been provided within this title to get in the way of our cosmic final battle.
And it is fantastic! Spreads of every shape and size, everything drawn and staged with all the weight of one of the heaviest hitter's in the Marvel Universe getting so angry, he makes the Hulk look like Katie Power.  The Silver Surfer is there to give us highlights as he heralds Galactus's rage which decimates Annihilus's forces from start to finish.  Ronan, seeing an opportunity, grabs Kree warriors like likes of which haven't been rallied like this since the days of Mar-Vell and reminds us all why they and the Skrulls wage real war.  As nothing but Annihilus is left, Nova, Phyla-Vell and Star-Lord are there on hand and the last of the Nova Corp stands to end Annihilus once and for all.  Captain America and Iron Man haven't done it like this because, at heart, they can't.  This kind of fight can only come from one is epically good and epically evil.  When Iron Man and Captain America throw tooth-flying punches, there's no one to root for; these are our heroes making terrible mistakes.  This, on the other hand, is Nova fighting for the safety of the universe and Annihilus fighting to stay alive and expand. It is ugly, it is brutal and with a telegraphed save from Phyla as an offer is made and the Quantum Bands choose another, the peril is no more.
Or is it?  Any story can defeat its villains and let the sunrise on another day, but it's the quality of the next day that really makes the effort stand out.  Let's face it, Annihilus had a lot of forces out there and there are some former heralds that want to go out and make sure they are wiped from the face of the cosmos.  The Surfer remains with Galactus, who's now hungrier than ever.  Annihilus's right hand man, Ravenous still lives and in the interest of ending the war, makes a treaty with the Kree Empire, splitting territory with Ronan and leaving both chomping at the bit to tear the other to pieces.  Drax has to look for something new to do, as what he was created for is over and his daughter is still on the arm of Phyla, who wants to try her hand at taking over Wendell's old job.  In the end, Richard Ryder has to find a new place for himself, has to find something that feels like home and, just once, has to say that 'We saved the universe', to see how it sounds.
And I really feel he did!  The pacing of the book, the stories told, the perspective we are given, I really feel that might was used for right and good was done, no matter how much story is still left out there.  It was a long fought and well won battle that they get to uphold like a Ms. America crown.  And sure, there's a lot to be done, but we've just proved through single minis and one major story that they are more than up or the job.  We have tested their mettle and found them worthy to be called heroes and I, for once, cannot wait to see what happens next.

Daredevil #93

What could possibly follow that?  Oh, well, how's about Brubaker's end cap on his first story arc?  In an interesting twist, we're given a recap page in the actual story as a blind and bedraggled Matt Murdock reflects on how he got to this point and lays out the main conundrum of last issue.  Knowing that Daredevil is an honorable man, Vanessa Fisk's offer still stands: give him back his regular status in his book (blind lawyer by day, vigilante by night, the works) if he springs the Kingpin out of jail so that their dance of death can continue.  Once her death is publicized and Foggy Nelson gets back in the game (the reunion may just bring a tear to your eye), you can see the honor in the matter.  She held up her end of the bargain, so Matt Murdock's forced to hold up his.  It's the right thing to do.  As the pieces fall into place in the book, Matt Murdock knows what he has to do and makes his way back to the jail to have himself a talk with Wilson Fisk.  A very human moment between them occurs, simply written but straight to the point.  Now, I'm not the biggest Daredevil fan and I haven't read a great deal, but Joe Quesada really likes the guy and now, thanks to Brubaker, I'm starting to see why.  In the end, the Kingpin has a really quiet moment of mourning and humanity before he's stripped of his US Citizenship and shipped off to Japan, Matt Murdock's life is looking up again as he realizes the ghost of Karen Page still haunts him and we get a shot of an unexpected surprise at the end.  Once again, I am horribly hooked on a book thanks to the writing stylings of Ed Brubaker.  Uncanny X-Men?  Well, he's 2 for 3.

Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter - Guilty Pleasures #4

I want to tuck this book inside another so people don't see me reading it.  I know Brett Booth can draw butcher men than this,  but there is just something so deflating about a 'threatening' man wearing a skinny bowtie.  Anita gets out of whatever vampire place she'd found herself in, we learn that the guy who wishes he were Prince is named 'Valentine' and he wears his Vega mask because Anita scarred him with holy water when he tried to kill her.  Sure, she'd be trying to kill him first at his house but we don't get to see that.  Instead we see them wrestle in the grass and her pull the equivalent of mace on a very physical attacker.  Oh, she also burned his house down with two other hunters, one of who is a totally 1337 deadly killer hitman guy who couldn't weigh more than 160 lbs.  Another long tall guy who's nothing but trouble at her doorstep as she gets to her apartment after her last harrowing three issues; they trade banter, she goes to sleep and we find out she likes stuffed penguins because you know, she's human and quirky that way.  It's to keep her humble and cute, you know.  After a dream of Jean-Claude that involves violence and a coffin of blood, her bestest friend is at the door step and is of course, completely understanding and big sisterly towards Anita and this crazy story.  They both were witty T shirts with clever slogans and toast morning coffee to one another in a way that is just this side shy of a Celestial Seasonings commercial ('What was the waiter's name?') and I swear, they'll be planning on getting down to the actual plot of this story which is hunting down a serial vampire killer.

X-Men #195

I think this is one of those books written for the trade as with each passing issue, I'm confused as to why things are so important and how a fight scene gets slapped in and why characters aren't there when they are on the cover...  Digging deep, I think there's a good idea in here: Rogue being a team leader isn't smart, but it is sassy and the book could use a little right now.  Mystique goes missing in a teleport from the Girl Sentinel (who I cannot seem to remember when she showed up.  Didn't all the Human Models get destroyed in Zero Tolerance, way back when?), so they continue the mission with an eye out to find her.  Fighting occurs because... well, because and we learn that Iceman's ice-form isn't ice, but crystal, continuing my theory that people don't understand how useful freezing water really is.  We meet the bad guy, who looks to have grafted Rogue's power onto himself and, in order to get a leg up on the villainy, Cable and Cannonball push Sabretooth out of their floating headquarters.  We hope he'll land and be very angry.

There was a Marvel Spotlight as well (more ads) and a Ghost Rider 'Finale' #93, an issue that wrapped up a series from way back when; sadly I did not get a chance to read it and I'm pretty sure I would have been confused as heck about whta it was supposed to be wrapping up.

But hey!  Today, you be the judge.

Happy Wednesday.