Review: Point One

Written by Ed Brubaker, Jeph Loeb, David Lapham, Chris Yost, Fred Van Lente, Matt Fraction and Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Javier Pulido, Ed McGuinness, Roberto de la Torre, Ryan Stegman, Salvador Larroca and Terry Dodson

Here are SEVEN all-new stories that set the stage for everything coming your way in 2012 from the biggest names in the comics industry. You CANNOT miss this. Catch a tease of the biggest change to the Marvel Universe in over 35 years!

Given that Marvel’s Point One book is a jam-fest of various creators and stories that amounts to an oversized trailer for books and events you can check out next month/year, this review is going to be a little bit different. Instead of just reviewing the book as a whole, I’m going to break it down into individual parts and judge the whole thing based on the sum of its parts.

Check beyond the cut to see how well Marvel’s one-shot in the dark fares. As a note, slight spoilers are discussed.

For the purpose of this review, each individual story will be ranked on a 5-point scale – 2.5 points max for writing, 2.5 for art. A solid 2.5 does not necessarily denote a perfect score, but rather represents a solid endeavor from the creator — and no, the individual tallies per creator will not be revealed, only the final outcome per part. The various points will then be tallied and averaged against a total of 35 to create the final score.

Intro – Get The Point!

Call me optimistic, but I am excited for Point One. In general, the few Point One books I’ve read have been fairly good reads, and all things considered I am definitely a sucker for teases. I find the waiting game to be quite fun — all the speculation as we try to figure out what is up Marvel’s sleeve? Tons of fun. I’ll gladly take an oversized issue giving quiet roadsigns as to where the books I read are going. As long as there is some sort of pay-off eventually, I find it quite easy to be the posi-core fan sitting up late Wednesday nights and reading along, going “Oh, this is fun!” (Granted, this doesn’t always happen, but forget about that for a minute.)

See, I’m a Marvel guy. I know you’re not supposed to readily admit to those sort of things or “pick sides”, but I’m a long time Marvel reader – always have been and always will be. I grew up on these characters and books, and that inherent sense of nostalgia and fondness keeps me coming back weekly. While at this point in my comic reading career, yes, I do basically read everything (from the biggest of the Big Two to the smallest of the indie publishers, I average 40 books minimum a week or so, not including graphic novels), but at the end of the day, I still almost always want to read more about Spider-Man.

So while it is rather readily “cool” to be cynical about gambit endeavors like this, I am happy to remain positive before even opening the front cover.

With that in mind, I dive headfirst into Marvel Point One, and get ready for what is coming.

Framing Sequence – Behold the Watcher by Ed Brubaker and Javier Pulido

Does Uatu dream of watching sheep?

This might sound odd, but this is by far the best portion of the book. It seems a bit off to dish out that kind of praise right out the gate, but it’s true — the scenery of the entire issue, the ties that binds, make the single best story of the comic. Each individual tale is a hit or miss endeavor, but this quiet little killer of an outlier is the one element of the book I truly dug deeply into.

Given that Brubaker is the writer of the story, this shouldn’t be a huge surprise, but the real reason that this part is so great? Javier Pulido. Pulido is not a name that I am readily familiar with at all. In fact, as far as I can tell from a cursory Google search, he’s done a Spider-Man comic I own and have read in the past but don’t actually entirely remember. His artwork is gorgeous, though, and definitely the contribution to beat against every other artist involved. Very emotive and certainly in tribute to Golden Age artwork and Jack Kirby, Pulido is like the combination of Tonci Zonjic and Nick Dragotta for a very clean and sleek look that pays sublime tribute to the cosmic portion of the Point One tale. (In fact, a large part of me wishes that the entire issue was illustrated by him.) If Marvel is wise, they’ll keep strong hold of Pulido and give him much more work, because I’m not sure I ever want to see anyone draw the Watcher besides him.

Brubaker’s story here is fair as well, creating a believable scenario for this story to take place “in continuity.” The real trick of it isn’t revealed until the end, however, when it becomes apparent that this isn’t so much a filler device and actually something hopefully important to the future of Marvel. How is very much yet to be revealed, but it should be noted that Brubaker has been telling rather grounded spy and war-based stories at Marvel for quite some time now; to see him play at a story more along the lines of what we regularly get from a writer like Jonathan Hickman shakes things up in an interesting way, and I’d definitely like to see more of it. I’ll certainly be interested to see where and when this pays off, as it certainly boasts towards being quite a large story.

Either way, the “story” of Point One, if not all of its inner contents, is rather solid indeed. A grand exterior for the book to have, and its nice to see some effort in this (unlike some other Marvel books with story “shells” that usually tie into an event).

Total: 4.5

Nova – Harbinger by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness

Real men aren’t afraid to cry – in space!

The Nova story here is quite curious. While this ends up just being a big tease for Marvel’s “It’s Coming” story that will apparently bring the cosmic to the homefront a bit more (without DnA, which is sad), it just leaves more questions than it answers. While in many cases that can be a good thing (Morning Glories is a good example of this working), this just seems a rather confusing jamboree.

This isn’t to pick on Loeb or McGuinness specifically. While the internet collectively seems to have a bone to pick with the (rather successful) creative team, it’s not their collaboration or their work (entirely) that makes the piece ostensibly bad. What makes it bad is that it just doesn’t seem to connect with anything. Obviously the continuity of this whole issue is off-kilter, but last we saw Nova/Richard Rider, he was “dead” and the Nova Corps was in shambles after Rich absorbed all their power in order to battle Thanos. Since Nova has been presumed dead since then, who the heck is this story about? It’s never actually confirmed one way or the other, but based on McGuiness’ art, it looks like some tiny and somewhat chubby little kid. For all intents and purposes it could be Rider (I guess?), especially since Blackbolt just came back, but some clarity would’ve been nice.

That is the story’s rather glaring fault. On the one hand, this story seems designed for the sole purposes of those who may not be familiar with Cosmic Marvel at all, in which case it’s just a cool little space battle followed by a giant firey return and then boom, the end. However, for those that have been following Marvel continuity for some time, it’s just a big mix of “Wait, what? How is this here? And him? Who is this?” Throw that in with really off-beat art from McGuinness that eschews the powerful bulk characters for the curiously stunted and pudgy that’s more akin to Nick Bradshaw’s work than McGuiness, add in the usual hip-to-be-square poor use of culturally relevant dialogue from Loeb (“Epic fail” does not seem like an appropriate line of dialogue for a character stuck on the far end of the cosmos, now does it?), and you’ve got a story that meets and greets all your assumedly low expectations.

I don’t want to be a Cosmic Purist or something like that and claim that only Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning should be allowed to write cosmic characters anymore, but if there was ever a compelling argument for that idea, it would be this story. However, the story serves its inherent purpose: “It’s Coming” is teased, and so is something ominous with a character you probably didn’t care about very much. While none of it seems to add up, it seems best to just pretend that this makes sense somewhere, somehow, and move on.

Total: 1.0

Age of Apocalypse – the Myth of Man by David Lapham and Roberto de la Torre

Is this the proper time to use the phrase “haters gonna hate”?

The Age of Apocalypse ongoing tease probably has the hardest task of any of the stories in this anthology, because try as I might, I am completely disinterested in the idea of an Age of Apocalypse ongoing. I enjoyed the Age of Apocalypse event storyline a great deal, don’t get me wrong, but that was sixteen years ago. An ongoing? In 2011? (I use this next line in shame, but) In today’s market climate, is this really something we need, something that there is demand for?

So obviously, I’m being a bit cynical. That means it’s Lapham and de la Torre’s job to convince me, yes, this is really something we need. Given that this is ostensibly the point of all these stories mashed together in a single issue like this, now is as fair a time to “get the point” as any other.

As it stands, I’m not entirely convinced on reading further, but I also can’t say I’m completely dissuaded entirely to the idea anymore. Here’s the general gist of it: alt universe stories? Tons of fun. Lots of grand possibilities and room to play, more room to shake things up and get away with it without worrying that someone will be resurrected in a month because he’s popular. While it doesn’t have that sense of “mattering” in continuity as other comics do, it can be quite the fun ride regardless. (Let’s just pretend that “mattering” is something that counts for a minute, just for the sake of argument.) Age of Apocalypse seems like an unlikely candidate of a universe to revisit, but after the bang-up job Remender has done in Uncanny X-Force, you can see why Marvel would take a chance with this particular game.

This is where it begins to get tricky, though. Lapham and de la Torre have teased a story that could either really be great or just be not great. From my personal read of it, there isn’t any easy middle ground here, despite the fact that I still find myself straddling one. It has obvious positives and negatives — the plus side finds the story introducing a character I want to read more of (traditionally a villain, now a “hero”), a distorted shell of my previous notions of the AoA environment and political climate, and the possibilities for some rather grand stories with said character and climate; the negative side contains an eyeroll-inducing team name (“If we fail, then we will truly be nothing more than… the X-Terminated!”), a somewhat curious premise for a book ostensibly about mutants, and the general unfortunate nature of the market that finds myself not fully willing to commit to an ongoing I’m not entirely psyched for.

Standing in the middle here is pretty bad.

However, I am a sucker for de la Torre’s art. I first became quite fond of it from his work on Daredevil, and de la Torre has all the grit and grime I want to see more of in comics. Putting de la Torre in charge of the visual for this dystopian industrial environment is a grand idea as his visuals evoke a stoic mix of artists like Alex Maleev and David Aja, and his character designs here  are both ominous and – dare I say it? – damn cool. While I’m not entirely sold on the plot of this book, I am 100% on the artist aspect of it, and would love to see de la Torre play with the Apocalypse world just as I am enjoying Opena’s work in Uncanny X-Force right now.

Ultimately, though, it seems a flip of the coin will probably see whether or not I invest in the ongoing, as the tease here in Point One doesn’t do too much to stir up any interest in the story for me. While trying to reinvent the stereotypes of the 90’s has somehow seemed to work for the “Distinguished Competition,” revisiting an alternate universe born in the mid-90’s only seems good for a singular storyline or so, not a brand new ongoing.

Total: 2.5

Scarlet Spider – The Scarlet Thread by Chris Yost and Ryan Stegman

As a writer with a beard, I can confirm that this scene is the accurate way in which we bearded folk feel feelings

The Point One story of Scarlet Spider is definitely one of the tales I’d been looking forward to in this anthology the most. I’m admittedly a rather large fan of Spider-Man and his assorted cast and mythology, and while I wasn’t immediately interested in an ongoing starring Kaine (of all characters), it’s definitely the one that had the largest possibility of winning me over given my predilections. At the very least, I just want the book to be as successful a spin-off as Remender’s Venom book has been.

However, I can’t say I’m immediately intrigued by the ostensible direction here. We’re assumedly following a character seeking redemption and a change of life, yet we spend the duration of the story being regaled in why we shouldn’t follow his stories because he’s such a bad guy. Kaine is a self deprecating character who hates his post-clone life, and since his creation he’s been a comic book poster-child for the use of LiveJournal. Now he seems to take up his new role not because he wants to be a better person or because he has a destiny he hopes to fulfill, but rather because he is not sure if there is a better way to atone for his past “sins”. After the Spider-Island epilogue, the big question here is: “Wait, what?”

Given Kaine’s history as a self-loathing character, it seemed like Slott was pushing him in a more positive direction at the end of Spider-Island. I would guess the goal was to give us an additional Spider-Man, as opposed to just “the latest story that has Kaine in it.” With X-Force, Yost certainly showed talent in working with darker characters on difficult roads, but if you look at Yost’s work on the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, there is a distinct lack of “fun” in this story that is usually held in a Spider-based book. It’d be a shame to abandon the humor of the main title here, even if the central character is a clone who hates himself, and especially after said-self-hating clone just said he was done being a self-hating clone.

On the other hand, Ryan Stegman — what a champ! I’ve been a fan of Stegman’s work on various Marvel books in the past, and putting him on a Spider-related title is a great move. Stegman’s style is kinetic, energetic and full of life; watching Scarlet Spider dish out some damage to a few stereotypical bank robbing villains is great, as Stegman really drives home the key parts of Scarlet Spider’s somewhat unconventional movement. I can only imagine what he has planned for the larger stories, and having an artist who can truly bring motion into the work is key for any Spider-related title. Stegman’s work here is certainly a bold portent of the good things to come from the visual component of the book.

If only the story had fully sold me as well. There is a glimmer of “hope” at the end (as pictured above) that makes it seem like this story is working as an introduction, just so new readers “get the point” that Kaine isn’t a fan of Kaine. It’s definitely too early to say anything in terms of final characterization, but reading a story about Kaine beating himself up over fate’s cruel hand (after deciding to become a slave to fate in the book that gave him this role) doesn’t seem that interesting a story to follow. I’m not entirely opposed to trying out a first issue, though, if only for more Stegman art.

Total: 2.5

Coldmoon and Dragonfire – Yin and Yang by Fred Van Lente and Salvador Larroca

Van Lente’s new twins ain’t nothin’ to fuck wit’

If there is one thing Fred Van Lente is great at, it’s introducing new characters into the Marvel Universe and getting them to stick around. Big Two comics in general lack new characters with staying power, characters added to books that truly make a difference, but in recent memory Van Lente has given us both the Savage She-Hulk and the new Power Man, who have each found life (albeit less so in Power Man’s sense) in other titles. Van Lente is one of the few creators who actively seems to want to just have new or different characters around, and has been known to just introduce new heroes or villains as needed (he did with the Taskmaster mini and the Power Man & Iron Fist mini), so it is very much worth noting that if anyone is really trying to push Marvel to expand its cast, it’s him.

With this particular story, we’re given the only real obvious addition to the Marvel universe as a whole. While other stories are teasers and portents of what is to come, Van Lente and Larocca introduce a brand new ballpark to be played in – a set of twin characters with dangerous power and a brand new and mysterious villain/entity that could conceivably become the next Roxxon. Where other stories simply go to gently bring readers into established worlds that have solicited futures, Van Lente and Larocca are throwing us into unfamiliar territory and then teasing us about where this can go, almost as a dare (“Where will you see them next? Who knows — but it’ll be awesome!”).

The only general oddball of the issue is a minor note at best. It’s not a bad thing by any means, but Larocca’s work here is somewhat off, or perhaps even slightly off-putting, by the inclusion of a new color artist to his work. Perhaps it’s my fault for being accustomed to his work with Frank D’Armata in Invincible Iron Man, but with Guru-eFX coloring, it’s almost like looking at an entirely new artist now. The depth and realism brought in by D’Armata isn’t present with Guru’s work, which plays off more flat than D’Armata’s. It’s not a bad thing per se, but it was certainly a curious element given Larocca and D’Armatta’s amazing collaboration.

Either way, Coldmoon and Dragonfire — for all their cheesiness (we go from a dark origin story to a goofy “Stay tuned for more action next Saturday morning!” vibe in the span of a page) — are definitely the most important “new” aspect brought to Marvel by Point One, and for that we salute you. While it’s certainly unknown where and when these characters will re-appear (perhaps a mini-series of their own that Van Lente teased on Twitter?), this is the only story that really pushes new beginnings, and for that alone I love it.

Total: 4.0

Doctor Strange – The Shaman of Greenwich Village by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson

Dreamscape-to-reality chatting — coming soon to the iPhone 5

If I had to make an guess, I would say that this story is probably supposed to be a tease for Matt Fraction’s upcoming work on the Defenders. Yet, after reading it, I’m not that much closer to understanding what Fraction’s modus operandi for that book will be. While I’m still intrigued for the various elements I’ve heard Fraction discuss regarding the ongoing, outside of a little character work here, Doctor Strange’s adventure isn’t as exciting as it could’ve been.

Following the Doctor in Greenwich Village as he deals with a local notorious resident of the culture, we’re given a story in which Fraction begins to introduce new conspiracies and magical elements in quick succession in what we can only presume will have deeper resolution once Defenders begins and hits its second story arc. Fraction is not unaccustomed to quick and flighty storytelling, but the way that this particular piece hops between what he’s teasing and what is happening isn’t very smooth. We’re both supposed to garner a sense of Doctor Strange as a lead in the Defenders and a feel for what the Defenders will be like as a whole, but the central focus on Strange as a “man of the people” doesn’t offer up anything from which to go from.

The only reason that we can pick this apart in that aspect is because, technically, we’ve already been given a good Defenders teaser. In the back of Fear Itself, Fraction and Dodson combined forces to give a short four-page prelude to the upcoming ongoing, and that short instills more confidence and understanding of what is to come than this story does. Fraction clearly has an affection for Strange and the magic world here, and it will be exciting to see he and Dodson play up Strange’s leadership qualities and quirks now that he is no longer the Sorcerer Supreme and is simply “just another character,” but given that this is where the future technically starts, a more concrete direction and series pitch would’ve been nice to have for those still on the fence.

Total: 2.5

The Avengers – Age of Ultron by Brian Michael Bendis and Bryan Hitch

In Peter’s defense, what could he even get Hawkeye at this point? They have no money!

This is perhaps the most “unclear” of all the Point One stories. It acts as a follow-up to all Bendis’ premonitions of the upcoming war against Ultron as well as a lead towards said war, but the story throws you in so quickly that it becomes somewhat hard to gain clarity on the entire story being presented. We get that it’s “the future”, we get that Ultron is the Big Bad, and we get that “bad things have happened,” but the obtuse references to the new dystopian society thrown about are a bit disjointed (what would a robot like Ultron need money for after destroying humanity?), if somewhat de-sync’d from previous understandings of what was coming. It’s as if Bendis’ main idea for the story was, “Ok, people know that some bad shit is coming their way — let’s just play with it for a bit. Explanations be damned!”

This isn’t to completely admonish it, however. Post-apocalyptic teases are always fun, and seeing Hawkeye and Spider-Man survive and retain their current attitudes is an interesting concept, given the bleak surroundings. Bendis clearly has an angle that he’s slowly pushing his Avengers work to, and as a fan of his work it’s interesting to watch him spread it out so much. While the path isn’t very clear, the end result is still anticipated, especially if Hitch will be involved in the final product. Bendis has been good about telling his grand stories quite well once we’re there; it’s just the road to it that is slightly bumpy.

The nice part of this particular story is that when you’ve got Bryan Hitch illustrating, it’s easy to just enjoy the story (perhaps any story, really). Hitch’s widescreen and hyper-detailed format of illustration brings the environment rendered alive with a furious force of disorientation. The opening “rumble” scene alone captures the viewers attention in a very cinematic way, and to say that Hitch has refined his particular style of illustration to a T is to put it fairly lightly. Hitch is an artist ever improving, bringing about fuller and more intricate work all the time, and when you’ve got a writer like Bendis who understands and can play well to Hitch’s Hollywood blockbuster sensibilities, you get a great looking piece.

However, with an arc in the Avengers, a sub-arc in Moon Knight and an Avengers Point One issue already slowly pushing us to the Age of Ultron (and I hate to pull out this pun here, of all places), I think it’s generally time for us to “get to the point.”

Total: 3.0

Outro – OK, I Got It!

Point One wasn’t that bad, all things considered. However, while we’re certainly given a great amount of quantity, the quality doesn’t fully add up. The price point certainly doesn’t help too much either, although from what I saw yesterday at local shops in Massachusetts, stores are either selling it a discounted price or giving it away for free. It’s as if retailers are anxious to just give it away, and its not too hard to see why. (Seriously — if you’re a New Englander and would like a copy of the book for free, just check their website for a coupon and visit Newbury Comics.)

Someone like myself can get excited about elements about of the book, and I can even appreciate the idea, but if Marvel really wanted to hook new readers to their universe with the issue, then certain steps should’ve been taken to make it more new reader friendly. Introductions to specific corner pockets seem like this is more geared to cynical current fans who may be on the fence about trying out new titles, and my general opinions on what I want to read going further haven’t really changed at all.

Still, never hurts to try.

Final Verdict: 5.71 (or so) – Browse