There is a lot to cover on Wednesdays. We should know, as collectively, we read an insane amount of comics. Even with a large review staff, it’s hard to get to everything. With that in mind, we’re back with Wrapping Wednesday, where we look at some of the books we missed in what was another great week of comics.
Let’s get this party started.
All New X-Men
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Stuart Immonen
Review by Vince Ostrowski
Another Brian Bendis time travel story. Neve fear, “Age of Ultron” detractors, because this story gets right some of the key things that AoU got so wrong. First of all, the future X-Men that have come to present all have key connections to the rich lore of the X-Men. These are not superficial or unexplained facsimiles for the sake of creating cool new characters. No, Bendis continues to do what he’s been doing with the X-Men – building upon the key moments in X-Men history and actually using them to tell new stories. So when 3 Hank McCoys are standing in a room together, we immediately know how this could have happened and appreciate the pitch-perfect reactions that Bendis dreamt up. Second of all, no one really gets left out here. This is a jam-packed comic where everyone gets a little time, despite there being dozens of important characters – another obvious criticism of “Age of Ultron.” Along the way, Stuart Immonen continues to make the book feel special by being the star quality artist that he is. ‘Battle of the Atom’ is crossover event comics done right.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy. Battle of the Atom looks to be a great event.
Chew #36
Written by John Layman
Illustrated by Rob Guillory
Review by David Harper
Not many comics could pull off what Chew did in this issue, as John Layman and Rob Guillory literally tell a comic within a comic here – issue #36 is actually mostly issue #29.5 – and what we get is a great little story that adds depth to the Chu family, reveals a bit of what Toni wants to share with Tony, and greatly entertains and captivates us with the brilliance of Toni as an individual character. Always a fan favorite, this issue does a lot to show us where she was at mentally and emotionally as she approached her own impending doom. One page in particular finds a brilliant expression change in Toni’s reflection as she watches her sister Sage leave, and it’s an extremely well done and thoughtful moment of storytelling by Layman and Guillory. Much is made of how funny and entertaining this book is, but in a way, that outshines the true strength of the book: fully realized characters that have complex relationships with each other. It sounds easy to do, but few books do it better than Chew.
Plus, it has a two-page Poyo spread and NASA getting badass. This shit’s my jam.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – so good even DC editorial wouldn’t change it
DC Universe Vs. The Masters of the Universe #1
Written by Keith Giffen
Illustrated by Dexter Soy
Review by Vince Ostrowski
Skeletor googles the Justice League when he senses an oncoming threat. If that sounds like the best thing since The Joker trained an ape to commit crimes with him, then I’ll have you know that nothing in the remainder of the issue is as interesting or as ridiculous as that. John Constantine looks to bridge the gap between worlds, but mostly this feels like an introduction to He-Man for DC readers that haven’t been checking him out. It ends up being another slow burn crossover story where not much actually occurs. The selling point is the crossover – can we get to it already? On the other hand, Dexter Soy (“Captain Marvel”) is a cool artist for DC to have nabbed for now. I hope they put him on something better in the near future.
Final Verdict: 3.0 – Pass
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #3
Continued below
Written by Nick Spencer
Illustrated by Steve Lieber
Review by David Harper
Full disclosure: I never intended to buy this book. Then, I heard so many good things about it that I had to check it out, and man, I am glad I did. This book is pretty damn awesome, as Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber have collaborated to tell one of the funniest and best character pieces at Marvel right now. Sure, it’s not “important” or “required reading” like many Marvel fans would prefer, but the characterization is so spot on and the story is so organically genius that it is impossible not to love. I mean, that Silvermane open about the head of Silvermane being picked up by a kid and becoming part of the kid’s family? That is literally the best Silvermane story ever told, and holy crap, Steve Lieber nails every moment of that sequence (it’s going to be pretty hard to top Silvermane’s head on a RC monster truck for my panel of the week). Perpetually surprising and endlessly entertaining, this book is a joy to read and something that I hope sticks around for a while.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – Do it for the Donfather
X-Factor #262
Written by Peter David
Illustrated by Neil Edwards
Review by Matt Meylikhov
After a monumental run, “X-Factor” has come to an end — and unfortunately, that’s about as congratulatory as one can get in regards to the final issue. It’s not that it’s bad, per se; far from it. It’s actually quite good and it even wraps up all the remaining threads of the series in a nice and neat fashion, addressing where characters have wound up and alluding to where they will be going. Where “X-Factor” doesn’t succeed in any grand fashion is that it does so with little fanfare or panache — the issue isn’t so much a finale as it is just the end, whether you consider it the end of an era or something more grandiose than that. It’s simply the last outing of an otherwise monumental run, one that will define these characters for years. But that’s about it — “X-Factor” is simply over with no grand gesture or final thought. I suppose on some level it’s apropos of the book’s life that it goes out so decidedly on its own terms, but after spending so much time with the series and Peter David’s iterations of them, it’s sad to see it run its course in an otherwise bland fashion.
Final Verdict: 5.0
