After writing multiple volumes of Thunder God adventures, Jason Aaron takes full advantage of the Secret Wars event to have something of a “working vacation”. Although far from phoned-in, the debut issue still plays heavily into the whimsical sidestep. Additionally, it also wastes no time tying back to the ongoing narrative like it was the next regularly-scheduled beat. [Read more…] about THORS #1 Review: “Mjolnir and Order: Allthing Edition!”
SQUADRON SINISTER #1 Review: “Justice Like Jerks!”
The Secret Wars homage-and-mash-up parade continues in Marc Guggenheim and Carlos Pacheco’s Silver Age-inflected survey of the questionable thickness of thieves. The winks and nods to bygone Marvel imprints and alternate realities are firmly on the sleeve but in this tale of absolute power corrupting absolutely, such cameos often come with a deadly cost. It’s a brutal introduction filled with widely unlikable characters doing despicable things but the opening chapter tempers nicely with dense intrigue. [Read more…] about SQUADRON SINISTER #1 Review: “Justice Like Jerks!”
WEIRDWORLD #1 Review: “Avenger Bad Chooses Own Adventure!”
Plucked from relative obscurity and cast in an unlikely if not criminally overdue starring role, writer Jason Aaron leads Arkon The Imperion through a landscape jam-packed with fantasy lore. Armed with tropes both historically well-celebrated and deep-in-the-bench-oblique, this hero’s journey is indeed a legend as time-honored as it is all-new and all-different. [Read more…] about WEIRDWORLD #1 Review: “Avenger Bad Chooses Own Adventure!”
GROOT #1 Review: “Raccoon and Tree Road Trip: What Could Go Wrong?”
It would be too easy to write “I am Groot” several hundred times and call that a review (the temptation is there). However, this debut issue is such a multi-faceted delight that it demands in-depth attention. Featuring the breakout CGI characters of the Guardians of the Galaxy phenomenon in yet another “solo” effort, this story flips the buddy-pairing dynamic and puts Rocket in the back seat for once. While heart-warming and smile-inducing throughout, writer Jeff Loveness and artist Brian Kesinger also pepper in plenty of genuine laugh-out-loud moments. [Read more…] about GROOT #1 Review: “Raccoon and Tree Road Trip: What Could Go Wrong?”
SECRET WARS #3 Review: “Behind Doom Eyes”
After clearing the decks and some involved establishing of the new status quo, this week’s installment lightly taps the actual plot of Secret Wars into play. The pieces may now all be on the shiny new board with parameters defined but how writer Jonathan Hickman will proceed from here is not yet an illuminated projection. Compacting back to regular-sized, “The Eye of Doom” crosses the line of scrimmage effectively in twenty pages but doesn’t deliver as satisfactorily as either of the previous chapters. [Read more…] about SECRET WARS #3 Review: “Behind Doom Eyes”