In 2021 I’d like to cross over the 1,000 comics review barrier, meaning reviews that I (Mike Clarke a.k.a. pghhead) contribute to the blog. That’s what this odyssey is about, beginning January 01, 2021. Wish me luck . . .
#246 CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE (Marvel, May 2021) I was glad to see that Marvel did something just a little bit different compared to previous special tributes. The stories are all reprints, spotlighted here with a light touch on the script and minimal alterations to it.
What makes the difference is the presentation: top Marvel artists were asked to reinterpret and reimagine a single page from any of the three stories. How did they meet the challenge?
In a word, respectfully. Very few of the artists went out on a limb and tried something radically different. Why mess with a good thing? So the art resembles classic Kirby with a blend of each artist’s personal style. And I respect that. I tried my best to look at each page and guess the artist, but I found myself flipping back to the contents pages much more frequently to see who it was. FOUR STARS.
Mr. E is a shadow entity, kind of an early prototype of the symbiotes, and also created by Knull (from his imprisonment far, far away). His purpose is to destroy the Ebony Blade, one of only a few weapons capable of destroying Knull.
In the previous issue, Mr. E was trapped within The Collector’s showroom. But all he has to do is ask The Collector to release him, and the Collector feels “generous” and does it. Which, to my mind, makes his entrapment last issue nothing more than the dreaded “filler”. Peter David is a better story-teller than this, and I’m disappointed.
There’s more humor in this wrap-up issue than before, but it seems kind of misplaced. Anyway, you can guess what happens. Mr E gets defeated and the good guys remain in possession of the blade. THREE STARS.
#248-#252 STAR WARS: DARTH VADER #4, 6, 8, 9, 10 (Marvel, October 2020-April 2021) I picked up Issue #1 of Greg Pak’s version of Darth Vader, returning him to earlier times in the Star Wars canon. I liked it enough to bookmark the first trade paperback as a future purchase. I just picked up some back issues for a friend, which gave me a chance to preview the books and see what I’ve been missing.
Issue #4: Darth Vader is upset that Luke Skywalker rejected his father confession and offer to join the dark side of the Force. He wants revenge on everyone who hid Luke from him.
The trail takes him to Naboo, where he’s betrayed and almost killed by a Godzilla-like creature. He comes up against two separate groups of Amidalans who find him guilty for the murder of Queen Padme and battle him. Darth visits the cemetery and enters her crypt.
Issue #6: The big Darth Vader versus Emperor Palpatine battle. Vader apparently learned something about the death of Padme in Issue #5, enough to make him confront Palpatine. They fight, but Palpatine beats the crap out of Vader and kind of dismantles him, leaving him alone on the planet Mustafar to force him to try to re-assemble himself and teach him a lesson. Not satisfied that this is cruel enough,Palpatine dispatches a Sith assassin. Says Palpatine: “I will turn his anger back to fear . . . and his fear back to pain . . as many times as it takes.”
I’m sort of glad I”m reading these issues before I buy the trade paperback, which seems less likely now. I’m just not feeling it. I don’t fault Greg Pak’s writing. He’s sort of handcuffed by how much he can do with the character. I’m also not worried about Darth because I know Pak can’t kill him or change him too much, so the suspense has been drained for me.
Issue #8: Remember the scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Luke walks into a cave and confronts a mental vision of the dark side of his heritage? That plays out in reverse here, with Darth hiding in a cave after his battle with Ochi the Sith assassin, confronting the mental vision of the light side of his heritage and searching for answers. The answers aren’t coming, obviously, as Darth has to fight the big monster - The Eye of Webbish Bogg, who apparently also confronts its’ opponents with inner challenges meant to cause a mental breakdown.
Darth doesn’t bend, which leads the Eye to conclude “If you’ve been chosen . . . who cares what you choose?” Darth replies with the best line of the issue: “I . . . have chosen . . . and you will care.” Darth emerges from the cave with brain intact to find Ochi and some droid mercenaries waiting for him. Best issue so far.
Issue #9: Another big battle scene with Darth versus droids, allowing him to obtain the parts he needs to complete his reconstruction. Darth keeps Ochi alive to help with using the Wayfinder device to learn the location where the secrets to the Emperor are hidden. They leave in Ochi’s ship, only to find their path blocked by a giant one-eyed squid monster.
Issue #10: Darth’s next objective: the planet Exegol, where he hopes to discover the Emperor’s true plan for the galaxy. He’ll have to escape the pursuing forces of the Empire first and get past the squid monster. This monster also has mental powers, and gets into the brains of both Darth and Ochi. It torments Darth with key scenes from his past, before finally showing him an image of his death and an outcome that all of us who’ve seen the movies know isn’t going to happen. Darth shakes free of that, escapes the monster, and lands on the planet. But the monster lands as well and a chase ensues as the issue ends.
After finishing these issues, I’ve revised my opinion. They are good, but just not essential to my reading choices. If you’re a bigger Star Wars fan than I, you’ll enjoy reading these. THREE STARS for the lot, with FOUR STARS for Issue #8.
The U-Foes may think they’ve reduced the Hulk to a pile of bones, but never underestimate what the other Hulks in the world below can do. Looks like yet another Hulk is rising, this one a hybrid of cosmic and gamma rays.
Looks like Doc Sampson has also been separated into two versions. Love the sideburns. Meanwhile in New Mexico, Shaman is trying to separate Rick Jones and the young man that’s been fused into a bendable, upside down Hulk straight out of John Carpenter’s THE THING. Can the Leader maintain his control/influence now that he’s fused with The One Below? What’s the difference between the green door and the red door?
Bennett’s imagery is truly monstrous and a joy to behold. Ewing keeps building the story with so many subplots now that I need another scorecard, or switch to legal pads.
If all that’s not enough to satisfy, Ewing/Bennett throw in some cool Easter eggs, like the lady drinking a can of beer on the Staten Island Ferry. The label says “St. Peter David Premium Lager”. My favorite current Marvel title. FOUR STARS.
I had to read this twice to get it all sorted. Both Eddie Brock and Flash Thompson are dead, but exist as memories / codex in the Symbiote Hive where a manifestation of Knull (but not the actual one who’s above on Earth where he covered the planet in a symbiote dome) torments him. Flash escaped to the world of the living but as a white symbiote dragon. Now, the Venom symbiote unites with Eddie and he escapes too.
Both head on separate missions: Flash to the cemetery to resurrect his human body; and Eddie to meet The God of Light/Captain Universe/ Enigma Force. Sheesh.
I apologize if I spoiled too much here. I needed to write this out in order to make sense of it for myself. FOUR STARS.
#255 KING IN BLACK #5 of 5 (Marvel, June 2021) The extra-long finale!
As much as I’ve enjoyed this series (and some spin-offs) I’m also glad that it’s now over. Everyone following this series knows how it must and has to end, so it’s a bit anticlimactic. Although, Donny Cates gives the end a little twist that hints at some interesting times ahead for Eddie Brock/Venom.
What propelled me through this final issue is the dynamic art of Ryan Stegman and some brilliant coloring work by Frank Martin & Jason Keith. FOUR STARS.
#256 NOTTINGHAM #2 (Mad Cave, April 2021) A nice Issue #2 continuation. Think I’ll stick around for this one. I believe it’s a five-issue series.
Blackthorne, the investigator and nightmare-plagued former Crusader, loses his captive before interrogation can continue. There’s a traitor within, as a vicious murder occurs within the prison cell.
The elusive and perhaps mad Hood (a shortened version of Robin Hood, which this series is based on) continues his spree of murdering government officials. “England is sick. We are the cure.”
Not so much Merry Men. More like Melee Men. FOUR STARS.
#257 BETA RAY BILL #1 (Marvel, May 2021 - $4.99) If you’re a fan of this character, then you’ll want to see/read Daniel Warren Johnson’s (story and art) version of him.
The art is the best thing here, a cool style that looks like a Kirby/Larsen collaboration.
The story isn’t bad, a slow build, let’s feel sorry for Beta Ray, but I need more if I’m going to jump on for five issues.
There’s a great interview with Walt Simonson on the back pages. One and done for me. THREE STARS.
#258 CHILDREN OF THE ATOM #1 (Marvel, May 2021 -$4.99) This offers teen-age versions of familiar X-Men characters, with similar abilities and modified costumes.
I intentionally avoid the X-books because I don’t want to get sucked in. But lately whenever I read a new #1 it fails to engage me. I picked this up because I like writer Vita Ayala. Her LIVEWIRE mini-series at Valiant was spot on. This is not the same.
There are books featuring teen characters and their high school and social struggles and worries that can be enjoyed and appreciated by older readers as well.
Not here. I’m definitely not the target audience. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#259 FANTASTIC FOUR #6 (Marvel, 2019) The world-eater comes to Earth and lands in Latveria.
Galactus versus Doctor Doom. Who’s got the new herald? It’s Dr. Doom this time. The FF want to intervene, but they just get in the way here. Part One gets underway.
Good story and art from Dan Scott and Aaron Kuder. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#260 MARVEL’S VOICES: INDIGENOUS VOICES (Marvel, January 2021 - $4.99) This does a much better job than VOICES: LEGACY.
Rather than feature a bunch of characters in too-short stories, this focuses on only three heroes.
There’s a neat three-page story with cultural art to open the book as the Watcher name-checks all the indigenous Marvel characters. The stories feature Maya Lopez/Echo, Dani Moonstar/Mirage, and Silver Fox.
As far as I know, the Silver Fox story marks the comics debut of Stephen Graham Jones. Jones is a Texas writer of horror fiction that I admire.
Aside from the uneven art in this book, the stories are quite good, wrapping up their conflict/resolution and leaving enough space to showcase what motivates these characters. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
I sense a trend here, but hope we can still pick up an occasional $3.99 book. At least every page of this one is printed on premium, heavier paper. The art and colors burst with intensity.
This is the first time ever I have picked up a Lady Death book, and I’ve seen them in comic shops for decades. If you like Vampirella, you’ll appreciate this as well.
There’s a big cast of characters, most of them either demonic or monstrous in nature. The contents page gave me a quick summary of the story so far. After some time as a reformed champion of the downtrodden, Lady Death has returned to her evil ways and seeks a young man who can morph into the wolf-like Devilock as her new herald. Too bad there’s at least three other groups looking for him as well. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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