PGHHEAD’S 2022 COMIC ODYSSEY, PART 37
In 2021 I set a goal to post reviews here for 1,000 comics, and finished the year at 1,008 reviews. It was a stretch - - not to read that many comics, because I actually read quite a bit more. The challenge is to find and take the time to write a fair review of what I read - - but I made it. I’m up for a new year, and a new challenge. My goal for 2022 is to read and document 1,200 comics. That’s an average of 100 books per month, easy enough to check and update. Wish me luck!
# GOAL FOR September 20, 2022 . . . 867 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 846 comics documented
Many super-heroes in the Ultimate Universe did not survive the Ultimatum event. (Too bad this book was released before Ultimatum concluded - - oops.) The Fantastic Four break up. X-Men are gone. Mutants are hunted. Thor is presumed dead, so Loki unleashes the baddest monsters of Asgard on Earth. Iron Man puts a new team together ( Hawkeye, Zarda, Captain America, Valkyrie, and a couple of sometime members - - Black Widow, Ka-Zar, Black Panther).
I don’t know if the partnership with Cho (known for his female portraitures) gave Loeb the idea to include more sexual innuendos and blurbs within the story, but they’re here. Plus, between Tony Stark/Iron Man whining about his cancerous brain tumor in-between his arrogant boasting (which makes it hard to feel sorry for him) and arguing and then sleeping with Carol Danvers — nothing happening this issue made me want to read more. THREE STARS, mainly for the art.
There’s a reason that happily-married (with a 16-year old daughter) Cat accompanied her husband to the target range and took martial arts classes with him. He was preparing her for the day when she might have to fend for herself. It begins with a home invasion and escalates from there.
Seems like every other page has a new danger/trap/threat to Cat. A secret division of the U.S. government. An experimental project involving genetically perfected warriors goes awry, like many a secretive government project will do. All of it connected to Cat and her seemingly perfect family life. Now she’s on the run. I can share only this much without spoiling it. There’s a huge reveal /plot twist and a cliffhanger ending.
In addition to lots of action, there is enough drama here to keep things interesting and create some empathy for these characters, as mother and daughter may be breaking apart at the worst possible time. FOUR STARS.
I’ve read it twice, so I’m keeping it - - but I’m a bit on the fence about continuing. It’s the jaded super-hero reader in me. We shall see.
Hawkeye has got to be one of the most malleable characters in the Marvel stable. Every writer plays him a little differently, but never quite enough to make readers object to the portrayal. He’s been depicted as a bit of a dumb ass lately, but in a respectful manner. Jim Zub makes him the fall guy for a few jokey/silly moments but never takes him completely out of character. He does emphasize Hawkeye’s skills and leadership abilities (although it’s revealed that he wasn’t the first choice to lead the team).
The last Thunderbolts team was comprised of villains under the control of Wilson Fisk during the Dark Reign. New mayor Luke Cage wants to upgrade both the image and mission of the new Thunderbolts team, and taps Hawkeye to lead. There’s an admin/public relations assistant who will probably cause some headaches for Hawkeye. She has her own ideas, and selects America Chavez, the new Power Man, Gutsen Glory, and Persuasion (Purple Man’s daughter) to round out the team.
They go up against Taskmaster (new outfit is boring), Abomination, Electro, Whiplash, The Agony and U.S. Agent who escaped from a prison transport van. Monica Rambeau/Spectrum also makes an appearance as a potential additional team member. I like her. I like Hawkeye. These other team members don’t really interest me. THREE STARS.
Truthfully, I was motivated by three things: 1) The very cool impressionistic cover by the continually impressive Jacob Phillips. The book is not about super-speed or powers of flight despite the images. But that cover worked its’ magic on me, 2) The interior art by Susini, very imaginative and detailed, especially the panels featuring landscapes, with equally impressive color work by Brad Simpson, and 3) The recommendation of someone whose comics opinions I respect.
While there is a diversity of genres covered in today’s comics offerings, there still is room for more good science fiction stories. Sure, there are plenty of space opera tales like Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy and similar-themed books. I’m talking about other themes that science fiction employs, like time travel as explored in FOREVER FORWARD.
Debut issues can be a slippery slope for writers. They need to provide enough background information and introduction of characters so that readers can follow the story but also provide enough of a hook to make them want to pick up Issue #2 and beyond. One successful technique, also employed here by Kaplan, is to begin with a short preview of a scene that will occur later in the story.
In this case, it’s a glimpse of an unidentified future full of tall buildings and armored flying vehicles in pursuit of our cast of characters at a sure-to-be critical turning point in the story. Main character Lewis, 30, a graduate student using university grant money to unlock the first steps in time travel. He’s so wrapped up in his work he can’t walk away long enough to enjoy a surprise birthday party with his four closest friends.
The pseudo-science employed here is quantum temporal electrodynamic fields. An freak electrical storm provides the energy required, and Lewis and friends find themselves transported 23 years into the future. There’s a small glitch in his work, in that he’s only discovered how to transport forward in time. They find themselves in the middle of a war zone, and a clue that tells them to keep moving forward in order to go back to their time. Out of the frying pan . . . and 23 years further into the future into the middle of a natural disaster. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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