Issues By Issue Weekend Review Round-Up
Weekend Review Round-Up
A personal note, again, sorry for the tardiness. Thank you for your patience and support. This week I had some personal things that prevented me from posting on Saturday and I called this one in honestly. It was rough and I apologize for the substandard attempt, but I wanted to get something out this weekend.
Captain America Issue 4-
Steve Rogers, Captain America, visits an old friend Bucky Barnes. A deep and unsettling plan is unfolding, and Rogers and Barnes are fighting to get the pieces of the puzzle. Barnes reveals that throughout history the Outer Circle have manipulated events through five assassins called Star Points. Together Rogers and Barnes come up with a plan to fight against the outer circle. Rogers walks Amari, a youth that Rogers has worked with through the summer at a boxing gym, to school. When they arrive, Amari tells Rogers that he cannot wait to teach his previous bullies a lesson. Rogers explains to Amari that this whole time he was not teaching him to hurt those that hurt him, but to protect himself if they try to hurt him. In the community college art class, Rogers and his group of friends are drawing his shield. While drawing they have a discussion about the meaning of the shield, each voicing an opinion, and what it ultimately means to Rogers. In a bar Rogers is discussing politics with Arlo. They have their discussion coming to an end that even if someone gives you what you have it is up to you how you use it. The whole day, the entire discourse that Rogers had with everyone was being watched. Rogers goes through a cold arithmetic of assassinating himself, telling the unseen stalker the various ways it could have happened. Rogers concludes that the attacker does not want collateral damage and that is why Rogers has isolated himself in an alley. An Adaptoid soldier fights against Rogers all the while Rogers is attempting to convince his attacker that there is a choice to be made. Rogers tells the Adaptoid soldier his plan to fight back and asks if he will help him. Revolution prepares the final broadcast.
This issue was an enjoyable look inside what makes Captain America great. Fighting an enemy with psychological warfare, preparing the battle before it even happened shows his tactical genius, but it is his personal conversations that really make the issue. Whether it is the emotionally touching dialogue with Barnes, the lesson of self-control with Amari, the political discourse and ability to change faucet your own viewpoint with Arlo, each was perfectly crafted to reveal the nature of the man behind the shield. When written well Captain America is a character that can inspire and give hope that the world isn't so bad. When written poorly Captain America is just a punch the problem with justice character that has few moments of personality. Thankfully Jackson Kelly and Collin Lanzing nailed the intricacies of the character that are sometimes missed. The writing duo were able to make the character's depth of personality feel real. Combined with Carmen Carnero's art this book is fantastic like the others that came before it. This new Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty series is a must for Cap fans old and new alike.
Ghost Rider Issue 6-
Johhny Blaze, after wrecking in a race to win a free favor from the devil, is helped inside of a bar by Wolverine. Wolverine clears the bar out with his natural charm in no time. Wolverine attempts to pull a parasite out from Johnny's head only to have Johnny tell him that he is infested. A part of the parasite infests a sleeping drunk who did not leave, and he attacks Wolverine, losing his legs. Desperate to try and save his friend Wolverine beats on Johhny Blaze all the while calling the rider out. Fully possessed Ghost Rider begins to attack Wolverine, but Wolverine is able to talk the rider into helping him. Ghost Rider gives Wolverine hellfire claws with which he was able to cut out all the parasites and burn them with the hellfire. Now free of the parasites Johnny Blaze and Wolverine leave the burning bar.
This issue was a letdown. The versus Wolverine tag line is totally bogus. If they would have printed featuring Wolverine that would have been more accurate. That rant out of the way, the issue was a letdown. The buildup was however glaringly a lie from the previous issue featuring the lead-in race. Ghost Rider currently is doing very little I find appealing outside of the art style. I am willing to give it a few more issues but I am also wondering if I should every time, I pick it up. I am extremely disappointed in the writing of Benjamin Percy at the moment and the art of Brent Peeples is one of the few saving graces for this series at this time. I hope that it turns around soon.
Alien Issue 1-
Year 2205 on planet Tobler-9, a rich prosperous planet and home to the Conference of Human Innovation that year, is the beginning of an infestation of Xenomorphs. The last vestiges of human life desperate and afraid in an underground train, but it is full. The Xenomorphs rip through the armed guards and make their way through the crowds of men, women, and children. Completely desolated there is no living things except the Xemorphs on Tobler-9.
Year 2217 the planet of Europa-5, a beautiful peaceful day is interrupted by violent conflict between the organics and the human appearing synths that live on the planet. Hidden snipers fail, heavily armed squads are neutralized to the person, and Lieutenant George March is to slow in ordering local drone surveillance. The group of synths demand to know why March's men were trying to capture them. March tells them that he needed to ask for their help. March seems to sympathize with the synths and their apparent mistreatment by the government and military but still needs to ask for their help. A star system's death can be averted if they agree to help find something that can fix the catastrophe on Tobler-9. The Fryja tells him that they are not a military team anymore that they are a family. The synths mostly all agree to help and are told about the Xenomorphs.
I like the way Phillip Kennedy Johnson is writing this story so far. It has me hooked from the first issue and I'm looking forward to the next issue a great deal. The art of Julius Ohta is an absolute perfect fit for the tone of the story and the Xenomorphs are excellently drawn. They didn't lean heavily into the gore aspect of a Xenomorph attack but gave enough to satisfy the craving for Xenomorph action. The story that is being crafted is a great change from the standard survivor or team of marines that is usually done with Alien stories. I'm looking forward to seeing the initial encounter from the synth's view and how they handle the Xenomorphs since they've encountered them before. I think it is a solid start to what seems to be a really solid series.
Avengers 1,000,000 B.C. Issue 1-
The battle between the Avengers of one-million B.C. were fighting against Laufey, King of Frost Giants of Jotunheim, and Hyve, a War-Bearer from the Negative Zone, some time ago. The Avengers were able to stop the hordes of monsters born from the union and killed Hyve in the process, but the Avengers lost their Black Panther who fell in battle. Laufey, being defeated and losing his bride, swears a blood debt against the gods of Midgard. Odin, being a god and doing as he does, he explains, attempts to seduce the Phoenix but fails miserably and drives the Phoenix away. Shortly after Odin calls for the Avengers to assemble for his wedding with the Phoenix, who had no idea. After the
Phoenix slapped Odin for not understanding she was not permanent, and the Phoenix could not stay in any one host due to corruption. The Avengers disbanded that day. Many years pass and the Avengers are summoned by Odin again and they answer the call. Odin's wife Gaea was giving birth, but the baby was so powerful storms were erupting while the baby was crying on the inside. The ancient Sorcerer Supreme Agamotto arrived to use his magic to help ease Gaea's pain, the ancient city of Wakanda closed their doors, the Ghost Rider and the Hulk, I mean StarBrand arrived to find Odin drinking ready to celebrate. Laufey shows up during at the birth of the baby forcing the Avengers to fight united once more. They defeat some frost giants, and the baby is finally born, Agamotto using his magic and the Iron Fist using her skills they defend Gaea from the debris of an explosion, but the baby is nicked by Laufey's sword, turning the baby to ice. Gaea's scream for the Phoenix to help. The Phoenix flies to the baby and burns like it never would again, healing Thor, the child of a goddess of Midgard and the All-Father of Asgard and a Firebird from beyond the stars whose first breaths were flame. Gaea was grateful, Odin was vindictive, the Phoenix was heartbroken and flew back to the cosmos for a time.
Honestly this issue was kind of a mess, in my opinion, until about halfway through. Jason Aaron and Kev Walker's writing was a bit of a miss for me in this one. It felt a little all over the place and like they didn't really have a story just an ending that they tried to pull a story out of. It failed pretty hard for the most part. The art by Dean White is pretty good making some of the lacking moments at least something to bear through with. At the birth is where the tension and some of the more memorable moments from. The earliest parts of the book were interesting the middle not so much. I had trouble caring about anything going on in the middle and I suppose it doesn't matter because it's the ending that really saved this book from being completely passable, in my opinion. I don't know if I would recommend buying this book or reading it but reading a wiki entry is probably all I would really recommend, if it were not for the last literal four to five pages of the book. I can guarantee that someone will love every moment of this book from cover to cover and I encourage you to enjoy what you enjoy regardless of what people say and don't feel bad about it. This book is not a buy or recommend for me, unless you want the last few pages.