Bureau of Drawers Quarterly

by The General

Hi World! I know that none of the Bad Genious has posted here in something like 4 years, but I thought I'd take a moment to promote a project that I've been involved with recently. Over the last several years, I've been part of a collective of Seattle based illustrators, know as the Bureau of Drawers. Recently, our group has been producing a free, quarterly digital anthology titled -imaginatively- Bureau of Drawers Quarterly.

A little over two weeks ago, we released Volume B. I definitely urge you all to check it out. There's a great variety of work, both comics and illustrations, from some amazing Seattle-based illustrators plus, as I've mentioned, it's 100% Free! To help whet your appetite, here's the cover, and one page from my contribution:





So, please, check it out and download the rest of the Anthology HERE.

And, if you like it, or would just rather read them chronologically, Volume A can be found HERE.

Enjoy! And, thanks!

Nothing to see here, move along. Read more!

X-Centric: March Madness ...with Mutants

by the General

Have you all heard of a little title called X-Men? Apparently, they are this group of people born with mutant powers who have sworn to protect a world that fears and hates them. I think they are going to be popular one day, so I thought I'd start a monthly column dedicated to reviewing titles starring them. If you are interested in finding out more about these little known characters, read on!



But, before I get into the actual reviews, I thought that, like Doug, I'd give you a little information about my comic collecting habits. I, like a lot of the other contributors on this blog, buy my comics through an online mail order comic site. The upside of this is that I save a good deal of money... the downside is that I don't get my comics until the start of the following month. So, you might notice that the comics I'll be talking about today are all from March. Because of this, I'm not going to be too concerned about **Spoiler Warnings** because, frankly, if you haven't read these comics by now, they probably aren't that important to you.

Also, as you might imagine (given the title of this article), I mainly collect X-titles. I'd probably estimate that 90% of the monthly titles I collect are Marvel titles. Of which at least 75% of those star a cast of merry mutants. Also, since I'm a cheapskate, I usually only collect team books. I mean, why would you want to spend $2.99 to read a book about just Wolverine, when you could spend that same $2.99 and read a book about Wolverine and a bunch of other random characters? Simple Character Quantity Economics.

Finally, instead of reviewing individual titles, I thought I'd try lumping a bunch of titles together so that instead I could focus on talking about larger themes and storylines within those titles. But, enough about me... on to the comics!

The Messiah War Begins!
Discussed: Life and Times of Lucas Bishop #2, Cable #12, X-Force#13, Messiah War Special #1 and Cable #13

I'm pretty sure that, based on the characters involved in this crossover event, that the titular "Messiah" is actually Rob Liefeld. I mean, how else can you explain that nearly every major character he created for Marvel is here? Cable, Domino, Stryfe and even Deadpool. It's like a reunion of the original X-Force cast. And, as if those characters don't keep the Badass Factor™ high enough, they've also thrown in Wolverine, X-23, Bishop, Archangel, Proudstar and the Vanisher... Ok, so maybe not all the characters are badasses.

And, what gets this many Hardcore™ characters together? Fighting over a little girl.

Actually, I've been honestly enjoying the build up to this storyline. But, while I'm enjoying it overall so far, I do have to admit that the execution has been a bit rocky. While most of the issues are holding up their part of the deal (and I'm even a little surprised to be enjoying Life and Times of Lucas Bishop), the Cable issues have been pretty clunky so far. But, I think that the art has mainly been to blame. Ariel Olivetti draws a mean flexing bicep, but his storytelling is often awkward to say the least.

"Y'think?" This is the sort of storytelling that bugs me in Cable. Stryfe and Bishop have teamed up to track down Cable and the Messiah child. And, how do they do that? A walk on the beach, as near as I can tell.

As far as X-Force goes, I think its easily the strongest part of this event. That said, I really hope that they didn't kill of Boom-Boom (see, no spoiler warnings, punks!) like it appears they did. It would be the first time that Kyle and Yost's tendency to kill-off second and third stringers would have really peeved me off... if for no other reason than it would nix my often fantasized about Nextwave Reunion.

Finally, does anyone else think that one of the things they are building to is X-Force splitting off, so that Cyclops no longer leads them?

X-Meeeennnnn iiinnnnn Spaaaaaaace!
Discussed: X-Men: Kingbreaker #4 and War of the Kings #1 & #2

If there's one thing that the Bad Genious' resident Soul-Hole and Ellis-Whore, Dan, hates; it's Space. And, when it comes to the idea of the X-Men in space, I tend to agree with him. I fall into that rare minority that was never really a fan of the Phoenix Saga because so much of it involved the X-Men in space... fighting aliens. Bleh.

That said, (and here's where I show off exactly how big of a hypocrite I can be) I actually have been enjoying the ongoing Vulcan vs. Havok in space storyline that's been running for several years now. Pretty much from the point that Brubaker kicked it off, I've been consistently entertained. And while it's rarely been Great (with a capital "G"), its at least usually Good.

Furthermore, after an exciting finale to Kingbreaker, I'm excited to see the storylines scope expand to become entwined with the Inhuman's own ongoing saga. Bring on the Shi'ar/Kree war! Now, it has to be said that some of the BGers are grousing about the slow start to War of the Kings, but honestly the slow first issue didn't bother me much. Instead, what has me scratching my head is Polaris and Crystal suddenly being all buddy-buddy.

Now, I could be missing somehere, so correct me if I'm wrong: Polaris is Quicksilver's half-sister. But, this is a fairly sketchy relationship that was only established a couple years ago, and hasn't exactly been filled with cheerful family reunions. Crystal is married to Quicksilver... or at least they used to be married, but aren't any more... since Crystal is now getting married to Ronan the Accuser. But, now Polaris is hanging out with Crystal before her wedding, and they are all BFF?!

Oh, and speaking of Ronan. I actually felt sorry for him in the scene with the flowers. Saddest Accuser Ever.

Old New Mutants
Discussed: X-Infernus #4 and Young X-Men #12

You know what else Dan hates? Magic! So, I'm sure he was digging the finale of X-Infernus which was filled with all sorts of magic... not to mention Magik.

These two books are odd ducks, because on one hand they are both trying to resolve their respective storylines, but at the same time they were also just trying to get their ducks in a row for the return of the original New Mutants in their own title next month. In both regards, I think they were capable, but not exceptional.

Frankly, this transition leaves me feeling a little odd. Because, on one hand, I'm eager to see the original New Mutants all return to a monthly title. But, on the other hand, after following the new New Mutant New X-Men Young X-Men through a string of titles, I'm a little worried that those characters are just going to be put out to pasture and forgotten about. Luckily, a lot of the latest generation of X-Men have already shifted to other titles (X-23, Elxir, the Cuckoos, Armor, Pixie and even Dust), and this final issue of Young X-Men ends with "and the adventure continues" sort of finale, so my hopes are high that we'll continue to see them from time to time.

In which case, bring on the old New Mutants!

Ex-centric
Discussed: X-Men Legacy #222 and Uncanny X-Men #507

The X-Universe seems to be missing its center these days. Not only is Astonishing X-Men not shipping regularly (and feeling inconsequential when it does ship); but the events taking place on the fringes of the X-Universe are routinely more interesting than what's going on in the two main titles.

Generally, even if it doesn't feel particularly relevant, X-Men Legacy can be trusted to deliver a solid story mining the depths of X-continuity. But, for the last couple months that doesn't seem to be the case since its gotten bogged down in a silly storyline featuring Danger (because we were all itching for her return) and a group of Shi'Ar junk salvagers. And, zzzzzzz....

Oh, wait, sorry, dozed off there. Anyhow, moving on.

Over in Fraction's Uncanny we are getting a certifiably mixed bag of nuts, and my opinions on the various storylines kicking around in it are equally mixed. The X-Club? Actually entertaining. Colossus' mourning Kitty's death? Tedious. The Sisterhood? I'm a little curious about that. Magneto's return? Too early, but still has my interest. One things for sure, I'll be happier when this title finds its illusive sea-legs again.

Occasionally, other people are right.
Discussed: X-Factor #41 and Captain Britain and the MI13 #11

X-Factor and Captain Britain are both titles that have small, loyal and (most noticably) vocal fan bases that are constantly raving about them. And, both are titles that I tend to run a little hot a cold to. That said, this month, their fans are right about both.

While Peter David's pleading that people "not ruin the surprises online" in the recap page sort of bugs me (because it smacks me of his usual grandstanding tactics), I have to admit that the title has been full of fun twists and turns. This is especially welcome since the last couple years of this title have been bogged down with clumsy crossovers and forced tie-ins to major events. It's nice to see this title slip back into form, and do what it does best.

Meanwhile, for whatever reason, this new Vampire storyline in Captain Britain is working for me. And, I continue to enjoy the way Cornell writes the characters. If I have one complaint, its that I still don't feel like Kirk's art matches the title's tone that well. It just strikes me as a little too bright... but maybe that's more an issue with the coloring. (Insert shrug here.)

This is the end, my friend
Discussed: Ultimate X-Men #100 and Ultimatum #3

Actually, if you are still reading this far into my ramblings, you are a masochist, and I should end things quickly to put you out of your misery. Much the same thing can be said about Ultimate X-Men. This title has been a trainwreck for some time now and I'm glad to see it end.

And, while my reaction to Ultimatum isn't as strong as Brandon's, its still going to give me the perfect jumping off point for this imprint. So, goodbye Ultimate Universe.

And, goodbye till next month, intrepid reader!
Read more!

BG Roundtable: $3.99 Comics?

by the General

Both Rich from Comic By Comic and other Rich from Lying in the Gutters have recently noted that Marvel is trending toward a $3.99 price tag for their comics. And, both acknowledged that, if it seems to work for Marvel, DC can't be far behind.

While all this is still speculation at this point, comic fans have always been fond of speculation; so I decided to sit our regular irregulars down for a little Roundtable and ask the question: How would a $3.99 price tag affect your comic buying habits?


Now, ignoring arguments about inflation, do you all think that this would affect your collecting habits? I generally roll with these sorts of punches, but honestly, I think it will affect mine. With the discount I get through Mail Order Comics, I still limit myself to $50 a month. And, if all comics increase by that much, that cuts the total number of titles I can buy by roughly a third.

Now, I know I will most likely always pick up a couple of monthly. But, at what point to I realize that I can get "more bang for my buck" by buying trades exclusively?

Chris: As it is, I think even $2.99 is probably too expensive for most books, but I've been buying them anyway because of the discount I get. That said, I made a promise to myself to start dropping monthly books as they begin to go over the $3 mark. Now we hear rumors of $3.99 monthlies? $4 for ten minutes of entertainment (and in some cases even less) is not worth it.

This seems to be a drastic increase in price. Before, we'd get 25 and 50 cent increases. Do publishers really think readers will accept a $1 jump in cover price? It will be interesting to see if such a jump will cause drastic changes in the purchasing habits of their readers. When that happens, I'll be switching to trades.

Yassir: Too expensive. Like Chris says, even 2.99 is too expensive. Trades are the only way to go. I'll probably still buy the odd monthlies but it's ridiculous the price of comics nowadays.

Dan: This jump is just as big percentage-wise, 33%, as the jump from 75c to $1, $1.50 to $1.99 and $2.25 to $2.99.

Personally, the jump to $3.99 has already impacted my buying. Marvel's recent rash of one-shots and now all their new mini-series and some new ongoings have made me consider each title. I'm no where near the carefree buyer I was just a few months ago. Asking $4 cover price for a 22 pages of comic that is supplemented with a dozen pages of ads definitely makes me consider the "entertainment value for my dollar" equation. And, honestly, there's not a lot of value in something that costs me $4 and I get 10-15 minutes use out of.

Looking at my most recent order, yeah, I bit on the $3.99 What If specials, but I LURVE What If. I wanted to get the Ennis/Dillon Punisher mini in single issues, but Marvel decided to make it a weekly six-issue mini. That means $16 upfront and $24 overall. Nope. Not going to happen. If I decide it's something I really need in trade, I'll wait for that. If it's something I just want to read, I'll hope it shows up at my local library.

So, yeah, $3.99 for Marvel and DC appears to be my breaking point. While it won't keep me from reading my mainstays (as long as my monthly order keeps around $150), it's already got me rethinking anything new.

The same standard doesn't apply to Image books and other small publishers though. That said, you get more bang for your buck from them. Savage Dragon recently went up to $3.50 an issue. But Larsen has always included back-up stories and letters pages and pin-ups. There's always more than just 22 pages of story and 10pages of ads. That's worth the little bit extra to me.

Rory: I rarely buy any new comics - I'm entrenched in my old books that I've been buying forever (i.e. Fables, 100 Bullets, Usagi Yojimbo). There is a lot of factors that have driven me away from comics, and this price increase may just be the Nail in the Coffin™.

Vince: I'm planning on cutting back my monthly comic buying if the price goes up to $3.99.

$3 was too much to spend for a comic and with the industry allowing more and more delays with big events that seem to go nowhere, I think it's getting to be time for me to bow out of monthly comics.

I'll probably still collect the occasional trade, but $4 is a lot of money for a decompressed story that takes forever to get to the point.

Dan: A follow up thought: One of the other factors in me spending $4 on a comic, more so than ever, is whether or not it's any good or maybe even great. Fables, Jack of Fables and DMZ are all stand-out reads every month. They aren't just great comics, but great stories, regardless of the medium. Those are books I'll continue to check out because I think the value is still there at $4.

On the other hand, anything that's been iffy is going to get a lot shorter stay of execution in a $4 a pop world. If something like Hulk, Young X-Men and the new War Machine better be knocking my socks off if they decide to go to $4.

Tim: Is the direct, monthly, market even viable anymore?

Most of the growth we see in comics comes from trades. Runaways, Sentinel, Fables, Preacher, Transmet - all series that found a market and profitability in the TPB format rather than monthlies. Rising costs are surely just another sign that people are actually buying less and less on a month-in, month-out basis (along with generally tougher times).

Is it really a coincidence that Marvel are outperforming DC so much these days? Look at DC's output - geared towards the collector who knows his history, with a spotty trading approach. Marvel, on the other hand, has been pushing arcs and TPB friendly stories as well as generally doing a good job of getting everything into that format anyhow.

My point is that, right now, if you're reading the monthlies in preference to trades you're part of a side that's heading towards extinction. Comics are healthy, monthlies aren't - and it's not just the price. The price is a reflection that the market these days doesn't really want a monthly throwaway, and certainly not new readers. If you do want the format, you're going to pay a premium, as with any minority interest.

Now, how the market looks as it shifts towards long-form and where the content comes from instead of repackaging the short form... that's another question altogether. But comics are slowly evolving away form them and we should let it happen.

Doug: I don't think I'll approach each issue on a price-point basis and say "4 bucks is too much", but I'll still end up having to drop a lot of titles since my total budget won't support them. I allot a certain amount each month for single issues, and a certain amount for trades and graphic novels. So, the number of series I buy in monthly format will decrease.

The bad thing is, I fear that the series that will be most affected by this will be those series that already reside in the lower half of the top 100. Marvel's had decent success with B-listers like Iron Fist, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, and Ms. Marvel, but I suspect that if fans have to start dropping titles, those books will be hurt more than the long-running books like X-Men or Spider-Man.

One more thought: it's interesting that Marvel's experimenting with more original on-line content at the same time that their price points are heading upwards. How long before a low seller like NOVA becomes the first series to go from print to digital so that it can avoid cancellation? And will fans accept that new format?

The General: Thanks everyone for your time and thoughts! So, I think its safe to say that none of us are excited about the idea of $3.99 comics, if they ever become the norm. And, that in all likelihood, it would affect our collecting.

Also, I think this question helped raise some other questions that regularly plague the comic industry: Are monthlies still even viable? Are trades and original graphic novels the route of the future? Or online comics? And, if so, how does the industry get there? Interesting stuff.

So, intrepid reader, what do you think?
Read more!

Calling All Fanboys!

by The General

MTV, the station that used to be famous for it'\s innovative music videos, put out an APB today looking for fanboys willing to bare their souls to the world... or at least bare their souls to that special breed of bored high school student and stoned undergrad who has enough time on their hands to watch a show like I'm a True Life Fanboy.

If public humiliation is your calling, or if you believe in the redemptive power of Cable TV to better the global standing of fanboys every where, read on...

MTV's original notice.

ARE YOU A FANBOY?

MTV’S TRUE LIFE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR STORY!

Are you a young person who is obsessed with a certain book, comic, or video game? MTV’s True Life is looking for young people who are die-hard fans of certain brands, characters, or fantasy series.

Are you obsessed with comic books, anime, fantasy, or manga? Do you like to dress up as your favorite character and attend conventions with other fans? Have you ever waited in line overnight for a book, movie, or videogame release? Do you have tattoos depicting your favorite brand or characters? Have you ever missed work, school, or other important events to engage in role-playing or cosplay? Are you misunderstood by your family or significant other because of it? Do you aspire to author your own graphic novel or comic series despite your parents’ disapproval?

If you appear to be between the ages of 16 and 28, and want to share the story of your fantasy obsession, email us at fanboy@mtvn.com with all of the details. Be sure to include your name, location, phone number and a photo, if possible.

Tell MTV why you need to be seen and heard. This is your chance to let others see what your life is all about!

Probably my favorite part is "If you appear to be between the ages of 16 and 28..." Apparently, appearances are everything.

Sadly, the General is an Old Man™ and will be unable to apply. But, maybe my loss is your gain! Read more!

X-Centric Roundtable: Days of Past, Present and Future

by the General

Well, it's X-Week here at the Bad Genious, as we celebrate Uncanny X-Men's 500th issue. So, our usual Friendly Neighborhood Editors have stepped aside to let me take a stab at hosting the BG Roundtable. I figured, how hard could that be, right?

Surprise! Getting the whole gang to sit still long enough to talk about the past, present and future of the X-Men was like herding cats. Or, at least as hard as keeping track of the Summers' family tree.

Oh well, the X-Men's history is long and convoluted... so why shouldn't the X-Centric Roundtable™ be long and convoluted too? Let's dive in!

The General: Hey gang, with Uncanny X-men #500 arriving in stores on Wednesday, I thought that this would be a good time to take a look at the teams past, present and future. So, to start: When did you first read an X-title?

Patrick: This X-men stuff looks cool? Is it a new book from DC?

Actually, I may be known as a DC guy now, but in my youth I was all about the Marvel. And yet, I never got into the X-Men. FF, DD, Hulk, Spidey, Rom, and others were bought often. Yet I never read X-Men regularly. Well, I did have every issue of Dazzler, but I don't mention that in public.

The General: (Ignoring Patrick) Anyone?

Kach: The early '90s is when I started "collecting" comics. I remember the "new" X-Men series was all the rage at the time. I really enjoyed those first few arcs with Asteroid M & the Acolytes, Omega Red, Gambit's ex-wife....that was the end of Claremont's writing if you ask me. Jim Lee's artwork was fantastic, as usual.

Liana: I first read an X-title in 1998 (Uncanny #352). This was not what you'd call the Glory Days of the X-Men, but I was pretty hooked on the soap opera aspect of the title from the get-go, mostly because of the Fox cartoon.

Betsy: I started reading the X-Men in 1995, when my boyfriend (now husband) introduced me to the book. Like Liana, I was hooked on the soap opera aspect of it. I had an immediate affinity for the Beast, and he became my favorite comic book character of all time.

Chris: If we're talking mutant titles in general, I started collecting New Mutants towards the end of 1986, I believe, so my first issue was probably in the 40s. Those were some fun stories and I had a little bit of a crush on Dani at the time.

If we're talking Uncanny X-Men title specifically, my first issue must have been #280, bought at the same time as X-Factor #70 (Peter David's first issue) in Aug. 1991.

Mr. O: Uncanny X-Men #297 was my first X-Men book, well first non-reprint. It was the epilogue to the "X-Cutioners Song," and though it didn't really make too much sense to me, it was still a brilliant book, and it really hooked me in. From there 'til the end of Grant Morrison's run I was hooked.

Tim: I got into X-Men about the same time, comic-wise as Mr. O, I think - right at the end of the infinitely confusing "X-Cutioner's Song." It drew me in, but made fuck-all sense.

Brandon: I started reading Uncanny X-Men back in 1990, but I had picked up a random issue here or there before that from my cousin. The X-Men have been like a middle school romance for me, constantly off and on over the years with no real rhyme or reason.

Dan: My X-Men obsession started in Summer 1989. Uncanny X-Men #246 was on the spinner rack at my local High's convenient store and for some reason I had to check it out. Maybe it was the big robot on the cover. Maybe it was a friend's suggestion to try X-Men. Maybe it was Rogue laid out at the bottom of the cover like a SI swimsuit model (probably not that one). I got about six issues (this was the days of biweekly shipping) before starting eighth grade and losing track. Four years later I picked up X-Men #18 on a road trip and fell in love with the characters all over again. This time, I didn't lose track of the merry mutants.

Matt: My first X-Men book was Uncanny X-Men #200. I didn't understand a lot of it but I was hooked. I quickly started to pick up back issues and Classic X-Men came out around the same time and that helped me complete the series.

Yassir: I first read Uncanny X-Men circa issue #200, too. I remember thinking that it felt a bit darker than the superhero comics I was used to (hey, I was only 10 or so). I was immediately hooked. Also like Matt, Classic X-Men was another reason that I became an X-fanatic.

The General: Yeah, Yassir and Matt, I started collecting Uncanny X-men at about the same time as you (well, issue #210 to be exact), so I know what you're saying. There was a "grittiness" to the title in those days that really appealled to my 5th grade brain.

Dan: How'd you guys come across the X-Men comics when you were only 8-10 years old? My friends and I used to ride our bikes up to the local shopping center to get comics. Of course we couldn't do that until we were in that 12-13 age range.

Matt: My friend was heavily into comics in the 6th grade. He said that the X-Men were his favorite. There was a small comic shop where my family shopped for groceries and my mom gave me a few bucks to get some comics. I spent it all on X-Men #200.

The General: Hey, Dan! I'm asking the questions here!

My mom used to buy my brother and I comics when we went to the doctors or dentist. Or occasionally, we'd stop at 7-11 during family road trips, and get to buy comics to read on the road. But, it was my cousin (who was in Junior High at the time) that recommended X-Men.

Also, in 5th grade comics were *the* thing to be into. Each year, there was a different thing that was the cool thing to collect (marbles, Garbage Pail Kids, etc) ...in 5th grade it was comics.

Doug: My first X-Men comic was #113, back in 1976. You're all just whippersnappers compared to me. Back in my day (Friendly Editor's Note: this would be a couple weeks after the dinosaurs went extinct), there was just one X-Men comic...and it had just started being published monthly...and we liked it!

Dan: 1976! Awesome year. What with my being born and all.

Actually, I recently read the second Uncanny X-Men Masterwork (the softcover ones), which ends at #110. Those were some great stories back in the days of when gas was 59c, a stamp was 13c and Captain and Tennille were winning Grammy gold!

The General: Speaking of gold, in your mind, when was their "Golden Era?"

Liana: Since I immediately had an affinity for Jean Grey (when's she coming back again?), I sought out what trades I could featuring her, which meant a lot of the Claremont/Byrne Phoenix stuff. It was so well-written that it's hard for me to come up with a better time for the title than that, but there's plenty I haven't read.

Yassir: Yeah, I consider Uncanny X-Men #93-175 to be the peak of the series. I've enjoyed "Messiah CompleX," and there have been other odd runs here and there (the early part of Morrison's run, for example), but it was the early Claremont issues which made me fall in love with the pesky mutants. And in those early days Cyclops was the man. I still maintain that Byrne drew the best Cyclops ever.

Doug: The Claremont/Byrne era was definitely my "Golden Age". Banshee and Phoenix were still members of the team back then, Cyclops was the star, and Wolverine was just a little pain-in-the-ass with an attitude. I thought the book started a slow and steady decline as soon as Byrne left.

Betsy: I think that the "Dark Phoenix Saga" is some of the best comic book storytelling out there.

Dan: The golden era for me is a toss up between the Outback years (which was the story going on in my earliest issues) and the craziness around, during and immediately after "Age of Apocalypse." I liked the Outback stuff due the team being complete outcasts from society, so much so that the public thought they were dead. The fights with the Reavers and Wolverine's crucification have stuck with me for years. Most of the stories from that time have as they were so dark compared to other stuff I had read before it. Uncanny X-Men #251 remains one of my all-time favorite covers.

Matt: My favorite run and what I consider the Golden Era of the X-Men is probably the first John Romita Jr run. Issues #177 to #211. That is mostly because of nostalgia. The title became incredibly dark and became less of a super hero book.

Doug: But....but....no Banshee then....

Matt: **SUPER GEEKY MOMENT** He was in #193.

Patrick: There was only one issue I ever picked up and thought it was awesome right off the shelf. That would be the issue where Colossus breaks up with Kitty Pride. Then Wolverine takes him out to "talk" to him, and they run into the Juggernaut in his civilian clothes. Colossus then ends up in a fight with Juggernaut, not knowing who he is, while Wolverine stands back and lets Juggernaut kick Colossus' shiny metal butt. Colossus is pissed they didn't help him, and Wolverine somehow ties it into his breaking up with Kitty and letting him know what a creep he is being. Great comic.

(Shortly after this, Patrick wandered off to have an Infinite Crisis or something.)

Ware: My favorite era in the mutant titles (since I've been reading) is from late 1991 to mid-1995. Chris Claremont, Scott Lobdell, Fabien Nicieza, Peter David, and J.M. DeMatteis writing the four main books and just some amazing artists with Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, Rob Liefeld, Joe Quesada, Andy Kubert, Joe Madureira, JR Jr., Brandon Peterson, Tom Raney, Jae Lee, Jan Duursema, Greg Capullo, and Tony Daniel. Not to mention Larry Hama, Marc Silvestri, and Adam Kubert on Wolverine. Storywise, there was the introduction of Bishop, the "X-Cutioner's Song," the "Phalanx Covenant/Generation Next," "Legion Quest," and "Age of Apocalypse," not to mention Wolverine getting the adamantium ripped out of his bones and Scott and Jean getting married. I loved those two years worth of stories.

Mr. O: The high point for me was "Age of Apocolypse," a great series, a nice big but tight story and gorgeous art all over, and all self-contained.

Dan: Yeah, "Age of Apocalypse" is one of the greatest story lines and most brilliant and ballsy publishing stunts to that point - "canceling" all the ongoing titles for four months to tell an alternate universe tale just made the event that much more special. Also, cool shiny cover to start it all.

Mr. O: Along with this, and I know most people didn't enjoy it, but I loved Scott Lobdell's run on the two books. Some great ideas, sometimes poor execution, but overall a really enjoyable run, and he wrote some really nice, smaller stories, some really emotional stuff.

Tim: My big love was always Generation X. I'm still annoyed that's basically unsalvageable as an entity now. What with Jubilee depowered, Skin dead and Chamber fucked about with... I'm not going to get into how sad I am what they've done with poor old Jono Starsmore. (Editor: Don't worry. I think Tim will get into this later this week.)

Brandon: To me, the best X-Men era was the Grant Morrison years. I consider the New X-Men title as being the last true X-Men title. It's like all the Star Wars stuff that has come out after Return of the Jedi; it's all expanded universe for me. I still read X-Men, but Morrison to me was the ribbon that wrapped up a good gift. I think the X-Men had evolved past Magneto, the whole Us vs. Them mentality. But alas, Marvel felt differently and Grant's run dissolved faster than Peter Parker's marriage. Too bad, really.

The General: Now that we've got a sense of your collective history with the X-titles, let's talk about the X-line today. It seems like the X-Universe has been through a number of large changes over the last couple years, and is in a perpetual state of flux. Generally speaking, what do you think?

Liana: Generally, I'm sick of Jean being dead and Emma being alive.

Doug: I'm generally enjoying the X-line and I really like the writers they currently have lined up. However, your point about the line always being "in flux" is a great one, General. I think that if you look back at the eras most of us considered "Golden Ages", the team line-up was usually pretty solid. During the Claremont years with Cockrum/Byrne/Romita Jr., you had a constant core - Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Jean at the beginning and then Kitty after that. And you really got to know and care about those characters and I think that's lost now, with the lineups shifting every ten issues.

Matt: I am an old school fan. Like Doug, I do enjoy the current X-books quite a bit but I liked the old days better for a couple of reasons.

For one, there was a smaller cast and you got to know them personally. Former X-Men were treated as guest stars and they felt like guest stars; they were a treat. Towards the end of Claremont's run and since, if a character was an X-Man at some point, they HAD to be part of some X-team.

Also, in regards to subplots and storylines, this is what I liked about those early days: stories took time to develop, they didn't have to be wrapped up in 4-6 issues. Take the saga of Madelyne Pryor for instance. She was introduced in Uncanny X-Men #168 and her origin finally came in Uncanny X-Men #241. I love subplots, that is what kept me collecting the book. Nowadays, I feel like I can drop the X-books at anytime. I know Marvel is trying to make them accessible to new readers but, for every jumping on point exists a jumping off point.

The General: OK, let's look at things a little more specifically then. Anyone got any thoughts on M-Day?

Dan: As far as the events go, M-Day/Decimation was a solid story that got me back into the X-Men books after some really disappointing creative teams ruined the fun for me. Unfortunately, no one seems to have really done anything with the idea that there are only a couple hundred mutants out there. Sure, we had "Messiah CompleX" come out of it, but nothing really changed for the X-Men. The core characters were unaffected in the long run.

The General: Speaking of which what did you all think of "Messiah CompleX?"

Dan: I loved "Messiah CompleX." The three-month crossover through the four ongoing titles was great. I actually liked it when the two main X-books were pretty tightly interlocked and always dug stories like "X-Tinction Agenda," "X-Cutioner's Song" or "Fatal Attractions" that brought all the titles together for a couple months.

Mr O: "Messiah CompleX" was brilliant and told a great multipart tale with some cool inter weaving of storylines and characters.

The General: "Divided We Stand?"

Dan: "Divided We Stand" didn't really feel like any kind of event at all, just the fallout of "Messiah CompleX." Which is why it was just silly that Marvel pimped it as an event and had a two-issue mini-series to go along with it. Stuff like this makes me hedge my excitement of the next event mini-series in a couple months.

The General: And how about the specific titles? Astonishing X-Men?

Doug: Why does Astonishing X-Men still exist? It looks like Uncanny X-Men is going to be the flagship book again (as it should be), and with most of the Astonishing X-Men cast apparently being used in Uncanny X-Men as well, I think Astonishing could be retitled Unnecessary X-Men; it's just redundant, in my opinion.

Dan: It's just hanging out there, like a second Ultimate book.

Liana: Dan and I decided to wait for trade on that because Warren Ellis is absolutely unreliable. How bad is he going to screw up the overall release schedule and momentum for the line? It's frustrating to even consider and definitely doesn't encourage me to put X-Men at the top of my To Read pile.

Chris: As an Ellis whore, I'm looking forward to his run on Astonishing X-Men.

The General: The *actual* two flagship titles? Uncanny X-men and X-Men Legacy?

Liana: Now that I'm all caught up on Uncanny and Legacy, I totally have opinions on today's X-line! And my opinion is that it sucks! Okay, not really. But I was totally captivated by "Deadly Genesis" and "Messiah CompleX" and I'm into the stuff with Sinister in Legacy, but this whole move to San Francisco is leaving me luke warm. I just don't care about it. Maybe that will change after the move and the X-Men are back in business (and maybe if the whole skrull thing will come into play), but I don't know. It feels like the excitement is gone. Plus, you know, everyone still loves Emma and Jean is still dead.

Chris: Uncanny has been pretty damn good since Brubaker took over. I loved Billy Tan's artwork on it. However, this most recent arc in San Francisco was dull as dirt. I enjoyed the stuff in Russia, but everything else put me to sleep. While I enjoy Mike Choi's art, it doesn't seem to fit as well as Tan.

I've really been enjoying X-Men Legacy. I love all this continuity stuff. Mike Carey has been blowing the doors off this book.

Mr. O: Though Uncanny is rather mediocre, I've got to say I'm loving Legacy at the moment. For me this has been the best run on X-Men since the Morrison days, starting from "Rise and Fall" and "Supernovas" through "Messiah CompleX" to the current books, I've really been enjoying the ride.

It has been a while since X-Men has been my personal number one book, and bare in mind this the series that hooked me on comics, so I think the current team is doing a bang up job.

Dan: Carey has generally been boring me senseless (although I am enjoying the Mr. Sinister stuff in recent Legacy issues). Brubaker has been treading water since "Rise & Fall of the Shi'ar," but he's got a big shake up to help. Too bad he's accompanied by artists I don't care for.

The General: What about X-Factor?

Chris: X-Factor is awesome. Of course, I'm a big Peter David fan, so that probably has something to do with it. I love the character interactions and such. And the ending of #32? Sets up an interesting new status quo for the book.

The General: I've actually been enjoying Young X-Men overall. Anyone else reading it?

Chris: Young X-Men isn't grabbing me. First, it's contradicting what all the other books are doing (I assume this will be explained soon). Second, the story is pretty dull, which is surprising because Guggenheim is a pretty good writer. Hopefully, they'll shake everything out in this first arc and get it going.

The General: Cable is a series I'm struggling with a bit. I feel like I should be liking it more than I am. What do you all think?

Liana: I just got caught up on Cable and, even though it's slow, I REALLY like it.

Mr. O: Cable is a really weird one for me, Liana. The concept is brilliant, I love the whole idea behind it, from Bishop chasing Cable through time, the implication of the child to both of these men's lives, as well as what it means for the current Marvel Universe X-Men timeline, but the execution is so bad, the dialogue so grating the progression so slow that I'm just finding it immensely annoying.

Maybe if the writer tightens up some what, I'll enjoy it more, but otherwise, it will be on the chopping block as soon as my subscription ends.

Liana: I think part of the reason I enjoyed Cable is that I read the first four issues at once. This might be something that reads fantastically in trade and awfully as a monthly. I will say that the dialogue didn't bother me at all.

Dan: Even reading Cable monthly, I'm really enjoying it. I know it's a slow burn, but I dig the story and the dialogue. But as I've said before, I have a real soft spot for apocalyptic future stories.

Doug: Plus, your well-documented love for Ariel Olivetti's artwork knows no bounds.

The General: How about Wolverine? Or should I say Wolverines... since there seems to be so many Wolverine titles out there these days.

Chris: Wolverine is a book that really needs to find a direction. When is the last time this book had a stable creative team? Honestly, it feels like one of the Confidential books that DC publishes so different creators have a chance to work on that character. The book desperately needs a writer to come in and take a firm grip on it and establish a focus, rather than a different creative team for every arc. That said, this "Old Man Logan" storyline sounds like fun.

The General: Finally, X-Force is getting fairly good reviews, and I'm enjoying it despite myself.

Mr. O: X-Force is blowing me way, I was expecting to enjoy this, but not as much as I am. Some dark gritty art to go with the story telling, and some very good characterisation.

Chris: I'm enjoying X-Force. It's a total '90s book, but that's okay since I have fond memories of those days. Kyle and Yost provide some solid storytelling abilities and I'm enjoying Crain's digital painting.

Matt: I agree about X-Force. Totally exceeded my expectations.

The General: But, regardless of what you think of the X-line today, there's always the future, right? With issue #500 of Uncanny coming out, it looks like we are going to be treated to another reworking of the status quo, and another 'Event' (in the form of "Manifest Destiny"). But, if you were the captain of the ship, what would you like to see happen with the line of X-titles.

Matt: Aside from revealing that Banshee was a Skrull and bringing him back on the team, I would want to work on making sure that the core titles are stable. I think I was really spoiled by Claremont's first run since it was so long and he was the only voice on the X-Men. I would want that type of stability on the core books for sure.

I would also want to make sure that the X-books that were being published had a meaning. Just because we have so many X-Men doesn't mean that they need to be on a team and in a book.

Doug: Stable teams - both on the creative side and within the pages of each book. Each team/book with a clear purpose; it seems a lot of people here are questioning the reason for Astonishing X-Men to still exist. Focus on quality instead of quantity. (Yeah, good luck with that.)

Dan: Honestly, I'm a bit weary of the immediate future of the X-books. I'd like to see the line trimmed down a bit. There are 19 X-Men related comics scheduled for August 2008, not including Ultimate X-Men (cause really, what relevance do the Ultimate books have any more?). That's just too many ongoings and mini-series that, more often than not, have little to do with each other. I'd love to see the "main titles" cut to Uncanny and Legacy. If Legacy is only a short term story line, cut that out and turn Uncanny to a bi-monthly shipper. Axe Young X-Men and incorporate that story in Uncanny. Enough with the ridiculous number of Wolverine (and other) one-shot comics. Put the Exiles out of their misery. Wrap up the M-Day/Decimation/Endangered Species/Messiah Complex/Manifest Destiny daisy chain. And have one, focused vision of where the books are going with the occasional storyline floating between titles as necessary.

The General: Any closing thoughts?

Rory: The X-Men arcade game was awesome. I always played as Nightcrawler!
The General: Yep. That about sums it up. Read more!

X-Centric: 'Ain't' Ain't a Word, Bub

by the General

When most people see the letters "XXX," there are a number of things might jump into their head. Maybe they think of the Roman numeral for thirty. Or, perhaps, they think of the three letters scrawled on the side of a jug of moonshine. More likely, they think of Vin Diesel (though probably they probably try to forget Ice Cube). But, I'm guessing what you probably think about is the movie rating you find on the back of most films in Doug's DVD collection.

Me? I think "X-Men, X-Men, X-Men." But, then again, I'm a bit X-Centric.

And, being a bit X-Centric, I've realized that it falls upon my shoulders to talk about something that no one else is talking about. Namely, X-Men comics. Yes, folks, I shall shoulder the burden and be the sole person on the vast and varied interweb to tackle the subject of the X-Men. No where else will you find someone expressing their thoughts and opinions on the X-line. In fact, I challenge you to find another blog, message board or fan site dealing with the X-Men! I dare you!

AND, since I am the Lone Ranger of all things X, it also falls upon my heavy shoulders to discuss a distant corner of the X-Universe that rarely receives any attention: Wolverine. Namely, I'd like to point out how Marvel decided that X-Force's first one-shot was an excellent opportunity to showcase this little known mutant in X-Force Special: Ain't No Dog #1. Apparently appearing in three regular titles, being imprisoned by Commies in Uncanny X-Men, fighting skrulls with the Avengers and leading X-Force in their regular title wasn't quite enough for Marvel's crowd-pleasing wombat of self-regenerating fury. So, Marvel has dragged him kicking and screaming into what I believe is his third one-shot of the month. And, looking at the cover, I don't even think that Wolverine wants to be there...


Now, I feel it's worth mentioning that - as a struggling illustrator myself - I'm not one to generally be overly critical of another individual's artwork. But at the same time, after looking at this cover for a bit (which appears to be an uncredited Brian Hitch illustration), I was struggling to determine exactly how Wolverine would assume this position. But, then it hit me! Here's what obviously is going on: After having his left leg surgically removed, Wolverine has been kicked square in the back by Colossus with enough force to break his spine. In addition, the kick has thrown him forward with such velocity that, upon crashing into the X-Force logo, his right arm was snapped out of its socket, causing him to throw back his head in a howl of pain. Simple, really.

But, the question remains: What Wolverine storyline is so important that it warranted it's own X-Force Special? What story was so epic that it couldn't be told in a regular monthly? What major changes occur that shake the very foundation of Wolverine as a character? Well, ***here be spoiler warnings humble viewers*** I'm going to reveal them to you!

Ready for it!

Here it comes!

Wolverine kills a bunch of Purifiers.

Yup. Y'know, like he does in X-Force every month. But, the difference here is that while the monthly X-Force has some actual sense of plot line, here they've replaced it with Logan and Scott calling each other "dicks" for a page or two. (At least, I think they are calling each other "dicks," since calling someone "pound pound pound pound" doesn't quite have the same ring.)

I will say the whole thing is quite nicely illustrated. Though, even as a proud owner of Dead Alive, I'm sort of inclined to think that a half-page panel of Wolverine sawing a man's head in half with his claws might warrant a little more than a "parental advisory" in 9-point condensed font tucked in next to the cover's bar code. But, maybe being T-minus four months away from fatherhood has made me crazy in the head like that.

Also, it bears mentioning that there is also a back-up story featuring Proudstar, Wolverine ... and a bear. This story was primarily memorable for reminding me of Frank Miller and Chris Claremont's first issue of the original Wolverine mini-series, which starts with a nice Wolverine-versus-a-bear sequence. Oh, simpler days.

Oh yeah, there is also a five page preview of Ultimate Origins that is easily the most interesting part of the book.

Honestly, though, I don't want to come off like I'm pooping on the X-Force balloon. In fact, as I've mentioned somewhere else on this blog, X-Force is the series that I genuinely enjoy despite myself. Really, the title has every right to be tedious and completely uninteresting, but somehow it manages to be fascinating ... to me at least.

I think that the key lies in the fact that Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost have figured out how to get a considerable amount of emotional wiggle room out of what could have been a cliched concept of Liefeldian proportions. On paper, the idea of grouping together all the X-titles' various trackers and killers together into a black ops team ("X-Force: Now with 150% more claws­™") seems disastrous. But, Kyle and Yost realize that there's actually some interesting inter-character dynamics to be found here.

Sure, Wolverine is a killer. But, at the same time, he hates that he is a killer (well, despite what you might read in the X-Force Special), and has never been a natural leader. Furthermore, he's trying to help his cloned "daughter" X-23 reform and move away from a life he's already trapped in. And, he hates the idea of two "innocents," Proudstar and especially Wolfsbane, being sucked into his blood drenched world.

Its like he's your uncle telling you to never start smoking, while lighting up himself. And X-23, Proudstar, and Wolfsbane, the cocky youth, have indignantly replied: "Screw you, old man, I'm going to smoke if I want to!" To which Wolverine replies by bumming them a smoke. "Your choice, your funeral."

It's actually a cool angle to take for the team, and there is emotional meat to gnaw on there by focusing on Wolverine's position for once. It also helps that the storyline is also harnessing past continuity in a unique way that tickles my geek button while not (presumably) being too inaccessible to the the passing fan. Even Clayton Crain's art has grown on me with each issue. The coloring errs on the side of murky, and there is an awkward frame here and there, but at other times there is an undeniable sense of atmosphere and drama.

Which is why the X-Force Special probably frustrates me so. Why muddy what is the start to a great franchise with such a forgettable and redundant one-shot? In Marvel's attempt to dry-hump Wolverine's money-bleeding corpse, they only make themselves look cheap and dirty. But, then again, I bought the thing. So, while Wolverine apparently "ain't no dog," the X-fans who bought this apparently are... or at least we are being lead around on a leash like one. Our choice, our funeral, I guess.

Grades: X-Force Special: Ain't Not Dog #1 is a disposable D+. While X-Force #1-#4 have been a brooding and bloody B+.

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Breaking News! The Hulk Kills!

by the General

One of the most hotly debated topics around the Bad Genious campfire is "Does the Hulk kill?" Some maintain that he is a savage brute with little to no regard for human life as he ravages his way across the American Southwest. Others claim that--deep down--he is actually a noble spirit. And that while his battles with the Abomination may keep Damage Control busy, at the end of the day he strives to avoid killing innocents or even the villains with whom he exchanges blows.

Well, dear readers, after doing some research on the matter, I would like to present a piece of evidence that I feel will finally bring an end to this debate. I now present to you Hulk's epic battle against...

the Roller Disco Devils!! (Click to enlarge)


Now, look carefully at panels number four and five. Just look!


Unless you can find evidence that the Roller Disco Devils possess a level of invulnerability that I am unaware of (I challenge you!), I think that we can all maintain that the act of being rolled up in a strip of asphalt and then sat upon by the Hulk is enough to kill the average man. Even if the majority of them have somehow survived, I think that it's obvious that the Devil with the yellow pirate shirt is easily having his spine broken a dozen times over.

So yes, the Hulk does kill. He kills to keep the streets safe. He kills because he hates disco. And, most importantly, he kills so that the children can get all the fruit pies they want.

And now, in memory of the deceased Roller Disco Devils, I will sing their favorite song:

Yeah, yeah!
Baby!
Wo, wo!
Rock! Roll!
Yeah, yeah!

RIP.

And now, on to the next debate: "Does the Hulk want to eat humans like they are Hostess Fruit Pies?"

Discuss!
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General Reviews 5/21: "There's a good story in here somewhere."

by the General

That's what I kept thinking to myself while reading last weeks comics. All of them had moments or ideas worth mentioning, but inevitably the execution seemed to be fumbled. Either the art was slightly off, or the writing was stilted or - in the case of Ultimate X-men - it just seemed like the Marvel editorial department was asleep at the wheel. Still, these are the comics I read last week, and there were a lot of them. So, let's take a look at X-Men: Divided We Stand, X-Factor, Fantastic Four, Captain America, Ultimate X-men and Hercules.

X-Men: Divided We Stand #2 (by a whole mess of creators) - Last month, when I reviewed this title, it became a mini-magnum opus as I tried to summarize the five short tales that appeared in it. This month, I'm going to sidestep that unreadable train wreck and just mentioned the two that caught my fancy. The first, by Mike Carey and his X-men Legacy buddy, Scott Eaton, involves the Beast returning to the ruins of the mansion and cleaning up a bit. That's pretty much it. He wanders the grounds, gathers some keepsakes and disposes of some dangerous technology that has been left behind. But despite this basic premise, it is a surprisingly effective because not only does it allow for some nice Beast characterization, but it also help show how important the Mansion is to the X-men's status quo and - finally - it helps successfully shut the door on this chapter of their mythology as they move forward. Presumably to their new digs in San Fransisco.

The other story that I enjoyed was the Havok tale that appeared halfway through the book. The whole Havok vs. Vulcan storyline pretty much tops my "I have no idea why I care about this story, but I do" list. This is a fine chapter. Vulcan reveals to an imprisoned and beaten Havok the events that took place during the Messiah CompleX, in an attempt to further torment him. Surprisingly, Havok finds strength in the story and redoubles his defiance of Vulcan. It's a seemingly straight-forward little number, but it works on a couple of levels. Not only does it get new readers up to speed(with both Havok and the entire X-line in general), but also help further define the dynamic that exists between the two warring brothers. The painterly art usually wouldn't be my thing, but actually sort of works here. I look forward to seeing this storyline move forward someday.

The rest of the stories are pretty forgettable... to the point that I honestly barely remember them a week after reading them. So, while I enjoyed the two tales above, I can't give the entire issue more than a bare-bones B.

X-Factor #31 (David and Raimondi) - This issue should have been dramatic. But, for a number of reasons, it just fell short. First and foremost reason, while I think Raimondi is a fine artist, he failed to convey the drama and inferno of having M-Town (or the Middle Eastside) burn to the ground. Instead of the raging inferno I'm sure Peter David had in mind, we get scene after scene of what looks like the characters dealing with isolated burning buildings. But, to be fair, I think that David's storytelling is a little uneven here too. Few of the events within really carry any dramatic punch, plus we see another example of David's weird malicious streak in a scene where firemen watch a half dozen people burn to death on the other side of the energy dome that surrounds the neighborhood. Overall, I just wasn't feeling this issue, a crabby C.

Fantastic Four #557 (Millar and Hitch) - Here's another title I'm just not feeling. In fact, I'm fairly sure this is my last issue. I can see what Millar and Hitch are going for, but the execution is sort of bungled. The resolution of the CAP menace just struck me as too easy. I mean, it literally plays out like this: "Oh my god! No one can stop this menace! It's destroying everything! ... oh, except we just happen to have this piece of technology lying around, and there happens to be a loop-hole in CAP's programming that allows us to take it down in one punch!" Wait, what? Between this, and my inability to get into the Nu Earth idea, I'm obviously struggling with this title. So, maybe it's just time to let it go.

Which is a shame because there is a great couple of moments with Reed and Sue towards the end that shows that Millar actually gets at least those two characters. I just wish he got the entire title the same way. Still a credibility-straining C.

Captain America #38 (Brubaker and Epting) - Nothing happens. But, I enjoyed it. Still, I'm not going to give it more than a standard Brubaker B.

I'm not overly familiar with the particulars of Captain America's past, but there seems to be a neat little retooling of his history in this issue. Or, at least, the retooling of a character from his past. It's the sort of reworking that I'm sure has certain Captain America fans rubbing their hands together with glee. And, to Brubaker's credit, he managed to get me up to date with the back story in such a way that I felt like I knew what was going on, but didn't feel like it was getting bogged down by history lessons. Still, my holding my ground on that B.

Ultimate X-men #94 (Coleite and Brooks) - Meanwhile, over in Ultimate X-men I honestly felt like I missed an issue. In fact, after reading the first couple of pages, I checked the cover to make sure an issue hadn't been released that I missed. I mean, someone must have really screwed the pooch on this issue. I can literally see Aron Coleite proudly turning in his first script only to have the editor go: "oh... um.. .we forget to tell you but Kirkman wrote Phoenix out of the title at the end of his final arc. That was the big dramatic event that ended that arc."

To which Coleite responded; "Hmmm, let me just get out my pen here and...." then he writes a single panel where Scott asks Jean why she's back, and she says they'll talk about it later. The whole thing comes off as really amateurish, and I think it shows that Marvel has pretty much lost interest in its Ultimate line.

In a way though, it's sort of a shame that the issue has such a rocky start and that the writing is uneven, because I do feel like there is are some interesting ideas driving this title. It's about time that someone explored Colossus' mafia ties a little more. And, the reveal on the final page proves the storyline might be fun overall. Still, this issue gets a drop-the-ball D.

The Incredible Hercules #117 (Pak and Van Lente) - I'm still not in love with this title in the same way that a lot of people are. But, at the same time, the very idea that seems to be under-pinning this next storyline has me interested, and I think it's a great twist on the events of Secret Invasion. In short, since the skrulls are invading Earth, their gods are also effectively invading the Earth gods' turf. To combat this, Athena has called the gods of the world together to assemble a team to make sure their alien gods don't get a foothold. This team is, of course, led by Hercules. Now, I'm not entirely sure why, but I like the idea of Earth's gods wanting to stave off the advances of alien gods fairly interesting. It's a unique take on the typical alien invasion storyline. And, the motley crew they've assembled under Hercules seems to have promise, as does the idea of Hercules being forced into leadership.

Still, while I liked the issue overall, there are actually a number of confusing panels toward the end which left me going "Wait, what?" So, while I was pleased with the issue, I'm just giving it a better than average B.
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General Reviews 5/15: X-Men, Britain and Melting Brains

by The General

Y'know, I can be a bad comic collector sometimes. I mean, I know that at this point in my life, I should be reading and supporting more independent publishers. Heck, I live right down the street from Fantagraphics new outlet store*, so really I have no excuse. Still, given my druthers, I drift away from the leafy green vegetables of the independent world, and gravitate towards the sugary goodness of Marvel's line of X-titles.

But, at the same time, I'm not even a good X-Men collector. I'm not a completist, nor do I possess an encyclopedic knowledge of all things X-Men. Heck, I generally can't remember what happened in the previous issue, and have to rely on Marvel's recap pages to even keep things straight in my head. And this is after about 20 years of collecting. I'm hopeless.

Still, I do enjoy a good batch of comics. And, with the the continuity-laden X-Men Legacy, a new Captain Britain title, the retro-popcorn of Clandestine and the out of control Casanova, it was a good week of comic reading for yours truly. Let's take a look at them, shall we...

X-Men Legacy #211 (Carey, Eaton and Peterson) - This title is trying to prove that I'm a hypocrite. My number one complaint about the DC universe stems from the fact that it's geared toward the hardcore fanboys, and is pretty much impenetrable to new and casual fans. Meanwhile, the exact same complaints can be leveraged against this title... and I lurve it. It literally drips with X-Men continuity, but I also find it massively compelling.

To prove how dependant this title is on X-history, even I don't know who the character is that Xavier meets with in this issue. Has he appeared in an X-title before? I'm pretty sure he must have, but I don't recognize him. Maybe he was introduced while I was in college and killing braincells faster than I could fill them with X-lore. Still, there's a lot of cool stuff in this issue: Juggernaut, the Hellfire Club, Xavier using his powers in an unconventional way, and the final page appearance of a favorite X-character that will probably have certain sectors of fanguys and gals squealing. A brainy B+ the whole way.

Captain Britain and the MI13 #1 (Cornell and Kirk) - We have a couple of British contributors to this blog, and I'll be interested to hear what they think about this title. If only because it appears to be two things the last two versions of Excalibur should have been but weren't: Good and British. I mean, what was the point of using the name Excalibur if the title was going to be about Xavier and Magneto goofing around in the ruins of Genosha? And, what was the point of having a British superteam if you were going to fill it with Americans? Injury or insult, you make the call!

Well, the Brits can breathe easy because Marvel has finally graced us with a British superteam which is actually *gasp* British. Well, not counting the Skrull. A lot of noise was made about the Wisdom mini-series last year, which isn't surprising since I didn't pick it up and I pretty much only pick up the bad X-mini-series. So, I'm glad to finally get check out Cornell's writing. The verdict: Um, good, I guess. Honestly, I wasn't blown away by it, but like Kirk's art, I thought it was solid and entertaining. Much like Young X-Men and X-Force, I'm not smitten with this new title, but I'll definitely be happy to tag along for the ride. It's been a while since I've seen either Captain Britain or Pete Wisdom written right, so that's enough for me... for now. A British B.

ClanDestine #4 (Davis and Farmer) - Speaking of Britain, it's ClanDestine! Actually, as near as I can tell, ClanDestine takes place in an alternate reality version of England. One that was frozen in time and space shortly after the release of Davis and Claremont's original Excalibur run. If fact, despite the appearance of the original Excalibur in the last couple of titles, this title seems to exist in its own little pocket world that doesn't have any relationship to anything else in the greater Marvel universe. Still, that's not entirely a bad thing, since it allows Alan Davis do what he does best: Be Alan Davis.

If this was an ongoing title, I think I'd start to be a little worried about its direction, or lack thereof. There's a lot going on here, but most of it comes off like a wild billiards shot: characters and plot elements bouncing off each other at random. And, unless all those elements end up in neat and tidy little pockets, it's going to wind up being an unsatisfying read. (Awkward metaphor much?) But, at this point, I'm going to just hold my breath and hope that Davis has everything figured out. Fingers crossed! A ClanDestine C+.

Casanova #14 (Fraction and Moon) - Wait, what?! Seriously, just when I think I've got a handle on this title, it does a 360 on me. Actually it's more than a 360, it's like a 482 or something. Reading this book is like watching Matt Fraction slowly lose his mind in the most entertaining fashion. I mean, let's set aside the actual plot of this issue for a second and just look at the creative gimmick that he hinges this issue on: The book is broken up into 14 chapters. Each chapter is named after and inspired by a song. Each song is, in turn, tied to something that happened to Matt during the writing of each of the 14 issues of Casanova. So, effectively, this issue is a miniature version of the last 14 issues. Did your brain just melt and slide out your ears? Mine did. But, that's OK, because I think it's lying in a pool on the floor with Faction's brain.

Artistically, I still haven't gelled with Moon's art in the same way I did with his brother, Gabriel Ba's, art. I think that part of my problem lies with the blue secondary color though, since I think that the illustrations have a neat brushy, Paul Pope quality to them. Also, I'm still not entirely sure whether the twist in this issue is clever or just a cop out. But really, I don't care too much, because even a lesser issue of Casanova ranks higher than the majority of what I read. A big, bad B+.

I should read more comics like this.

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