FANTASTIC FOUR #554"World's Greatest 1 of 4"
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inker: Paul Neary
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC's Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's epic (and epically late) run on Ultimates and Ultimates 2 is still one of the highlights of the last ten years of Marvel Comics. The two creators compliment each other in a true old school Claremont/Byrne way and the thought of them working together on a big mainstream Marvel title is pretty exciting. This issue is perfectly sound and, moreso than the other big creative shifts that I jumped on board for and quickly departed (Waid/Wieringo and later Straczynski/McKone), I'm truly interested in where this is going. Millar has three of the four down pat. I don't really like Human Torch's male Paris Hilton act and, I'd have to ask a real FF fan, it seems like it's a giant leap backwards for the character. I also have no idea what the status quo for this title was prior to this issue. Last I saw Black Panther and Storm were still on the team. This disjointed approach to Marvel books where the status quo is knocked down and built back up with every new creative team has irked me for years now. I'm also wondering how She-Hulk is appearing here quite modest and ladylike while she's running around in slutty velvet pants in her own title and off investigating red Hulk in the apparently atrocious Hulk. Whatever. Whaaaaatever. That doesn't ruin this issue and I'm looking forward to the next eleven.
Also, I really enjoy the new cover layout. A lot of the time comic books seem to be behind on modern graphic design, so whenever I see something different I appreciate it. Fantastic Four was called the world's greatest comic magazine for decades, so I get a real kick out of seeing magazine-esque copy on the cover. Nice.
MY SCORE: 8.6/10
THE NEW AVENGERS #38"The Breakup"
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Michael Gaydos
Color Art: Jose Villarrubia
Letterers: RS & Comicraft's Albert Deschesne
Cover Artist: Marko Djurdjevic
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Bendis broke one of his own traditions by actually giving this issue a title. Thankfully he had it end the exact same way he has now ended three other issues of his Avengers comics; Ms. Marvel swoops in and pardons a law-breaking Avenger that is right there. I know that it creates moments and dramatic tension, I get it. It was way dramatic the first time it happened. Since then, it's happened in every single issue of both Avengers titles since, it seems, and it's getting old. If I didn't think this was just Bendis getting cheap drama out of a tried-and-true situation, I'd think Ms. Marvel was a Skrull. The issue itself is quite good and New Avengers is one of the most character rich titles on the shelf. I just wish something would happen that didn't involve Ms. Marvel being a pushover.
MY SCORE: 8.2/10
X-FACTOR v.3 #28"Aftermath"
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Pablo Raimondi
Colorist: Jeremy Cox
Letterer: VC's Cory Petit
Cover: Glenn Fabry
Editor: Aubrey Sitterson
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Peter David really stepped up his game with this issue, once again being the only x-book to feel like a natural continuation of the horrific events we all just witnessed in "Messiah Complex." Siryn is confessing her sins, Rahne is jumping ship for X-Force, and Madrox and Rictor are pissed off beyond belief. I know David is a brilliant writer, but sometimes I wonder if he knows just how true he's being to his characters. Rictor's urge to get all high-and-mighty with a pimp is a direct callback to X-Force v.1 #34, where he scolds kids for playing with finger guns. Now, I know that's a leap, but for a continuity nut job like myself that's the type of commitment to characterization I read comics for. Similarly, M's aloof friendship is right on game with her old Generation X days. A comic book focusing on how bleak the cast's outlook on life has become should be a burden to read; it shouldn't make me downright giddy at how reinvigorated this title feels. I mean, I'm not giddy because there is definitely something brewing, something bad. I'm just giddy that I'm going to get the pleasure to read these stories.
MY SCORE: 9.2/10
X-FORCE v.3 #1"Angels and Demons 1 of 6"
Writers: Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost
Artist: Clayton Crain
Letterer: VC's Cory Petit
Production: Irene Lee
Assistant Editor: Aubrey Sitterson
Editor: John Barber
Executive Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Well. What am I to make of this? I'll get the continuity errors out of the way first since, well, even though I have to bring them up they aren't that important. First, Wolverine mentions that prior to getting all of his memories back a couple years ago, he'd thought he'd never been to Colorado. Are you kidding me? I don't know of any specific stories and I sure can't pull out an issue number, but I find that hard to believe when one of his longtime teammates (Angel) lived in Colorado for a long time. Come to think of it, I know the X-Men swung by his place during "The Dark Phoenix Saga", and Wolverine was probably with them. It's not like Colorado is Asgard, it's a pretty popular state. The other error would be Warpath's photo of X-Force. I give the creative team a lot of credit for actually acknowledging 1995 and the first comic to bear this title, but Caliban was bigger than Warpath at that time and Cannonball wasn't on X-Force. I can rationalize Cannonball sneaking into the picture since they did all live in the mansion, but Caliban looked completely different than what is depicted.
Now that that's out of my system, on to what really matters. What is with this book? I like the idea behind it and I can see the tenuous relationship to the X-Force name based on it, but do we really want to read this? Do I really want to see Warpath, X-23, and especially Wolfsbane slowly lose chunks of their souls month in and month out to do the "dirty deeds" that the X-Men can't do? Which, when you think about this issue, I don't see what's so dirty about it. The X-Men have dealt with psychopaths worse than the Purifiers before (I'm thinking Marrow, Gene Nation and the Marauders initially) and handled them just fine without resorting to throwing knives through a person's head. The level of horrific blood in this comic is truly unsettling. I also find it hard to believe that this is a covert team of X-Men that, you know, wear bright red Xs on their all black costumes and are led by Wolverine. Wolverine. Mr. X-Man himself.
The art is also a sore spot for me. It's competent but I think I just have an affinity for good ol' pencils and inks. This art looks too washed out in places, and too grotesque in others. I mean seriously, what is up with Wolfsbane? Her ears look as sharp as Wolverine's claws.
The dialogue is fine and I like that this book has a purpose. I'm very touchy about the name X-Force and I'm trying to let the involvement of Warpath and Wolfsbane (to an extent) rationalize it. But seriously, can anyone imagine this series going past issue 12? Are Kyle and Yost going to keep trotting out new innocent characters to completely demoralize? This combined with the upcoming Young X-Men: Teens Assembled to Assassinate is making the line seem unnecessarily grim.
But it could be worse. Rob Liefeld could have been involved.
MY SCORE: 7.4/10
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