CABLE & DEADPOOL #50"Symbiosis Mitosis"
Scripter: Fabian Nicieza
Plotter & Penciler: Reilly Brown
Inkers: Jeremy Freeman with Bob Almono
Colorists: Gotham and Sotocolor
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Cover: Skottie Young
Production: Irene Lee
Assistant Editors: Jon-Michael Ennis and Lauren Sankovitch
Editor: Nicole Boose
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Cable & Deadpool has not only done something that no one expected it to do, it has also done something that most titles nowadays find it hard to do: reach the fiftieth issue. Just like the surprising amount of supplements at the end of this book point out, no one thought that a comic starring two disparate characters whose sole point in common was being created during the darkest days of comic history would last this long. Yeah, I jumped ship with issue #29, but reading this issue makes me wish I hadn't stopped. Marvel needs a book like this. With She-Hulk currently doing a straightforward drama/thriller story, there's no other book that brings the funny and shines the spotlight on how messed up Marvel really is. Deadpool's jarringly informed commentary is not as distracting as it should be. How does Deadpool know about Spider-Man's deal with Mephisto? Doesn't matter, because the tone of the book is right on and Deadpool's speaking for every disenfranchised reader. This issue also deals with the main theme that's been attached to the only titular hero appearing in this issue. Deadpool fighting alongside the Mighty Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man is a fitting send off for the title, even if he does call Ares "Guy I don't know" and has to resist the urge to hit on Black Widow. Him turning down playing poker with "Mr. Thing" to watch TV with his supporting cast (which has, surprisingly, been the most solid one in the Marvel Universe since Joe Kelly's run) is a sweet little ending that rings true and doesn't feel saccharine. The Cable cameo is another wink to the audience and a nice touch after editorial decided to make half of the title irrelevant.
As a final issue, I would say this is a very satisfying one. Granted I've only read "Fractured" since I quit reading a while ago, but this issue is strong enough to make me want to go back and see what I missed. I know both Cable and Deadpool are getting solo series again, but I hope the tone and stories of this little book that could don't get forgotten.
MY SCORE: 8.7/10
THE MIGHTY AVENGERS #9Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Mark Bagley
Inkers: Danny Miki & Crime Lab Studios' Allen Martinez & Victor Olazaba
Artist p. 2-4: Marko Djurdjevic
Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Letterer: Artmonkeys' Dave Lanphear
Production: Paul Acerios
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
As I'm sure I've noted countless times before, I'm still a relative neophyte to the Marvel Universe as a whole. My interest in the Avengers started when, it appears, the rest of the comic buying public became interested. Bendis' reinvention of the formula with New Avengers has been consistently popular and launched the careers of many artists into the stratosphere (Marvel hype didn't hurt either). Now we have Bendis tackling what feels like a classic title from what I can gather based on all the back issues I've bought. Iron Man versus Doctor Doom, does it get any more classic than that? This issue is much better than the last one because it's not telling the other half of a story we've already read (with inconsistencies to boot). Big sprawling action isn't seen very often in comics lately, and I'm glad that Mighty Avengers is bringing it with style. Three double-page spreads of intricately detailed and exhilarating action may seem like overkill, but I appreciated the determination and skill it depicts all the Avengers having. These guys are pros and, honestly, I like seeing them all go to town on some robots. The issue is definitely light on plot (we still don't know how Doom's symbiote virus crashed to Earth) but a fascinating prologue featuring painted artwork and Morgan Le Fey and an unexpected twist ending colored like 1961 make this issue above average.
MY SCORE: 8.5/10
THE ORDER #8"8: Holly --or-- Search And Destroy"
Writer: Matt Fraction
Breakdowns: Barry Kitson
Finishes: Barry Kitson, Stefano Gaudiano, Paul Neary & Jon Sibal
Colorist: Sotocolor's J. Roberts
Letterer: Artmonkeys Studios
Assistant Editor: Alejandro Arbona
Editor: Warren Simons
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
This is another fine installment in what is shaping up to be a pretty great series. It's such a shame that there are only two more issues left, because Fraction is creating such a rich world with some very nice characters. This issue focuses on Mulholland Black, or Holly, and gives her a very Francis Bean background. Unlike the current New Warriors series that features blank slate characters that have been around for the better part of a decade, The Order has delivered defining character moments and fully formed personas from almost the get-go. I really hope these characters survive this book's cancellation. Much of the M.A.N. from S.H.A.D.O.W. mystery is cleared up, probably a lot quicker than Fraction had intended. The characters figure things out using logic and never do the usual "Oops, forgot to tell you!" crap that plagues a lot of storytelling. Everything is moving forward and I actually think a lot of the plots will get wrapped up by issue ten. That's about it. This is one of the best team books on the stands and the best crop of totally new characters Marvel has introduced since Runaways years ago. Let's hope it gets a second chance like that title did.
MY SCORE: 8.6/10
RUNAWAYS v.2 #29"Dead-End Kids 5 of 6"
Writer: Joss Whedon
Penciler: Michael Ryan
Inkers: Rick Ketcham with Andrew Hennessy
Colorist: Christina Strain
Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Jo Chen
Assistatn Editor: Daniel Ketchum
Editor: Nick Lowe
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Joss Whedon's run on Runaways has taught me that infrequent publishing is most definitely not the friend of dense plotting and a dozen new characters. I had to re-read issue #28 just to remember what was going on in this issue, and I had to read several parts of #28 multiple times just to follow the plot. It doesn't help that every pair of characters was going off to follow different paths all involving similarly dressed people to try and figure out the best way home. After sorting out exactly what was going on, this issue reads a lot better. Whedon has truly made the characters runaways again and has even managed to find new situations and foils for them to highlight their independence. Molly telling Klara that she's an adult really accentuates Whedon's reason for stranding the kids in 1907 other than the fact that Michael Ryan's detailed pencils really lend themselves to the period. Whedon sent them to this year because there really were no teenagers at this point in time. It's a nice turn of events and it actually does work rather nicely with the series. I still wish we could have gotten six stand alone issues working directly off of where Brian K. Vaughan left us, but instead we're getting a thematically sound and densely plotted action story. The deaths of two of the Street Arabs, and possibly a third, are quite grisly and well done, making up for the fact that Whedon expects us to remember the powers of a character barely seen last issue and this issue without any hint other than Vic's sudden outburst.
Runaways is good this month and this is another Joss Whedon story that's going to read a lot better in the trades.
MY SCORE: 8.6/10
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