Marvel Round Up 12/2/14

Wolverine & The X-Men #41

Right off the bat, something about the cover seemed out of place. The originally solicited cover for this comic featured Kitty by the door giggling, but since she’s jumped ship to Scott’s team, she was replaced on the cover by Husk. This makes perfect since in the issue, since it focuses quite heavily on Husk’s recent secondary mutation (a lovely Grant Morrison concept) and the effect it has had on her mental health. It does make me wonder though- since the solicitation of this comic late last year, and the wrapping up of Battle of the Atom, where Kitty makes the move to Scott’s team, was Kitty’s move to Scott’s team a very last minute decision?  Everyone knows and can tell that Bendis is besotted with the character over on All-New X-Men and he writes her very well, but it is interesting to see how late in the day the decision to transfer Kitty to the other team might have taken place.

Anyway, the issue itself is a fairly strange one. It sets out to resolve some of the dangling threads that were left hanging at the end of the Hellfire Saga. Toad and Husk are decidedly tertiary characters in this book- characters whose stories have taken a definite back seat to the antics of the main teaching staff and the students. I was fairly certain that Jason Aaron had decided that Husk was just a joke character, but he does a lot to rehabilitate the character in this issue, offering an explanation as to her recent inconsistent characterisation. This issue is essentially retconning from start to finish, but it offers a surprisingly moving resolution to Husk and Toad’s romance and their recent status in the X-Men’s world.  Husk has been a problematic character for quite a while now. She worked quite well back in the 90s when she had a definitive role as a teenaged mutant on the Gen X team. Since the turn of the noughties, she has gone through that awkward transitional phase that a lot of once-teen mutant characters went through. When written by Chuck Austen for example, she was most famously known for having aerial sex with Archangel in front of her whole family. Since then, she hasn’t been up to much (presumably she was too embarrassed to leave the house) and writers have left her alone. I thought we might have got an interesting take on her since Aaron took over, but he was glad to leave her in the background. Now, she (and Toad) have been returned to what passes as a status quo for them. Toad is a villainous servant to Kid Frankenstein, and Husk is a pleasant, but dull staff member at the school. I hope to one day see an interesting take on her, but I won’t be holding breath. This was an issue of treading water before next month’s conclusion.

X-Men Legacy #24

I’m really going to miss this book. This issue wraps up the mind-worm stuff and neatly resolves Blindfold and David’s story- all of the toys are safely back in the box by the end of the issue, and some of those toys never existed at all. Si Spurrier has chosen to deal with the concept of Legacy in terms of comic-books, as well as the issues surrounding the legacy of Charles Xavier and that makes for a very interesting combination. Issues that plague a lot of comic book fans are dealt with in this finale- what makes a comic book matter, which continuity should I pay attention to, etc. It feels like Spurrier is referring to the not-so-recent New 52 relaunch over at DC at one point. David absorbs the powers of his internal world-weaver, which seems to include the ability to completely reset continuities, retcon deaths, and undo bad editorial decisions.

“I could burn it all away….I could replace it with a new world…it’d end up just as buggered as this one.”

It’s an interesting moment that addresses comic book companies’ tendency to go for the hard reset, and David’s resistance to do this as well as his insistence that even though world continuity is confusing and messy, it’s not worth jettisoning it for the sake of temporarily tidy world. It’s a daring moment that could have felt like the voice of Marvel editorial, but because it’s so definitively delivered in David’s voice, the moment works. It’s authentic to the book and to the character’s journey through the book. Blindfold’s arc is concluded too, but less definitively. I hope that other writer’s take the baton for her and build on the great work that Spurrier has done with her (as well as some other secondary players in this book like Chamber).

I’m really going to miss Spurrier’s purple prose and Tan Eng Huat’s loose, vivid style.

All-New X-Men #23

The partition between the two facets of Scott’s team seems to have firmed up a bit since this story arc began. All-New contains Kitty, the time displaced original team and X-23 (because every X-team needs a Wolverine). I do hope that this separation doesn’t preclude Kitty and the others from interacting with the power-house team over in Uncanny. 

Back to the story being told in this issue. I was afraid this cross-over was going to be that most egregious of X-Men stories: X-Men in space. When this franchise goes to space, with the exception of the original Phoenix saga, nothing of much interest ever happens. They went a few times in the 90s and got those space suits that look an awful lot like what the time-displaced original team are now wearing. Then we had Rogue, Rachel Grey, Darwin et al. zoom off to space in the mid-noughties. The only good thing to come of that extensive story line was the arrival of Broo. So now, we’re off in space again and the verdict? Not very boring! Which is a good thing. We’ve got Starjammers and Shi’ar- core X-Men in space concepts, intermingling with recent Marvel darlings the Guardians of the Galaxy. It all melds together quite well. It’s aligning the Guardians more closely with the earth-based Marvel universe (just in time for their movie!) while allowing us to experience the original X-Men’s take on space, which is something we never really got to see before at this point in their lives.

The art is once again beautiful in this issue- Immonen’s cast of characters are so gloriously expressive. I’d love to see a Saturday morning cartoon based on these models. There are a lot of fun moments peppered throughout this issue too- Kitty’s dislike for space (who doesn’t hate getting shot across the stars in a giant bullet), and Bobby’s adorable whimsical response to Rocket- “I just like talking to the talking raccoon. It makes me feel like a Disney princess.” This comic continues to be hugely solid and light-hearted, despite the increasing high-stakes. The pacing is still a bit wonky, since we have yet to get to the actual trial of Jean Grey, but I find it hard to care when the experience is so much fun. Cannot recommend this book enough!

Update

Having a super busy week at work this week, so no time for posting reviews. This week's comics will be going up on Sunday.

In the meantime, here's a great article from today's Irish Times discussing Lady Gaga.

Marvel Round Up 5/2/14

Lots of new Marvel relaunches this week, but these two caught my eye. Spoilers ahead (especially for Wolverine).

Wolverine #1

Here we are again, another Wolverine #1. This relaunch was brought to you by the kind people at All-New Marvel Now (I’m too lazy to look up the correct capitalisation and amount of exclamation points that I’m missing). This new Spring branding initiative was supposedly designed to allow for brave new interpretations of firmly established characters. A lot of the characters being treated to the All-New treatment have been somewhat stuck in the doldrums over the past while (with the exception of the new book launches like Loki and Ms Marvel) and have been deemed worthy of radical new looks at the central themes and ideas behind the characters. With that in mind, here’s a relaunched Wolverine title.

It feels like this book was just relaunched ten minutes before this current version, but this marketing move can be forgiven thanks to the quality of the comic. For a jumping-on point, this issue could be considered confusing as hell, choosing to start in media res. The newly mortal Wolverine and his associates are in the middle of a prison break-out, trying to get their hands on a Hand Ninja. It seems like Wolverine is working under-cover to foil Sabretooth, but by the end of the issue, he has blood on his hands, and not in the usual manner. Wolverine shoots and kills an investigative journalist and it’s all very weird. Readers are more than familiar with the sight of Wolverine popping his claws and stabbing people to death. It was pretty much the basis of Mark Millar’s entire super-gory run on the comic, but here the way he kills that journalist is hugely shocking.

While the act of murder can’t be classed as Wolverine defending himself, the character feels very defensive and vulnerable throughout. He totes weapons other than his claws, his new costume is nigh-on indestructible armour, he’s surrounded by a crew for dirty work that he’d normally carry out on his own. The way he kills that journalist- removed from the act of violence, almost protecting himself by his distance from the act, feeds into this feeling of vulnerability. It’s an interesting subversion of the Wolverine fans have been growing ever-more comfortable with over the past few years. Wolverine’s over-riding status quo since the Schism has been as a more conservative, earthy character, almost father-like in his role as protector of the school. In Paul Cornell’s Wolverine #1 we have something new: a wounded animal with what seems like a whole new set of rules. This relaunched book is treading new ground for the character and that feels very exciting!

Ms Marvel #1

This was the best comic-book I’ve read this year. On a purely surface level, everything is pitched perfectly. It’s warm and incredibly funny, with a wonderfully loose and interpretative art style. There isn’t another Marvel book that has the same tone and style as Adrian Alphona’s pencils. Ian Herring’s colours help a lot, too. The colouring is warm and inviting when it needs to be, while during scenes such as the release of the Terrigen gases (how many more times will Marvel revisit this scene?) they’re cold and feel unsettling. It’s great, clever art to match similarly clever writing.

Here we have a mainstream super-hero comic about an American Muslim teenager, written by an American Muslim woman. This is the first time we’ve had a Muslim character written by somebody who isn’t a white male. Grant Morrison, as much as I love him, delivered a very one-note character in the X-Men’s Dust, a character who hasn’t been much used since the Schism. Here we’re presented with a fresh, exciting new take on a Muslim character. It might sound like I’m fixated on the fact that the new Ms Marvel is a Muslim, but G. Willow Wilson’s writing doesn’t side-step it, or pander to any misplaced expectation of tokenism. A lot of the humour in this issue comes from Kamala’s (the new Ms Marvel) experiences as a Muslim.  The lines about honour killing and infidel meat are literally laugh out loud funny. This is Marvel’s funniest book, easily snatching the title from Wolverine and the X-Men. There’s more to Kamala than being a Muslim, of course. She deals with high school posers like Zoe Zimmer (Stan Lee would be proud of the alliteration!), writes Avengers fan-fic, has parents who just don’t get her and has a best buddy in Nakia. It could be interpreted as being a pretty pedestrian introduction to a new character, but the details make this all killer material. The dialogue just bounces off the page and Wilson’s deftly introduced cast of characters feel both relateable and novel.

At one point towards the end of the book during her Terrigenesis, Kamala has a vision of the Avengers and tells Captain Marvel that she’d like to be just like her, except with the controversial high heels and swimsuit costume. So, as she erupts from her Terrigen Cocoon, that’s how her new shape-shifting powers manifest. She has transformed into the white, swimsuited, high heeled Carol Danvers. For a comic that has spent its first issue laying out its lead character’s occasional restlessness  and conflict with parts of her Muslim heritage, as well as her teenage awkwardness, she now has the ability to blend in or stand out and become a hero. That’s going to make for some fun internal conflict and exciting challenges for Kamala in the coming issues. This is the beginning of a classic origin story. I cannot wait for the next issue!

The Poochie-fication of Sonic the Hedgehog

Let's all be honest with ourselves. There hasn't been a good Sonic game since Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sonic Rush is pretty swell, I'll concede, even with the irritating Blaze the Cat). Sonic 06 was almost a funeral for the entire franchise- a game whose sole contribution to the good of humanity was the superlative Game Grumps Let's Play. Sonic Generations clutched desperately at the past, hoping to break new ground by clinging to concepts and settings from previous generations. Generations had moments of beauty but was marred by an over-reliance on previous glories, offering little hope for the once flag-ship franchise. Sonic Lost World borrowed extensively from Mario Galaxy, reportedly at the behest of their new besties Nintendo, and it failed spectacularly. So yeah...the franchise is in serious peril- critically for quite some time and increasingly more-so in the commercial world, with Lost World under-performing quite a bit.

So, Sega have taken up the challenge to strike out in a new direction. Sonic Boom is the beginning of a new multi-platform endeavour, encompassing comics, animation and of course games. Presumably the branding people began by telling the design team to rastafy them by about ten percent or so. Let's take a look at the leaked image that appeared ahead of today's launch trailer for the Sonic Boom franchise.

First of all, it looks like everyone has spontaneously taken up self-harming. What's with all the bandages? I assume they took the knife to their various extremities upon being told that they were all being re-designed to look more x-treme. Tails' bewildered expression sums up how Sonic fans must be feeling this evening. These designs aren't awful as much as they're unnecessary. Okay, maybe they're a little bit awful. Knuckles, a character originally conceptualised as a glider, has been re-vamped from scratch. I guess in the new world order Tails has taken up the sole flying character mantle. Knuckles looks like he's going to be a brawler from here on out. Sonic looks like he's had surgery to extend the length of his legs and has taken to wearing a fetching new scarf. What's most troubling (and irritating) about these redesigns is the expression on Amy Rose's face. The new Amy is staring with come-hither eyes at Sonic, as if she wants to hump him right there. Frequently reduced to the role of love interest, she may now be a playable character, but with even less depth, agency and independence than she previously had? Unfortunate.

So yeah..ugly designs. There was nothing wrong with the design of these four core characters. Sonic and Tails were iconic as they were conceptualised in the 90s. What has happened here may be a re-think, but from today's reveal it doesn't appear to be the re-think the franchise needed to undertake. Mechanics were broken, design was fine.

If anyone's interested, here's the Sonic Boom trailer. It looks to be the usual blend of difficult to control speed sections and awkward platforming. Such larks!

Pop Picks of the Week 4/2/14

Can't Remember To Forget You (Shakira ft. Rihanna)

Wooo! A contender for pop song of the Summer…except it has been released in a gloriously apocalyptic, storm molested January.  Here we have the lead single from Shakira’s upcoming album and everyone’s favourite mechanoid Colombian is off to a great start. This is a shamelessly catchy song, saturated with Shakira’s trademark controlled vocals, roaring guitars and playful brass. The fact that the other featured artist (Rihanna) doesn’t overpower Shakira’s vocal is testament the great production of this track. This is pure distilled Shakira- it has all of her usual tics- extensive lyrics that aren’t actually words (woo-oo-ooahh), demure and ghostly oooh-ing and eee-ing (it’s hard to make up words for those noises!), and an infectious, triumphant chorus.

As for the video, it’s rendered more closely in Rihanna’s house-style, all arse-wiggling (not that Shakira has been averse to arse-wiggling in her career), phallic cigar chomping etc. It’s all pretty innocent and enormously tongue-in-cheek. More interesting are the call-backs to other Shakira videos, and to the videos of other pop divas. There’s one moment that calls to mind Britney and Madonna’s “Me Against The Music” as the pair slam and dance against the wall that separates them and their love. Hang in there girls, your lipstick lesbianism cannot be separated by mere plywood walls. It also evokes fond memories of Beyoncé and Shakira sharing a similar love for walls in “Beautiful Liar.” Girl loves her walls!

A fun side effect of the video in Shakira’s native Colombia is the uproar it has caused among conservative politicians who have decried the video for “promoting lesbianism.” So, it’s a fun song AND a spot of unintentional LGBT activism. 

Once Upon a Dream (Lana Del Rey

Vastly less controversial to the Colombian government (I presume) is my other pick of the week- Lana Del Rey’s version of the Jack Lawrence and Sammy Fain (with a little help from Tchaikovsky) penned “Once Upon a Dream” from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. This version of the song is from the soundtrack to the upcoming Maleficent (a movie whose unbridled camp appeal grows greater with each newly released publicity shot of Angelina Jolie gliding about the place).

Here, the classic Disney song is treated to an unsettling modification. I’m not the biggest Lana Del Rey fan in the world and usually find her music a little over-wrought, but this works tremendously well. Whatever has been done to the original melody (it seems to be slowed down and re-written in a minor key? Musicians, prove me wrong!), works hauntingly well. It’s possessed of a strange quality- halfway between dreamlike and funereal- perfect for a version of the song co-opted for the telling of Maleficent’s story.

American Horror Story: Coven- Finalé and Season Thoughts

And so, in an unexpected twist, the most obvious candidate for the next Supreme assumed the title. Which is a perfectly fine resolution for that recently promoted sub-plot! Up until three weeks ago it didn’t even seem like the writers cared very much about who the next leader of the tiny coven was going to be, instead choosing to focus on the witch-hunters, or the racial tension, or whatever frustrating non-moving plot thread tickled their fancy. In previous years, this reluctance to adhere to any particular direction didn’t seem like something to hold against the show. Among the madness of alien abductions, nazi scientists, rubber-suited murderers and demon possessed nuns, there was always a strong central theme that pulled the audience (and the show) through to the end. This year’s miscellaneous madness wasn’t even that interesting (or gorily titillating in that peculiar Ryan Murphy way)- Patti Lupone bleach colonics, Cordelia’s eyeless to-ing and fro-ing; it was all very inconsequential. The Patti Lupone stuff was especially egregious and barely related to the show. It calls to mind the piggy stuff from season one- weirdly out of place and taking time away from more interesting threads.

Who am I to call out what is and isn’t related to what the show is all about, though? Maybe there was a coherent narrative that I just missed? I’d like to hope that there was something more to this show. Previous years (especially Asylum) have transcended the hodge podge, monster of the week mayhem. Asylum even became genuinely moving in its final episodes, with its compelling resolution to Kit and Jude’s narratives. The writers worked hard to interweave the character’s shared damage and loneliness into a beautiful resolution that became the emotional core of that season. Lange is similarly well-served in her final moments on Coven. As her character finally learns to accept death we get the first genuinely moving moment of this season. The show has tried hard to grab for pathos in previous weeks or else has curiously missed out on moments that should have been more affecting (like Nan’s death) but this is the first moment that just works due to the simple, honest chemistry of Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange. It’s a great moment that could have been spectacular had the writers served this relationship better in previous weeks, beyond their one note screaming at each other.

It reminds me of some of the hints at tenderness that the actresses got to share in Murder House and Asylum (especially Asylum). What also works is the final glimpse of Fiona we get in her version of Hell. It’s one of the only effective pieces of horror in a season that has tried too hard to be gory and vulgar. Too often this season, the show has shied away from the psychological horror of previous seasons (a type of horror that the show is vastly better at than straight up jump-frights or torture porn). This throwback to what worked in Asylum is mildly encouraging for what’s to come in the upcoming Circus, Cult or whatever else season 4 is purported to be. The show harks back to the finale of Asylum in other weird ways too. Cordelia’s television interview exposing the truth of the Coven is a strange (and presumably intentional) reflection of Lana Winters’ interview at the end of Asylum. Unfortunately, Cordelia Goode is just not half as interesting a character as Lana Winters’ so the scenes of her assuming power in the finale aren’t half as compelling as the grotesque exposure of Lana Winters’ monstrous side in Asylum. This moment is a pale reflection of better things. But what do I know! Critics and oodles of fans adored this season. On the surface I can see why. It looked beautiful this year. The academy is a stunning set. The aesthetics of New Orleans in the 1800s and the modern day just work really well too, but weren’t capitalised on enough- we should have had way more stuff set in the deep dark Bayou. The cast were pretty great this year too- as shallow as this season was, it was great to see Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Angela Basset and Kathy Bates vamping about the place. It was a frothy, fun season not made for closer scrutiny, like Asylum was.

So, what was the lasting impression of Coven? Some things worked for me this season: the zombie invasion was an individually strong episode. Emma Roberts is a strong addition to the ensemble. It looked beautiful frequently. Stevie Nicks and Lily Rabe channelling Stevie Nicks- joyous! Myrtle and her theremin provided the most solid laughs this season. So much just fell on its face, though: Evan Peters, one of the most compelling actors in season 2, was criminally underused. Taissa Farmiga (of the incredibly strong Farmiga horror dynasty) was similarly wasted. Her subtle performance in season 1 was a delight, but here she was just a dull Mary Sue.

American Horror Story has shown that it has the power to move its audience close to tears in the past, as well as providing the occasional scare and more than the odd campy moment. Season 3 has a lot of these individual components, but they never manage to hang together as a cohesive narrative unit long enough to compel the audience to feel anything other than mild amusement.

Marvel Round Up 29/1/14

It’s a pretty quiet week for comics after the absolute deluge of last week. Superior Spider-Man is rocketing towards its conclusion, Inhumanity continues its meander towards birthing the on-going Inhuman and Night of the Living Deadpool continues that one-note joke. What caught my eye this week includes the following:

Guardians of the Galaxy #11.NOW

This issue needed an editor who actually edits things. I know Brian Bendis is a pretty big deal, but somebody should actually spell-check the guy once in a while- that “Jean Gray” typo is pretty glaring, especially since it appears right in the middle of a big dramatic beat.

Here we apparently have Part 1 of the Trial of Jean Grey (or Jean Gray as Bendis would have it), despite last week’s All-New X-Men insisting that it too was Part 1. Editor! Anyway, it sort of works as well as a part 1 for the story, except it pre-supposes that you’ve read the shenanigans in last week’s opener. Basically, it’s that big council of aliens- Brood, Kree, Shi’ar, Peter Quill’s dad- that were present in Hickman’s Infinity all deciding that they should do something about pre-Phoenix Jean Grey. Other than that, it is the definition of a Bendis down-time issue, with Starlord slumming about a space-market and Gamora and Angela chumming about talking about murder and that. Their relationship is very enjoyable and I look forward to seeing how their dynamic shifts once Captain Marvel is introduced to the mix. One thing that grates more than a little about Angela is her constant fish-out-of-water shtick. Does she really need to have the concept of the Phoenix explained to her?  I know the .NOW tag is supposed to somehow attract new readers who might not know the ins and outs of the Phoenix saga, but it’s just very clumsy. We get it! She’s from another universe where the height of fashion was sentient capes, chains, metal bras and obese demonic clowns! Oh comics, you silly.

This issue also acts as a pleasant coda to Tony Stark’s involvement with the team and hints at the earthlings soon to be recruited to the gang. The rest of the issue is the team finding out about the X-Men of the past being drawn into the present and all the timey-wimeyness surrounding that. At one point the council of weirdly designed aliens ponder about why the present-day X-Men would summon the past X-Men. The Kree Supreme Intelligence suggests- “Nostalgia.” It’s a cheeky (almost self-depreciating) moment of Bendis’ voice bleeding through and it works. A strong opener to the Guardians' half of this story!

X-Men Legacy #23

From what the solicitations seem to indicate, the Legion centric version of this title is wrapping up with #24. It then looks like it’s going back to the original numbering and having an anthology issue with all previous writers contributing their take on the concept. It’s anyone’s guess what direction this most ancillary of X-Comics will take after that. I can’t say that I’ll be distraught when the Simon Spurrier/Tan Eng Huat version wraps up. Don’t get me wrong- it’s an incredibly well told narrative with a nice through-line for Legion and Blindfold, but it’s approaching the point where a conclusion seems fair and sensible to the legacy (haaah) of this storyline. Both Legion and Blindfold are on the precipice of finally understanding themselves and how they can best function within and outside of group structures. I honestly didn’t think the concept of a pro-active Legion taking on the wrongs of the mutant world while learning to reconcile the various parts of his persona would support a title for so long, but hey, I was gladly wrong.

This issue is almost entirely self-narrated by Legion. It’s a much simpler written self-narrative than we’ve had in previous issues and Huat’s art is as engaging as always. Fortunately, it’s also clearer than in previous issues and helps tell a very abstract story much more clearly than might have been the case with Huat’s defining style. This issue named after an episode of Angel (“Slouching Towards Bethlehem”) or I suppose, a reference to the WB Yeats’ poem if you prefer- “The Second Coming.” It hints at what role Legion might have after this series and how he might heal the schism- inheriting his father’s legacy of unity. With only one issue left, there’s a lot of plot still to resolve- mind worm stuff, Legion and Blindfold’s relationship, and Legion’s relationship to the wider mutant world. I’m excited to see how Spurrier juggles it all!

Uncanny Avengers #16

Yes, it’s issue five-hundred of the endless Apocalypse Twins story-line and everyone’s a little worse for wear. Captain America is missing half his face, Thor loses an arm and the rest of the cast are dead, approaching death or else MIA. I’m usually an emotional wreck after reading this comic. So many awful things happen to the heroes in any given issue. It never devolves into gore-porn though. What’s happening doesn’t sully the optimistic tone of the wider Marvel universe and is a sensible continuation of story-lines and themes established way back in Remender’s X-Force comics. But by God…I do wish this would wrap up soon. I’m excited to move onto the Red Skull material promised way back in the first arc of this comic and I feel the Apocalypse twins issues have lingered a little too long. Remender has a tendency to linger on ideas that he finds personally fascinating far longer than the readers’ attention remains with the plot. I’m still hanging in there, but I know a lot of people’s interest seems to be waning.

Anyway, quite a bit happens this issue. Thor “Cares not” multiple times (I strongly suspect that catchphrase is gonna come back and bite him in the ass) and puts the smack down on Uriel. The geniuses of Earth- Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Doom and others- tackle the impending threat of Celestial judgement. Kang briefs his time-travelling squad of heroes (which include a Phoenix infused Vision). Wasp almost saves the day. And then Eimin shows up to beat up Thor with the help of Exitar the Celestial. It’s a LOT of stuff to juggle, and Remender is adapt at keeping these balls in the air. I do think a close to the chapter on the Apocalypse Twins would refresh the comic though, and I hope Remender considers this in the coming issues.