Thursday, April 20, 2006

Weekly comic book round-up

Things have been crazy-go nuts around here, so I apologize for my scarcity. I'll get back in the swing of things next week, but I wouldn't expect to see anything here tomorrow. So, without further ado...

All-Star Superman 3
This series has been kind of fun. I realize that the whole thing is building to Lex Luthor killing Superman, once and for all, but it's just been a fun ride getting there. The All-Star books happen out of continuity, using an almost archetypical version of the characters. This isn't "Pre-Crisis" Superman from Earth-1. This isn't "Pre-Crisis" Superman from Earth-2. This isn't post-Crisis or One Year Later Superman, and it's not the version of Superman from the animated series. Or Lois and Clark. Or the version portrayed by either Christopher Reeve or Brandon Routh.

This is just Superman. Superman doing fun, Silver Age adventures. In this particular case, giving Lois Lane superpowers for a day for her birthday. And incidentally, trying to convince her that he's Clark Kent, but failing miserably.

I wouldn't want to read on ongoing series based around this version of Superman. I like continuity, and stories that progress forward. Much of what has happened in the comics I would miss the ramifications of. But it really is a fun side-trip.

Captain America 17
This is what it's all about. Fighting against A.I.M. Fighting alongside A.I.M. Fighting alongside S.H.I.E.L.D. Flirting with Sharon. Fighting Crossbones and Sin. An army of psudeo-MODOCs. And a revelation about the future of Bucky. It's just been a great ride, and I can't wait to see where we go from here.

But Bucky is closing in on Luskin. Crossbones and Sin, courtesy of one highly tortured and now dead S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, are going on the hunt for Luskin. Cap and Sharon are undoubtedly headed there as well, and, of course, the Red Skull resides within Luskin now. Fireworks are bound to fly, and I think it'll be a lot of fun.

And now, it's time for another edition of Predictions I make here that will be proven totally wrong in the future! I'm starting to think that the Winter Soldier/Bucky is not long for this Earth. And I think that's ok.

That said, why must we keep giving Captain America superpowers? He's already the pinacle of human achievement. This means that an ordinary person should be able to achieve everything Cap is, if they worked hard enough at it. But his glib answer to Sharon about how he can dodge bullets, "I see faster than you" just rubbed me the wrong way. Because if that's how he does it, how can someone like the Falcon, or Hawkeye, or Zemo dodge a bullet? The answer is they can't. But they do. Usually it's described as predicting where the person is going to shoot and not being there, as opposed to literally dodging the bullet. And that would've worked for Cap too.

Daredevil 84
I'm not trapped in here with you. You're trapped in here with me.

Bonus points to the first person who identifies where that quote came from. Hint: It wasn't Matt Murdock who said it.

However, based on this issue, it really could be. Matt is on the warpath, and people are going to be hurt, or possibly die. Something we often overlook is that Matt was trained by Ninja. Ninja, even comic book Ninja, don't teach you to fight in a way that leaves nice prisoners for the police. They assasinate. They kill. They terrify. And that's what Matt is doing here. He even says so himself when he puts the nerve strike on Hammerhead. "This is the kind of thing Daredevil doesn't do. It's torture." And then he does it.

I love how he's playing them. The guards, the prisoners, everyone. People will be hurt. And they deserve it.

And the mystery behind the new "Daredevil" thickens. Despite my previous prediction, I am now less certain that the fake DD is Peter Parker. But then, that would be why I say they "will be proven totally wrong in the future."

Justice 5
Another out-of-continuity storyline, but also fun. The Legion of Doom really ought to be scary. And in the Superfriends, they just weren't.

That's ok. It was a kids cartoon. It shouldn't be that scary.

But now, I'm loving watching them take apart the Justice League. They're even using Mr. Mind worms, which is lots of fun.

And they brought in Captain Marvel. So they get a big mark in the "win" column in my book. Especially since Superman believes that the only way to get the mind controlling worms out of his body is to be thrown into the sun. By Captain Marvel.

Heh. Heh heh.

The book has also redeemed itself for me, since Aquaman is not dead, which we thought might be the case after the first issue. Stories with villains are good. Killing off major iconic characters for no reason? Not so much, even if it is an Elseworlds setting.

New Avengers 18
Alright now, I did not read the whole House of M/Decimation/X-Men: The 198 thing. And I'm not going to go back and read them in collected trades either. Joss Whedon gets me to buy X-Men. The Ultimate continuity gets me to read X-Men. That's it.

But I did read the Wikipedia entry for it, and I remember the observation that power on that scale can't just vanish. Those mutant powers had to go somewhere.

And now we know where. This poor Michael is nothing more than the vessel for all the mutant powers that the Scarlet Witch pulled away from most of mutantkind.

I can only assume that his fate is going to be tied to the beginnings of the Civil War. It's a shame. I like this incarnation of the Avengers. I'm going to hate seeing it torn apart. Especially now that they're really interracting with the rest of the Marvel Universe. We even got a guest apperance by the Young Avengers in this issue!

Spider-Woman 5
Ok. Jessica's dad was hardcore Hydra. Jessica fights Hydra. Jessica rejects employment by S.H.I.E.L.D. Jessica goes to the West Coast to become a superheroine.

Are we done yet?

Oh, wait. We are.

Good.

I wanted to like this book. I didn't. I will not be getting the ongoing series when it starts this summer.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

"I'm not in here with you, you're in here with me"

Rorshach in "The Watchmen".

3:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Frank Miller Daredevil run where he introduced The Way is the only period I collected Daredevil. I have such fond memories of those issues.

DD: "But I can't hear them, and I'm Daredevil!"

Stone: "Humph. Amature."

3:16 PM  
Blogger Louisiana said...

Good to hear your fine and just busy. Take your time, we'll wait for you...Enjoy the wknd with your family. I hope the zoo trip was a great adventure.

12:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good to see you back! Missed reading each day.

8:36 AM  
Blogger LongLiveNativeAmericans said...

Can bullets hurt Captain Marvel?

6:39 AM  

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