Wolverine: Weapon X #11

Wolverine: Weapon X #11
Marvel Comics
(w) Jason Aaron
(a) Ron Garney & Jason Keith
32 pgs w/ ads $3.99 US / Higher in Canada

Jason Aaron’s Scalped is in the top-five best written monthly comics hitting shelves these days. Unfortunately, Wolverine: Weapon X ain’t. Since its debut, Logan’s run the course, battling it up with typical, unimaginative enemies. It feels like retro days at Marvel, as Aaron borrows subdued plots from bad 80s comics, and now, with issue #11, Aaron is taking something from The Arnold Days, as evil robots visit from the future to kill the past.

I’d usually be finished with a title like this, but it is Jason Aaron. You know, the guy who writes Scalped! So here I am waiting for Weapon X to become brilliant. I’m patient. It’ll happen soon. (Dana Tillusz)

Marvel Releases Cover Image to FALLEN

FALLEN (Not Final Title)
Written by To Be Announced
Art by Tom Raney
Cover by Leinil Yu

The SIEGE has ended and taken its toll on both sides of the battle field. The event seven years in the making has claimed many lives, and in this, its final chapter, a universe comes together to mourn (CLASSIFIED).  The shocking death that ended the fight and gave birth to a new Heroic Age is remembered as a writer (CLASSIFIED) returns to lead the farewells.
32 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+…$3.99

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #5

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #5
Marvel Comics
(w) Rick Remender
(a) Jefte Palo
FC 32 pgs w/ ads $2.99 US / Higher in Canada

Well that was a short run. Before the series had a chance to start rolling, Marvel has canceled it. It lasted a whopping five issues. It’s not a bad comic but there was no interest in it. Maybe Marvel should have tried it out as a miniseries before making it an ongoing.

This issue wraps up the Nightmare story arc. After Doctor Voodoo’s fight with Doctor Doom in issue 1, Voodoo accidentally let Nightmare out in issue #2. He naturally attacked the Earth again. And yet again Nightmare ensnared the world in dreams and nightmares. Last issue Doctor Voodoo finally came to his senses and had joined forces with Doom to defeat Nightmare. This issue is just wrap up.

This series really didn’t get much of a chance. I certainly enjoy Voodoo as a character but I’m not sure when he will be making another appearance. Certainly not in another solo series. His only other option is to guest star in someone else’s title with the sole purpose of helping out some bigger named hero out of some supernatural trouble. Oh well. Maybe Remender can find the time now to work on some Fear Agent. (Shane Hnetka)

Siege #2

Siege #2
Marvel Comics
(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(a) Olivier Coipel & Mark Morales
FC 32 pgs w/ ads $3.99 US / Higher Canada

Wow! Now that’s an event issue. It’s all out war for Osborn and his cronies. Thor has been knocked for a loop but is not out of the fight yet. Meanwhile Cap is prepping a team of Avengers to go assist Asgard.

Coipel’s art is amazing and the story is moving at a breakneck pace. Without giving any spoilers away, there are a couple of powerful moments in this issue and the last page is not only awesome, but promises of more awesomeness next issue. I’ve been enjoying DC’s Blackest Night for the most part, but eight issues sure drags out the event. Here we are at the halfway point already in Marvel’s Siege and you now in two issues Osborn is going to fall hard. Damn this is an entertaining series. (Shane Hnetka)

Ultimate Comics X #1

Ultimate Comics X #1
Marvel Comics
(w) Jeph Loeb
(a) Arthur Adams & Mark Roslan
FC 32 pgs w/ ads $3.99 US / Higher in Canada

After slaughtering all the X-men in Ultimatum, writer Jeph Loeb has started the X franchise over. With what’s left of the X-Men permanent members of Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man title, Loeb starts off this series by introducing Wolverine’s son.

This isn’t an ultimate Daken. Jimmy Hudson has been raised by his foster parents, James and Heather Hudson – who are no longer Canadians but American trailer trash living Florida. He’s a teenage hick who races cars and keeps a pet alligator in the trailer park that he lives in. Kitty Pryde shows up and tells Jimmy who he is. The story is just ok – I’m not sure where Loeb is going with this series – other than introducing Jimmy it doesn’t seem to have a direction yet. The main reason I picked this up was for Art Adams’ art which as always is amazing. This first issue didn’t make much of an impression and other than Art Adams, I can’t see any reason to really pick up any other issues. (Shane Hnetka)

Ultimate Enemy #1

Ultimate Enemy #1
Marvel Comics
(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(a) Rafa Sandoval & Roger Bonet
FC 32 pgs w/ ads $3.99 US / Higher in Canada

Wow! Another Ultimate title but this time without the comics thrown in the middle. I’m not sure about the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man / Avengers, etc. as a title. It is a mouthful. But here is Bendis’ latest mini-series and it’s only called Ultimate Enemy. Not Ultimate Comics Enemy. Or at least the issue is called Ultimate Enemy. And this is a pretty nasty enemy even without the comics moniker.

The story has a giant gelatinous blob with tentacles attacking several of the Ultimate universe superheroes. Spider-Woman, Reed Richards, Sue Richards and Nick Fury to be precise. There is no hint to who this horrible enemy is, although as always, it seems to be Nick Fury’s fault.

Most of this issue is catching up with what has happened to the remaining members of the Fantastic Four since Ultimatum. It isn’t a bad issue but other than the random attacks by a mysterious villain not much else happens – as seems to be the norm for the first issue of a mini-series. The art is good, although Ben Grimm’s jaw seems to over-power his face. I’ll stick with this series; it’s intriguing enough and I have faith in Bendis when it comes to the Ultimate universe. I can’t say the same about some other writers. (Shane Hnetka)

Criminal: The Sinners #1 (of 5)

Criminal: The Sinners #1 (of 5)
Marvel Comics / Icon
(w) Ed Brubaker
(a) Sean Phillips
FC, 36 pgs w/ ads $3.50 US / Higher in Canada

The greatest modern crime comic returns. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips put their Eisner award-winning comic on hold to produce Incognito, their pulpish five-issue miniseries about a super-villain living in a witness protection program. As a fan of Criminal, I was eagerly awaiting the series’ return, and the return of Tracy, the character reported to be headlining the new story arc.

Criminal: The Sinners #1 picks up Tracy’s story one year after his first appearance in Criminal (which, by the way, is collected in the trade paperback Lawless.) He is still working for Hyde as a contract killer, though Tracy is proving to be a pain in the nuts for his boss. Tracy wants to make sure his contracts deserve killing, but his employer simply wants and needs dead bodies. Hyde’s patience is wearing thin but he is willing to forget past transgressions if Tracy finds out who is behind a series of high-profile murders. There have been no witnesses, no clues, and no one in the criminal world knows who ordered the hits.  ”I’m not an investigator,” says Tracy. “Then it’ll be a challenge, won’t it?” snaps Hyde.

This setup and the way it is unrolled is a great re-entry into the world of Criminal, but what truly makes The Sinners #1 an excellent read is the way Brubaker handles Tracy as a flawed, complex character, and the way artist Sean Phillips and colorist Val Staples create a tangible time and place for the story to unfold. Great crime stories have a hard edge to them, which includes the settings. Brubaker creates the characters and Phillips and Staples create the places. The combination is hard-hitting crime stories as vivid and rewarding as anything penned by the greats in crime fiction. (Chad Boudreau)

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1
Marvel Comics
(w) Rick Remender
(a) Jefte Palo
FC 32 pgs w/ ads, $3.99 US / Higher in Canada

This seems like a weird character for Marvel to just out of the blue give an ongoing series to but that’s exactly what Marvel has done. The newly appointed Sorcerer Supreme – Doctor Voodoo has gotten an brand spanking new ongoing series with Rick Remender (Fear Agent, End League, Punisher) at the helm.

Following the events of New Avengers #53 and #54 – the issue starts with Voodoo traveling to the Dark Dimension to finish kicking Dormammu’s ass while he’s down. Voodoo follows that up with some quick tutoring from Dr. Strange and then it’s off to the clinic that he has been running in New Orleans to help the needy and to fight Dr. Doom. That’s a lot to do in one day and it’s starting to wear the new Sorcerer Supreme a little thin.

Remender starts this first issue off with not one but two big fights for Doctor Voodoo. I’m not too familiar with Brother Voodoo – he has never had an ongoing title and has spent most of the last few decades randomly guest starring in various Marvel titles. But Remender quickly shows in this issue who he is and that he deserves the title of Sorcerer Supreme despite what most people might think – including Dr. Doom and Dormammu just to name a few. Jefte Palo’s art is alright – it’s a little sketchy and light on the backgrounds but he shows the magic and action clearly enough. I don’t know how long this series will last – there doesn’t seem to be a lot of demand for it but it’s off to a good start and Remender is a heck of writer. Perhaps word of mouth might make this series last longer than the twelve issues most new series seem to last these days. (Shane Hnetka)

Spin Angels #2

Spin Angels #2
Soleil / Marvel Comics
(w) Jean-Luc Sala
(a) Pierre-Mony Chan
FC 48 pgs w/ ads $5.99 US / Higher in Canada

I’ve been enjoying Marvel’s Soleil reprints. Sky Doll, Scourge of the Gods, Universal War One, Samurai: Legend and Ythaq have been entertaining comics. The latest is Spin Angels, a pseudo Da Vinci Code knock-off with sexy girls and bad ass assassins. The plot has to do with a group of agents that work for the Vatican tracking down and removing objects that would bring about questions that the Catholic Church wouldn’t like public. Last issue the team – consisting of Sofia D’Agostino and Monsignor Marchesi – picked up a new member. The team had botched mission in Nova Scotia and lost a member.The nephew of a mob boss named Angelo had been brought in to act as bodyguard for Sofia. Now they are trying to find a lost Gospel of Judas before the mysterious and well armed enemy does. Things don’t quite go as planned and Angelo ends up killing a lot of people despite Machesi’s wishes.

This isn’t bad but by now the story is far from original. When Nicolas Cage has already made two movie knock offs you pretty much know where the comic is going for its third act and who the bad guys were all along. The art is nice – it’s in that kind of manga / European style that dominates most of Soleil’s comics. It’s great that Marvel is bringing these European comics over to North America but I hope that despite this relatively average story this isn’t a sign they’ve already printed all the A-list material. (Shane Hnetka)

Spider-Woman #1

Spider-Woman #1
Marvel Comics
(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(a) Alex Maleev
FC 32 pgs w/ ads $3.99 US / Higher in Canada

After a few false starts and a lot of talk, Bendis finally has his Spider-Woman comic book. I’ve been waiting for this title since Bendis and the Luna Brothers retold Spider-Woman’s origin in the appropriately named Spider-Woman: Origin mini-series. That was way back in 2005. The ongoing was suppose to follow shortly. Then Secret Invasion came around and everything changed. Spider-Woman was revealed to be the Skrull Queen in charge of the invasion of Earth. The war ended and the real Spider-Woman came back. That was in October of 2008. Here we are almost a full year later and now this fabled ongoing is before me.