Capitalizing on the recent relaunch of the main Star Wars title, Marvel is building a linewide franchise around stories from a certain galaxy far, far away. First on the expansion roster is a solo series spotlighting the central figure of the six feature-length films, Darth Vader. One of the most memorably dramatic and ominous presences on the greater pop culture landscape, the (thankfully) former Anakin Skywalker is also on a very short list of characters to exist without any true in-depth attention. Writer Kieron Gillen and artist Salvador Larroca are seeing to it justice is done to the oversight. [Read more…] about DARTH VADER #1 Review: “The Dark Lord of the Spin-Off!”
HAWKEYE #21 Review: “Welcome Back, Bro!”
Some things in life are worth waiting for. This is one of them. The penultimate chapter of Fraction and Aja’s critically-acclaimed story of Hawkguy versus the Tracksuit Draculas of Bed-Stuy is twenty pages of pure awesome, bro. [Read more…] about HAWKEYE #21 Review: “Welcome Back, Bro!”
AVENGERS #41 Review: “The Other Shoe”
Continuing the recent trend of stealth-releasing chapters of Jonathan Hickman’s epic, this week’s Avengers has the added distinction of being the most speculated installment yet. Curiously featuring the repurposed cover to 2002’s Ultimates 1, there is actually very little interior content that could otherwise prepare the reader for what’s in store without ruining massive surprises. Narratively, it’s a bit of a sidestep from the usual splintered dysfunction of Earth’s Mightiest, focusing instead on other aspects just as integral to the bigger picture of the upcoming Secret Wars. [Read more…] about AVENGERS #41 Review: “The Other Shoe”
UNCANNY AVENGERS #1 Review: “Sorta-New, Slightly-Different Intervention Heroes– Unite!”
Following the controversy of Avengers & X-Men: Axis, writer Rick Remender reshuffles the deck for a second volume of Uncanny Avengers, re-devoting his attention to a more manageable cast of characters. “Manageable” in the sense that he’s dealing with considerably fewer players but the current combo still has “potential fireworks factory” written all over it. In fact, the latest roster for the aisle-crossing Avengers Unity Division is a perfect distillation of his recent event story. As an additional back-door save, reframing some of Axis’s more bizarre and inexplicable plot points against the current trajectory may prove to take some lingering bad taste away. [Read more…] about UNCANNY AVENGERS #1 Review: “Sorta-New, Slightly-Different Intervention Heroes– Unite!”
NEW AVENGERS #29 Review: “Beards and Bees!”
After the dramatic, game-changing action of Avengers 40, it’s clear Jonathan Hickman’s two-book narrative is simultaneously going into wrap-up mode as it sets the table for Marvel’s bigger-than-big Secret Wars eventacular. As a transition piece, this week’s chapter isn’t as uneven as it is just outright all over the place. With very little advance information to guide reader experience, managing one’s expectations is the new name of the game and this issue really tests Marvel’s tight-to-the-vest stance. However, patience pays off (and then some!) as readers from decades past will have their minds blown in a pleasantly unexpected manner. [Read more…] about NEW AVENGERS #29 Review: “Beards and Bees!”