New Comic Day Overview, July 4th 2012

New Comic Day. Happy 4th!

New Comic Day June 20th 2012 Overview

The overview for my reservations this week. May contain minor spoilers. Certain issues will be reviewed in detail shortly.


Avengers vs X-Men #6
The battle continues in AvX Round 6, but it takes a turn for the peculiar. After last issue when the Phoenix Force splintered into the Phoenix Five; Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik and Namor, there were a lot of excited short gasps. So many questions were raised. Were they answered? Not really.

It's not secret that I am siding with the Avengers in this fight. I always considered myself and X-man (for reasons explained shortly), and for some reason I just can not believe that Scott would be so, so freaking careless. Yes ok there is an issue saying that now but still he risked everything, every living thing in the world, just for a couple of hundred. He would never have attempted to sacrifice the majority for the minority in the past. Yes he's been through a lot, that doesn't mean he's right, that mean's he's now a super villain. The issue makes you doubt that the Avengers are the good guys until the end. Granted subtle hints and Phoenixclops anger issues pop up occasionally and their general disposition towards people. Yet the Avengers act on impulse and attack purely because they were fighting to begin with. Beast and Black Panther are the only two Avengers who stop to think about it.
Oh and the question of Cyttorak and Colossus? Ignored here and in Uncanny. I guess we're going to have to wait if he continues to be the Juggernaut. Also, I won't lie, I do not wait with baited breath for what I am sure will be a steady stream of character deaths starting next issue.


Uncanny X-Men #14
This AvsX tie-in issue, doesn't really tie-in. It follows Mr. Sinister in his underground kingdom, with his own civilization. "Sinister London" is quite awesome, some how Steampunk and Cyberpunk all at the same time. It really is enjoyable to read. Despite this, I feel like the "tie-in" element, Sinister's discussion on how he will defeat the Phoenix, won't actually come to fruition. I feel that this was more a set up for Uncanny X-men later on and not really to do with AvsX. I could be proven wrong, I just doubt Sinister will show up in the main arc and save the day.

Overall though, I did enjoy the comic, the art was great and the story fun. Plus I am a big Mister Sinister fan. Of course being British I have a soft spot for genetic super-geniuses from England in my comics.


Astonishing X-Men #51
My first and only issue of Astonishing X-Men. Comic book history was made yesterday in this issue. It features the wedding of Jean-Paul "Northstar" Beaubier and his boyfriend, Kyle Jinadu. I should now clarify this will be my only issue of Astonishing X-Men because I read Uncanny, not because of the wedding.

I bought the issue to show my support for Marvel having the guts to make this move. Yes we all know DC made Alan Scott gay, but going ahead and doing the wedding was a great move and shows true support. We can't get away with out discussing my opinion on this so before I get onto the comic itself I will say; I am straight, I am married and I love my wife. I however totally support "gay weddings." I do however hate the term, I think there shouldn't be an issue and that it should just be a wedding. People should marry who they want when they want. That is all I will say.

This issue will get a big review soon so I won't say too much, but overall it's not awful but it feels like there are some major problems with it. Still if you are a supporter of the wedding buy it regardless of flaws!


Hulk #54
Ah Red Hulk, you are so peculiar. This issue starts off surprisingly slow from last issue. Luckily it does pick up about half way. This Mayan thing is a bit weird. They are claiming they are gods, they seem to have the ability to travel around the world and imply that they are going to take over the world. Are they about to suggest that they used to rule the world? That wouldn't fit with world history would it? I mean there are parallels between Greek and Roman gods, but are there any between the western classical period and the Mayan gods?

One major issue I have with this is the Mayan names, they are seemingly authentic but because of that they are very hard to pronounce and therefore become easily forgotten. Another big problem is the art on two of the Mayans. One is some sort of "Nature God" who is very tree like, it's hard to make head nor tail of where he is but it's not as bad as what can only be described as the Balrog God. "Shadow and Flame" work good as an idea, but when drawn on big full page spreads, two next to each other, it makes it hard to really look at. In fact I almost read it as a double page spread until I noticed the art didn't line up properly.

Overall though, the story is still interesting enough for me to still want to see what happens next. Granted that is because Red Hulk just kick's major (Mayan) ass!

Stay tuned for more detailed reviews, especially of Astonishing X-Men #51.

Avengers vs X-Men #0

It is a little late in the day to star reviewing Avengers vs X-Men, especially one issue at a time. I am however going to begin my binge into comics with the still running Avengers vs X-Men event. I am going to review each issue one by one, I may even crack into one or two tie-ins though I rarely bother with them. A quick bit of background on myself first though.

 I used to be more of a DC than a Marvel, focusing almost entirely on Batman, Superman, Green Lantern etc. Then one day something awful happened, something I will never understand or comprehend. DC decided that all the history I knew and loved didn't happen anymore. Then, as any spurned lover, I found refuge in the arms of another.

Though that wasn't really straight away. Occasionally I would pick up the occasionally Marvel graphic novel/trade paper back. Civil War is one of my favorite story arcs of any comic company ever. Where I used to live in the UK did not have the greatest comic book shop. In fact it didn't have one, I had to travel to the next city to find one and that still wasn't the best. Extortionate prices to make sure I could keep up to date. So, I am largely out of the loop. I tried to stay in it as best I could, but from what I can gather I missed a lot. I only knew about Red Hulk through passing, and with out reading him assumed I'd hate his cheesy, paint by numbers soul. Now I get every one of his issues. I totally missed out on Fear Itself, but fully intend to get the collected edition and review that at some point. I tell you this because, as a fan of comics, it feel really weird taking the sizable break I took. When I got issue #0 of AvsX I also just so happened to get #1 - #4 as well. So I really entered the game pretty late on this one. I haven't been able to read comics for over a year because of a lot of reasons (which you know about if you kept up with me here or on twitter) such as moving country. So, my take on AvsX might be one that you don't expect. I know that my friends in the comic store here really disagree with me. My opinions might be 'old school' when it comes to some of these characters. Especially seeing as I have missed some of their development for well over a year. So I will try to keep up, otherwise please, do feel free to explain bit's to me if I get them totally wrong. Either way let's begin with Avengers vs X-Men #0. (I promise the intro for the next issue won't be this long).

And straight away I prove that I have been out of the loop longer than I thought. I had to wikipedia Hope Summers, and wow, I missed some big stuff. I won't really comment on what I haven't read, but by the sounds of it, there is quite the sh*t-storm surrounding her Scarlet and the mutants. Scarlet I do recognise but even then I quickly find out that there is stuff I haven't seen. The opening fight between M.O.D.O.K and Scarlet Witch (later joined by Ms. Marvel and Spider-woman) is actually pretty awesome. Scarlet doesn't seem as overpowered as she has done for me in the past, and M.O.D.O.K is treated with dignity and respect instead of just being for comic relief. Granted he's not treated as dangerous though. I have got to say, I keep saying M.O.D.O.K he only looks a little like the guy I know, so if it turns out this is a new one, feel free to let me know!

So after beating up M.O.D.O.K and Aim, Ms. Marvel and Spider-woman invite a reluctant remorseful Scarlet Witch back to the Avengers Mansion. I can only assume that this is all tied in to the event in which most of the Mutants were removed. Again that is one I missed, so I don't know how she acted through out that. Scarlet here however seems legitimately remorseful, whether this is because of what she did or the fact that she is shunned by her friends for it. I cannot be certain. Then again I could be completely wrong about all of this, did she do something else that was "really really bad" that I didn't hear about? Either way Ms. Marvel and Spider-woman both seem ok with her coming back. So after a little convincing she does.

Of course, this is short lived when Vision, who I will admit I have never liked, basically throws her out. Now at first I thought that this was because of the mutant events again, but when I looked it up it is apparently because of stuff that happened years ago to do with her manipulating him etc. Is it me or has their relationship been a waste of ink since the beginning? I swear they have never moved beyond this point and evolved. Also, the way Vision reacts is, well, douchey. On a side note, the Ms. Marvel I remember also had a temper on her and I'm surprised she doesn't give Vision a hard punch to the head. Also I had to get flat out told that the Avengers Mansion is no longer Tony's own, because I did think it was weird that Tony didn't just override Vision saying something along the lines of "my house my rules." Regardless, this scene is a bit of a pain, mostly because I dislike Vision, but also because it feels weird. I mean if Vision is really reacting like this because of stuff that happened that long ago - get over it! If it is because of something she did more recently, ok but then why do her friends not just tell him to go to hell? This scene just feels, weird, and (jumping ahead) considering that Scarlet I haven't seen really in the next 4 issues, feels pointless.

So after Ms. Marvel carries Scarlet Witch away crying we cut to Utopia where Hope is planning on running away and Cyclops tries to stop her. This is where it gets really hard, it's lucky I have ANY background in comics and the know how to research this because anyone just coming into comics, kids basing their knowledge on the cartoon or movies for example? They are going to be so lost! Utopia? This really is the first I've seen it, but sounds to me like Scott has gone in the opposite direction that Xavier ever wanted. Let's not get into that though sticking with the comic, it's worth remembering that I haven't read a lot in a while and this is the first time I have ever seen Hope. 

A lot of (and lucky for me) expository dialog to tell me that Hope is the mutant messiah. I have no idea what to think of this. Honestly, it sounds daft, and I really hope that this turns out to be a mistake. That she isn't some messiah and that Scott has to learn the hard way not to rely on prophecy. I will really get into why soon. So they argue a little bit about how she can look after her self (apparently raised by Cable in the future, lucky her) and she uses Cyclops' eye beams against him before flying away with a jet pack. 

So far so good, emphatic powers when it comes to mutants, wants to fly off to use her powers for good. Sounds like a good character oh wait;

Let's just let go of the jet pack mid flight, that's safe, that's what good guys do, randomly endanger people. Ok yeah the thing harmlessly hits a wall, but trust me, this is just a hint of what she is like! So there is a bank heist going on, the Serpent Society is up for a cameo! To be honest, M.O.D.O.K is treated better. So yeah it's a nicely done little fight sequence where Hope takes down them all. Except; she nearly beats them to death! Half a page is devoted to her headbutting Anaconda, which is treated brutally. Oh and if you didn't think this girl, the mutant messiah was psychotic already, she cuts off Bushmaster's arms! This is of course, with out knowing they were cybernetic! In fact, it's implied she would of killed them all if it wasn't for the fact that Cyclops shows up to stop her. 

This is issue #0 and already I am siding with the Avengers! That is saying something, because I personally have always sided with the X-Men, like many nerds I always felt alone at school and still often do. Especially now that I live in another country away from my family. The X-Men are meant to be the group I can relate to. Now they just seem militant and, well, plain evil. These just aren't the X-Men anymore to me. So let's hope they redeem themselves soon, or otherwise I'm going to be back Captain America's shield all the way to Cyclops' face! 

Though, it is well written, and although I dislike Vision, and the X-Men feel like the bad guys, the story did get me enthralled. Of course this is just a prologue issue, the story begins in #1 which we will review soon. The art is also amazing and the issue is worthy of reading for that alone. Avengers vs X-Men is shaping up to be one of the most fun events in comic history. Let's hope it continues that way.