The Return of the Fantastic Four

So yesterday (well I think yesterday, it might have been Thursday. The days just bleed into one at the moment) I learned, via a Facebook group I'm a part of, that the Fantastic Four are returning!!!

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the Fantastic Four. Ever since picking up issue 551 way back when for the beginning of Mcaduffie's final arc the beginning of the end (or was it the end of the beginning?), I've collected every issue since and even gone backwards, finding back issues ranging from Lobdell's Heroes Return run, Waid, Kesel and Beyond. The FF are without doubt the backbone of my comic collection and I was gutted by the title's cancellation nearly three years back.

Therefore, it stands to reason that I'd be excited as all hell for the return of Marvel's first family.

However, I'm not. Instead, I find myself oddly concerned by the return of arguably my favourite comic.

So, what is it that has me hesitant about the FF coming back this August? A few things I suppose. First of all, I guess I'm still a little bitter about the comic's cancellation in the first place. Fantastic Four ended back in May 2015, just in time for their awfully bad rebooted movie (which, admittedly, I still haven't seen) by Fox and the rumour at the time was that it ended because Marvel didn't want to advertise a 'not one of their' movies. I thought it was stupid then and the fact they waited until they got the rights back irks me.

There is the the fact that I've kind of reached acceptance of the book being gone. It is said that time heals all wounds and that does seem to be the case here. I watch a series of videos on YouTube by a Professor Thorgi (watch them, they are good), where he has mentioned on a few occasions that he is glad the FF are gone and how they went was such a great swan song for the characters. Now, having thought about this, I think he's actually right and that Reed, Sue, Ben, Johnny, Franklin and Valeria received a fantastic (pardon the pun) end to their story. Therefore, not only have I made my peace with their cancellation, but I fear that their return will destroy what could have been a great end to their story.

This then brings me to me last concern; the creative team. With the announcement of the Fantastic Four's return was the news that their new series would be by Dan Slott writing and Sara Pichelli on art. Now, Pichelli on art I have little to say about. I know that she worked on Ultimate Spider-Man with Bendis, creating Miles Morales, and I think she received a lot of praise for it. However, I know a little bit more about Dan Slott's past work, which is what really worries me. This is because, while Slott wrote a well praised run on the Silver Surfer (which I also didn't read), I know a few people and have heard some other opinions around the Internet who weren't happy with some of the things which happened on his incredibly long Spider-Man run. As a result, while I do think he could do some good cosmic level stories befitting the Fantastic Four, the things which have happened on his Spidey run, along with the longevity of said run, makes me worried about what may happen to the title under his tenure and if it will be equally polarising.

Of course, these are all just my concerns and so they will turn out to be unfounded, with The new series being as good as (if not better than) I last remember it. However, I can't help but be worried given what I know/believe/understand about everything surrounding, not to mention that I've been finding Marvel books to be a little off putting for a while now.

That said, the release of issue 1 is still a few months away and so maybe, between now and then, more information (like the solicits) will come to light which will give me more confidence about the return of the Fantastic Four.

The Old Guard Vol. 1

This last week I decided would be my last getting the bus into work (although based on the weather outside at the moment, that might be up for debate), also ending my tradition of reading to work. However, rather than with the last few months where I've been re-reading old series to determine if they are worth keeping, I decided that I would try and read something new(er).

Something new(er) happened to be The Old Guard, the first volume trade of which I had picked up from my LCS a little after Christmas, which was still sitting on my to read shelf (along with both volumes of the Vision, Power Man and Iron Fist, both Batman: Hush volumes and all of 52).

The Old Guard, Book one:
Opening Fire

The Old Guard, written by Greg Rucka, drawn by Leandro Fernandez, coloured by Daniela Miwa and lettered by Jodi Wynne, is an Image title about five soldiers who are nigh on immortal, having lived for various amounts of centuries and millennia through every war and battle in history as they await the incredibly rare event where death may finally take them. However, despite keeping their existence secret all this time, when they find themselves betrayed and exposed, these five ancient warriors have to protect themselves by doing what they do best; fight.

Now, I think I've written that 'synopsis' in a very action movie vibe and, to be honest, it's fitting. This first volume of the Old Guard really has this action movie vibe because of its story (which made me think of the Losers) not to mention its pace. Of course, these are in no way bad points because I really enjoyed this book, which I never doubted given that it is a Greg Rucka title and, to paraphrase Comic Geek Speak, I would happily read his shopping list if he published it. That said, it was different to Lazarus and Black Magick as it was vastly less slow burn but I found was no less compelling as a result with yet another interesting lead female character (including Wonder Woman and Renne Montoya, that's five for five right?).

The art, on the other hand, I found to be a bit more of a struggle to get on board with. I think my issue comes from the fact that Leandro Fernandez's style is so different to near life like renditions found with Michael Lark (Lazarus) and Nicola Scott's (Black Magick) art on those other Rucka books, instead offering something which looked to me much rougher, abstract and chaotic and was a little jarring to get into initially. However, as I moved through the series, and after a few days of thinking of it, it has occured to me that this style is actually a really gorgeous look and is incredibly fitting for the story being told, as I think it helped portray the chaos of the various fights while also giving the series a very historical, 'stories from the past told by word of mouth' look. All in all, while it didn't captivate me at first, Fernandez's work, along with Miwa's colours, won me round.

Quite possibly my favourite panel throughout this entire book.

Of course, the Old Guard as it presented (and what I have already mentioned) is more than enough to earn the praise I want to heap upon it. However, there were other parts of it which really spoke to me, taking it from the fun action movie-sequel comic to something which was deeper and more engrossing.

The first of these had to be the concept of immortality itself and how it was depicted here. The Old Guard, i.e. the five characters the story follows, are not immortal as the idea is typically known, instead (as one character out it) 'just not having reached death yet', with stories of fallen comrades as examples of this. Therefore, all five can die at some point, but something (which isn't science) prevents them from reaching that point. Now this is pretty cool and you'd think how awesome that would be to be unable to die for centuries, but it doesn't seem to be so given that the four oldest characters seem incredibly jaded with the notion, one of whom constantly wishing for the end and another betraying their brethren to get it.

This has made me wonder something as a result; is their 'immortality' not immortality at all but the worst form of punishment or purgatory for some as yet unknown crimes?

The reason I think this is the Old Guard are all soldiers, warriors and, ultimately, killers. Not one of these characters, even those who have previously fallen, were found in a hospital or driving a taxi or something, but always on the battlefield. This has made me wonder, why them? Not to disrespect what soldiers do in service to their respective countries, but why is one of them not Marie Curie or Einstein or someone, people who have changed the world, or even some unknown housewife and mother from the 1930's? Instead, all five are soldiers, of which the oldest four are not happy with their lot. This leads me to believe that they have once (each) done something terrible and are now paying for it until such time as the universe deems their time served (as with their already fallen friends).

The dialogue on this page was
fantastic and really got to me.

This then brings me to my next thought; that Andy (the lead character, whose internal monologue we get throughout) is heavily depressed. I'm probably way off here (because that's as standard for me) but as I read through The Old Guard, what I got from Andy's personality was a short (not height wise), embittered, uncaring individual whose only desire was to find a way to die and seemed angry towards the world because they were able to. Now for me, as a depression suffer, a lot of this certainly struck a chord and made me feel like I was reading a mirror image of myself when I'm at my worst. Indeed, given what she has no doubt gone through in her exceedingly long life, it makes sense to me if this is what Rucka was trying to portray when creating the character.

Anyway, my last thought (certainly that still in my mind given that this final paragraph took me two days to write) is such that I could be considered the only disappointment of this story. This is the finale where we discover the traitorous Guardsman's fate at the hands of the rest of the team. Now, for me, given that the characters couldn't die, I had expected a degree more forgiveness from the team than what was given. This is because the arc the story displayed, for Andy in particular, seemed to be a re-appreciation for life. Therefore, it would have made more sense that Booker's punishment be a little more merciful than he actually got, as well as offer more drama as he deals with his guilt in future arcs. I guess I'm just disappointed that he's been removed from the book so soon, although there is always a chance that he may come back.

So, anyway, that's everything in my head which the Old Guard put there. All in all, this was a fantastic book and an awesome read which, although it took time, does contain some really great art. I now look forward to the next volume, although I just hope it's hiatus isn't as long as Black Magick's.

Marvel's digital code comics

I was going to write something here about Star Trek Discovery and my thoughts on it, given that I'd previously put it off in favour of airing my views on The Terrifics #1.

However, I'm not having the best week of it currently and so I'm not finding the time/inclination to delve deep into my thoughts on that series.

So instead, I thought I'd post this.

Over the last 6(ish) months, I have accumulated a wealth of Marvel's digital comics through the codes which they had in the back of Daredevil issues (as they originally offered some different books before changing that to the comic you bought plus one other). In all, I collected fifteen different comics in digital form and decided that I would write down my views on each so that those I liked I would remember and seek out and those I didn't, well, I'd remember what to avoid.

Now, I could have done one separately for each comic but I figured to save time (and most likely effort), and because I'm not sure I could fully analyse each one, I decided to bundle them all together.

So, let's get started.

First up was USAvengers #1, which felt like an introduction to a new "pro U.S." Avengers while they worked to stop a floating volcano base of the Secret Empire hitting the American coast. Unfortunately for this book, I really didn't enjoy it and struggled to get all the way through. I think the problem this issue had for me was that, while I liked the artwork, it's story which felt a little gimmicky and somewhat style over substance. Now, this might have changed over the course of the rest of the series (which I don't think lasted long) but, for me, it just didn't appeal and so I'd be inclined to give the rest a miss.

 

Next was the Marvel Universe vs Wolverine #1 which was basically what it said on the tin with Wolverine travelling around and taking out the heroes, villains and people of New York City as they succumb to a deadly, cannibalistic (or should we say 'zombie') virus. I've got to admit, I did enjoy this a little bit more than USAvengers, although the increase was marginal. I think that the idea would have been interesting to read about but the whole issue, from the story execution to the art style, reminded me too much of the Marvel Zombies series from last decade (or more?), which is something which didn't really interest me at the time. Had this have been set up differently, I might have considered looking into it more, but because it didn't I think I'd skip the rest unless it's on sale and/or I'm bored.
 

Invincible Iron Man #6 on the other hand, which was my next read, was a different story for me. This issue saw War Machine head to Tokyo in search of some Tech Ninjas (sounds very Ninja Turtles to me) which had attacked Stark's businesses previously. Meanwhile, Stark himself had his hands full as he gets to know a female scientist better while trying to deal with an intrusive Dr Doom. Now, I actually enjoyed this issues, despite the fact I was quite sure what was going on, with the story having a nice mystery vibe to it as Rhodey acts very Sam Spade throughout, while the Doom/Stark interactions were enjoyable. Meanwhile, I liked Deodato's art, which was interesting with a neo-noir/tech look. Normally I'd give Iron Man a wide berth (something about preferring underdog titles) but this issue does make me consider going back and checking out those connected to it.

I couldn't say the same about Spider-Man #12, which was my fourth read and saw Spider-Man Miles Morales jumping over to an alternate dimension in order to search for his missing father. Unfortunately, while there wasn't anything wrong with this issue I just found it difficult to get into the story, which was most likely because it's twelve issues in at this point while also feeling a bit too talky for my liking. On the other hand, I did like Sara Pichelli's artwork on this book but it, sadly, was not enough to get me over a seemingly unremarkable book. Therefore, I think it'd be safe to say that I'll won't go back to check out the rest of this series.

My next read was Inhumans vs X-Men #1, which I was hesitant about due to my growing aversion towards event comics in recent years. However, this issue, which saw the set-up towards the titular battle over the fate of the terrigen mists, I actually found to be rather enjoyable. It wasn't a perfect issue by any means as I thought the first third/half of it felt very slow but once the X-Men's battle plans were revealed, I found Soule and Lemire's story to be much more interesting. I also loved Yu's art in the issue which had a really moody vibe that perfectly matched with the plot, as well as a cool Emma Frost depiction which looked to have been ripped straight from the First Class film. By the end I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this issue and may have to check out the rest some day.
 

Comic number six was Cage #1 by Genndy Tartakovsky, which was a more light-hearted take on the character as he takes to the streets to discover the truth behind the heroes of New York suddenly disappearing. Now this was a comic which, while hearing about, I hadn't really paid much attention to and had all but forgotten. However, after reading it, I've got to admit that I wasn't impressed with it, as the story was too light-hearted for my taste (that's not a bad thing, but I guess I'm just a dark guy) and seeming far too similar to a Deadpool comic (which I've never been a fan of). Meanwhile, the artwork in this issue just seemed 'wrong' for some reason which I can't put my finger on it. That's about all I can say on this because, beyond these points, it didn't really make an impression on me and so I probably won't get the following three issues.

Night of the Living Deadpool #1 was my next read, as Cullen Bunn and Ramon Rosanas gave us a story of the Merc with a Mouth waking up in a restaurant after an eating splurge to find that the world has crumbled due to a zombie outbreak. With this issue, I found that I really enjoyed reading it, something I was not expecting given my love/hate relationship with the titular character. However, in this book I really liked what felt liked a toned-down version of Deadpool as well as a story which seemed like a pastiche or parody of the Walking Dead with Deadpool filling in for Rick Grimes. Ramon Rosanas' absolutely awesome art kinda sealed this idea for me as his mostly black and white artwork gave me a real 50's B-Movie vibe while also reflecting WD's interiors. Also, a number of scenes seemed very similar to Walking Dead's initial arc, with Deadpool waking up amongst the chaos and even him exiting an alley. As I think about this, I realise that this could be the most enjoyable of all these comics so far (shock!!!) and has me tempted to pick up the rest of the mini if and when I get the chance.

My next read was The Unbelievable Gwenpool #5 which followed the titular heroine as she continued her superheroing after the defeat of M.O.D.O.K and ending up with a team up with a certain Spider-Man. However, this book was just to silly for me and I didn't enjoy it. There was nothing wrong with the issue as far as I could tell as the art looked solid and the story seemed (although one could argue that as it didn't draw me in). However, everyone has different tastes and, for me, this was a book I found enjoyable or could really follow (although being issue 5 might have something to do with that). I think I'd best avoid this series going forward.

After a bit of Hiatus, I then moved on to Iron Fist #1 by Ed Brisson and Mike Perkins which saw the Immortal Weapon seemingly travelling the world in search of his chi after the loss of K'un L'un. With Iron Fist, I've gone back and forth, loving the Fraction/Aja run but not doing so well with the Andrews arc. This issue, however, was incredibly enjoyable to me and felt like a nice middle ground between those prior two runs. If I had one problem it's that the comic looked too cinematic, like it was mirroring the Netflix show or something. However, that was a minor quibble as it was fun and seriously has me considering checking out the series as a whole.

(Since reading this, I have actually picked up the trade. Thank you Comixology's 99p sale!!)

Surprisingly, the same could then be said of my next read, The Mighty Captain Marvel #0 by Margaret Stohl, Emilio Laiso and Ramon Rosanas which, despite falling out of Civil War 2, surpassed my expectations and was a deeply interesting and enjoyable comic. This issue saw Carol struggling to deal with what happened in CW2 while continuing to run Alpha Flight and trying to deal with a barrage of incoming alien refugees. This was a book which I found to be beautiful in it's art and shockingly engrossing in its story. By the end I felt I may have tarred too many Marvel books with the same brush and, while it's been a while since I was following a Carol Danvers series, this issue certainly has me considering checking this one out.

Sadly, that positive run came to an end quickly with Secret Warriors #1 by Matthew Rosenberg, Javier Garron and Tradd Moore, which was sort of a Secret Empire tie-in as Daisy Johnson brought together a team consisting of Ms Marvel, Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Girl and a few other inhumans to stage a jailbreak. Now, this was an ok issue because, while the art was gorgeous and I really liked it, the story felt just too tied into Secret Empire for my liking. This wasn't helped by the retcon of Quake being an inhuman (which she isn't, is she?), obviously to tie into Agents of SHIELD and the MCU, something I'm never a fan of. As a result, while the art did look cool, I'm not sure this book is my thing and so it can join the list of titles of which I've archived.

Next came W.M.D. Weapons of Mutant Destruction: Alpha #1, a one-shot which opened the Weapons of Mutant Destruction mini event (thing) set over Weapon X and Totally Awesome Hulk as the characters from the two came together to hunt down and beat a fanatic group hoping to make Mutant Hulk/Wolverine hybrids (apparently). For me, this was an ok issue as, despite the premise seeming a little wish fulfilment-esque, Greg Pak does do some awesome writing to make the story interesting (such as Old Man Logan 'keeping the wheels on the bus' as he put it). Beyond that, it felt very by the numbers and, while not the worst digital comic I've read, it also didn't compel me to buy the others.

Afterwards came Chip Zdarsky's Star-Lord #1, which followed the Guardians of the Galaxy's acclimatising to Earth post-Civil War 2 as the Guardians find themselves trapped there. In truth, this is all I remember of the issue as, despite some gorgeous looking art from Kris Anka, I just couldn't get on board with this version of Peter Quill, who I think is a far cry from what I read of him in the Annihilation event way back when. As a result, given that the book focuses around Quill, I found the issue a struggle and not something which could convince me to check out to any other issues.

This was followed by Web of Spider-Man #31, which started the classic storyline of Kraven's last hunt. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this issue either as the story felt slow and the art just wasn't to my taste. I worry that this might have more to do with the age of the issue than the content itself, because up until now I've read predominantly current(ish) comics, and so can't get on board with either the writing or art style. That said, for the moment at least, I think I'll skip any future issues of this arc and archive this issue also.

Finally, the last read was Mockingbird #6, which saw the titular Bobbi Morse invited onto a cruise of cosplayers in order to get information to help defend her ex-husband, Hawkeye. With this comic, despite it being six instalments into its run, and despite it being a Civil War 2 tie-in, I have to say that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this read. What I think was the selling point for me was primarily the story as Chelsea Cain seemed to get the right balance between superheroing and real life, serious and silly, while Bobbi herself was an intriguing character. The art, meanwhile, was cool although nothing special, with the story being the real draw of this read. As a result, this might be a run I need to check out in it's fullest in future.

So there we are (phew)!! All fifteen comics read with a nice broad selection of the good, the bad and the moderately ok in my opinion. In truth, it was a fun, if exhausting, endeavour to seek out something enjoyable which I wouldn't have necessarily tried off my own back and speaks to what a good concept offering a different comic as a digital code actually is.

However, with my Marvel Comics pull list now non-existent, I won't be getting any more to try out, although I have found a few here which I could always pick up if I need some reading material.