Comics Bundle: 09.17.09 Pt. 1

Most of you who have been following this blog know that I always pick up my comics late. Some of you might have even noticed that I didn't have a "Comics Bundle" post last month. That's because I didn't pick my comics for two months. The owner of the store was about to call me yesterday when I strolled in her store to get my comics, which was a thick stack and costs almost a $100. But I really missed my comics and read all Marvel/Walt Disney comics right away.

Anyways, here are the good -and also the not so good- ones that I've read. This should be quick since I still need to finish reading my DC/Image/Vertigo titles.

Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus #1
8.0 0f 10
While I did love the first issue of the Utopia crossover between the X-Men and Dark Avengers, the rest of the issues were just bland. It just didn't meet my expectations, which is action. Fights between the mutants and the Avengers just didn't erupt at all. Exodus, however, became a saving grace of the whole event. It satisfied my want and saw some match ups -like Colossus vs. Venom or Dani Moonstar vs. Ares- that are rare or even unthinkable in the Marvel Universe. There were also some surprises here. The most notable one perhaps is what happened to Emma Frost. All in all, Exodus is yet another issue that perfectly closed one chapter and opened another for the X-Men.

Deadpool #15
7.9 of 10
I've never seen Deadpool so serious before this issue. Well...serious in his standards anyways because there are still a lot of crazy things going on in here. Stranded in the middle of the sea, Deadpool finally had the time to re-evaluate his life and figured out that he is alone. This, of course, has led him to a decision to join the X-Men. I cocked a brow at the idea. But, really, I want the writers to push this one through. Deadpool joining the X-Men sounds like a lot of fun to me.

Thor Annual #1
3.0 of 10
I know this might sound very unconstructive and subjective but skip this book. Yeah, it's bad. So bad I don't have the words for it.

Dark Avengers #8
8.6 of 10
This is probably the most surprising issue of the Dark Avengers yet. In this issue, due to its cover, I was expecting Ares, The God of War, beating the crap out of Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors in order to reclaim his son. He didn't, however, and the whole encounter turned into a man to man, father to son talk. I liked it a lot because it showed a different side to Ares. I mean, I didn't know that a God of War have a softer side.

Thunderbolts #135
8.3 of 10
I love Deadpool. But I must admit that the Thunderbolts/Deadpool crossover was a disaster, although still funny. I was even thinking of taking it off of my pull list. But then they executed a twist and gave us Natasha Romanov, the first Black Widow. With the twist also comes the back-stabbing, double-crossing, and all manners of betrayal. Suddenly, this title has gotten interesting again, and I want to know where it all ends.

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Comics Bundle: 02.18.09 Pt. 1

I haven't picked up my comics for some time...like a month. So I ended up reading a bundle of comics that were released in the last four weeks. I enjoyed reading it, of course. But writing decent reviews about these books is too much for me. So I decided to split these into two parts (click here for part two), and I'll go fast too so I can get back to playing my new game, Dawn of War II.

Thor #600
10 of 10
Thor finally jumps to its 600th issue, and it's a heck of an issue. Loki, after scheming and planning in the past 12 issues, finally set his motion into plan by resurrecting Bor, Odin's father, and bound him with a reality distorting spell that sent him rampaging. Eventually, Thor defeated Bor, who unbeknownst to him was his grandfather and the king of Asgard. Bor's death carried great repurcussions and it all fell on Thor's shoulders, changing the course of this title. From here on, I think it's going to get darker with Loki having more room to move about.

The Dark Avengers #2
8.0 of 10
I didn't like this issue as much as the first. But the sarcasm and perversity still continues in this issue (which reminds me of Warren Ellis' run on the Thunderbolts) and that's what makes this title different from other books. The fun dialogue between bad guys who are trying to be good public figures is still worth my $3.00.

Wolverine: Manifest Destiny #4
8.5 of 10
This, perhaps, is the only Manifest Destiny tie-in that I really liked. It's a lot of fun and brings me back to my childhood watching Kung Fu films. In this series' conclusion, the reason why Logan ticked off the Chinatown Tongs was finally revealed. We also see Wolverine at his best, fighting the Black Dragon Tong and defeated most of them without "snikting" he claws out. But the most fun of all, we finally know what makes him happy, which were few: Jean Grey, Mariko Yashida, Beer and killing people.

X-Men: Magneto Testament #5
9.4 of 10
This title has finally reached its conclusion. I've been waiting for this issue to see what happens in the end. In truth, I was disappointed at first. I thought I'd see Magneto hurling train cars at the Nazi. But that didn't happen. Then I remembered that this isn't really a Magneto origins book. It's about his testament, his solemn vow that he won't stand idly, fearing any kind of reprisals, and let any genocide happen again. So far, as we know it, he's not standing around anymore, and have been fighting to prevent mutant genocide.

Secret Warriors #1
8.9 of 10
I thought it was very cool when I saw the Secret Warriors being assembled, in the pages of Secret Invasion tie-in of The Mighty Avengers, by Nick Fury. The idea of a hardened veteran mentoring a group of unknown and unproven super powered teenagers just got me going. It's like The Runaways in boot camp. Now they have their own series and the first issue was a lot of fun and full of character. But the best thing about this issue is the revelation in the end. I won't talk about it because it's so big...probably bigger than Dark Reign.

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As usual, I was weeks late of picking up my comics again. But I don't think I'll be able to go to the store every Wednesday, ever. But all the comics I've read this weekend were excellent. Unfortunately, I won't be able to write a review for all of them. So, like always, I'll just write a quick review for the notable ones. Also, I'll change the format of my "Comics Bundle" posts because I'm tired of looking for cover arts to put in here. Instead, I'll just take a picture of my bundle and add it here. It fits the title, and it's more personal.

Final Crisis #6
9.0 of 10
Like I said before, Final Crisis wasn't my favorite comic book event. It was, to me, under the shadow of Secret Invasion. But, as Secret Invasion quickly waned in quality of writing, the plot threads in Final Crisis started to come together and made a lot of sense. In this issue, the plot threads of Grant Morrison, that he started in issue #1 and Batman R.I.P., finally came together and all I can say about it is: Epic. Oh, yes, someone significant to the DC Universe died too. I won't tell but, since this issue came out weeks ago, you guys probably know it already.

Uncanny X-Men: Annual #2
8.7 of 10
The X-Men titles have become one of the worst comics Marvel has to offer. It's sad but true. Although, as a huge fan of the series, I'll still buy anything from the shelves with X-Men on it. That's the only reason why I picked up this annual issue. However, this issue turned out to be amazing. The story is centered on Emma Frost and her past dalliance with Namor, when she was still the White Queen, and that brought out a lot of suggestive sexual themes. To sum it up, this book, with its beautifully written dialogue, shows how complex Emma Frost is.

Deadpool #6
7.6 of 10
Back in issue 3 (if I'm not mistaken), Deadpool took something from The Skrulls. Something that Nick Fury had wanted but ended up on the hands of Norman Osborn. So this issue, I thought, because there's a big Dark Reign logo stamped on the cover, was going to about Deadpool running after Osborn for crossing him. But, no, this issue, in terms of plot, sucked. Even the villain here is C rated. It's a good thing that Deadpool is quite a character, and his slapstick humor is the only reason I liked this book.

Dark Avengers #1
8.7 of 10
For months, ever since I saw the cover of The Dark Avengers #1, I've wondered who are the Dark Avengers? Is Wolverine and Ms. Marvel really working with them? This book, answers all that. In most ways, the issue reminds me a lot of The Mighty Avengers #1, albeit it is a bit twisted and borrows the tone of the Thunderbolts. Here we see Norman Osborn shop for candidates to join his Avengers and, boy, I do love the members of this new team. While some of them are predicatble choices (like Venom and Bullseye) to fill the spot of former Avengers, some of them came to me as a shock. Yes, I think, I'm going to enjoy this new title very much.

Thunderbolts #128
9.3 of 10
When Marvel revealed what Dark Reign is about, I knew that Thunderbolts is going to get even better. After all, it is Osborn's own team. So with the old team disbanded (its old roster either on the run or transferred to the Avengers) Osborn started recruiting some new members. Although, as of this issue, only four of them were featured. But what really made this issue incredibly awesome (and what surprised me) is Obama's appreance. Yes, the 44th US President also made an appearance here, talked with Osborn, and even told him that he didn't like him having so much power.

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Dark Reign Begins

Secret Invasion is finally done with and its aftermath left a huge shift of power in the Marvel Universe. That shift of power is called Dark Reign. Where Norman Osborn -who emerged as a war hero after the invasion- replaces Iron Man -who was left incapacitated by a Skrull virus during the invasion- as the head of the superhero community.

This Invasion has ended, and with it comes another shocking revelation on the final pages. A portent of things to come. A new age is dawning, my friends, and I fear for our heroes more now than ever before. Norman Osborn and his Cabal are here to usher in a New World Order. DARK REIGN has begun!

What exactly this means to our heroes and villains of the Marvel U will be played out in the coming months, but I can tell you, I haven't been this excited for a storyline since the first mention of Secret Invasion. Believe me when I say that the ride you are in for makes everything that came before seem like a walk in the park!

Think about it for a moment. The Hood. Namor. Emma Frost. Dr. Doom. Loki. Norman Osborn. These are your new rulers. They have been given the keys to the kingdom. With all that power, what chance do our heroes stand? What surprises and evil plots do these villains have in store? If they are really united, who can oppose them?

The new order of Dark Reign will call for new heroes, a new way of fighting the enemy from within, new alliances to be forged and old wounds healed if anyone is to stand a chance. - Joe Quesada, Marvel News

Clearly, this Dark Reign is the makings of an early dystopia, with all the mad power hungry villains running the world. The Dark Illuminati, The Dark Avengers and H.A.M.E.R. (a new defense branch that will replace the S.H.I.E.L.D.). I can't wait to see them all. Of course, I'm also curious of what will happen the the New & Mighty Avengers, The Secret Warriors and how my boy Deadpool will fit into this new reign of terror.

As for the list of all Dark Reign books, you can find them all in this mega preview. The list looks very long. That's good for the comics industry but bad for my wallet.

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