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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Spider-Woman Ongoing

I thought my comics pull list will be much thinner in the following months. Especially with Final Crisis, X-Men: Magneto Testament and Wolverine: Manifest Destiny done and out of the way. But Marvel always finds a way to make my list dense with their new ongoing titles and mini series. First, there was news of Deadpool: Suicide Kings, which is hard for me to pass up. Then, there's news of Dark Reign: Cabal, which is also hard for me to pass up. And now, there's also news of a Spider-Woman ongoing series.

Fans of Marvel Comics' Spider-Woman have been waiting almost four years for the character's ongoing series to become a reality. The possibility of an ongoing “Spider-Woman” series by writer Brian Michael Bendis and frequent collaborator artist Alex Maleev was first mentioned back in 2005, but the character's abduction and replacement as part of the Skrulls' “Secret Invasion” prevented the series from becoming a reality.

Well Spider-Woman fans, “Secret Invasion” is over and your wait is too (almost)! This April, fans will finally find Bendis and Maleev's “Spider-Woman” #1 in their local comic shop...

And Michael Bendis talks about the motif of the series, which makes me even more interested about it.

Bendis feels the intense emotions Jessica Drew, AKA Spider-Woman, feels over being abducted by the Skrulls and impersonated by their leader Queen Veranke during “Secret Invasion,” is one of the main reasons why “Spider-Woman” was an ideal series to be done as a digital motion comic. “Sometimes I see these motion comics and I'm interested in them but I'm not feeling anything. And Jessica's story is so angry. She comes out of 'Secret Invasion' pissed-off and that rage is so attractive to write and very easy to get across in both the print and digital motion mediums. I thought, 'There's a good place to start.' Let's start with that rage. Let's start with 'I'm fucking pissed off.' Let's get that across, and from there we'll get into her psyche and see what else we can do,” Bendis explained. “Also, we can be in her head as she's experiencing new things, and her abduction by the Skrulls means she's new to the Marvel Universe. So everything she is seeing is new, and her point of view is unique. All these things made the digital motion medium such an attractive experiment for her ongoing.” - Dave Richards, CBR

Well, that sucks. It sucks because I'm weak and Jessica's pheromones has enthralled me to buy her series. It sucks because my budget is going back to square one. I lost three series on my list and gained back three.

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Dark Reign Begins

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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