by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Neil Edwards (pencils), Andrew Currie (inks), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: Johnny, Ben, and the kids go to Nu-World for a vacation but what they find there is a far cry from being a resort.

What’s Good: Probably the best thing the issue has going for it is its generic tone.  The book is a wacky, retro sci-fi adventure.  While Nu-World has become a dystopian mess, Hickman uses this as an excuse to fill the issue with a scuttling, disembodied brain and a hero with a goofy helmet blasting apart robots by the dozen with his ray gun.  It’s cheesy, but definitely fun, like a bad 70s sci-fi flick.  There’s also a depiction of a pseudo-scientific, transcendental sort of mass suicide that sort of reminded me of Logan’s Run with astronauts.  I’m probably alone on that, but it’s cool nonetheless.

I’ve never been a fan of the kids, but Hickman actually made me enjoy their presence.    Both Val and Franklin have a comical way of undercutting Ted Castle and his planetary problems, but in different ways.  Val makes it all seem so simple through her intellect, while Franklin approaches the situation and his circumstances on an entirely different level, as a child would.  There’s a beautifully paced sequence where he offers a grieving Ted Castle a sandwich, tugging the heart-strings while providing a laugh.

Through his wacky sci-fi hijinks and his use of the brain and the kids, Hickman takes what could’ve been a heavy-handed, grindingly tragic affair and turns it into something much more light and fun.  That said, by the time the issue ends, he still gives a little glimpse of the epic nature of what actually unfolded, finishing the book with a beautiful retrospective montage, narrated in a simple fashion that metatextually breaks the comic into its component parts and making it seem all the grander in retrospect.

What’s Not So Good: Despite all this, under perhaps a more cynical lens, it’s hard not to be very well aware of the fact that this issue was more or less written to serve a simple purpose: sweep Nu-World under a rug.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for it, but it can be a bit frustrating when a writer’s purpose is so abundantly clear.  The comic is as much a story as it is a means to an end.

Of course, if Hickman is writing this issue solely to be done with Nu-World, that also means that several characters are treated cursorily, perhaps not with the respect they deserve.  There’s not one but two character deaths, both of which are insultingly brief, abrupt, and underwhelming.  Like Nu-World itself, it’s clear that Hickman just wanted them out of the way.   The Nu-World characters have little page-space, don’t flesh themselves out much, and basically show up just to remind us that they’re there.

Furthermore, while the art isn’t atrocious or anything, Neil Edwards is a far, far cry from Dale Eaglesham.  His artwork just feels very generic, with little sense of individual style or flair.  It does the job without attempting to do anything more.  Edwards also struggles with headshots.  Two panels in particular, one of Johnny and one of Psionics, are total botches.

Conclusion: Enjoyable for what it is, but it creaks a little at times due to the weaker art and Hickman’s obvious motivations.

Grade: B

-Alex Evans

The following Toys are currently on sale at Books From A Rose:

Human Torch Retro 2 by marvelclassics
Get tees on zazzle.com

Here is another one of those impressive collector graphic hoodies I was talking about before. I think these have to be some of my favorites from the classic line of graphic hoodies I have posted recently.

Marvel Comics Retro 12 by marvelclassics
Shop the t-shirts section of zazzle

Flame on! Cool Human Torch vintage hoodie from Marvel Comics. Did he have a comic book series without the rest of the Fantastic Four? I guess so, I just don’t remember it.

Hundreds of Gifts, All Under $10! Gift Ideas from Entertainment Earth

Marvel Fantastic Four Super Hero Squad lot today. Consisting of :

• Human Torch - Johnny Storm
• Thing – Ben Grimm
• Invisible Woman – Sue Storm
• Mr Fantastic – Reed Richards
  
• Galactus
• Namor – The Submariner
• Mole Man
• Dr Doom
• Silver Surfer
• Super Skrull

It had been a pretty long while since I started expecting the sequel to Marvel Ultimate Alliance (2006) sequel and finally, I have got it and finished the game twice. It is a bit odd, because I had really expected much more from this game and at the end, it kinda feels like a dissapointment. Because of my console, the version I will talk about is the Wii version of the game.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, previously known also as Fusion, basically follows the same path of the original game in terms of gameplay. Up to four players can join during anytime of the game, choosing 4 characters among 26 playable Marvel heroes and villains and overcoming each obstacle on their way. One of the new aspects of the game is the fact that now, thanks to the fusion power the characters are able to combine their powers, realeasing a powerful blast of mixed abilities. This new feature, apart from the story, are the only new attractions of the game, so we can say there’s a bit lack of originality.

The characters have improved in a lot of aspects, specially the visual one, but surely fans of the previous game will be struck by the fact of not having really new superpowers. Indeed, almost all the attacks of the first game have come back, with the exception of few that were changed, into something a little bit better, or something even worse. Teamwork is still the same, and the enemy’s level of intelligence becomesa challenge in some moments of the game, but there’s nothing really splendorous. Expectations about the new characters like Jean Grey, Penance, Psylocke, etc. fade quickly, as you realize some are the obvious replacement of the ones in the first game that didn’t enter in this second round (like Psylocke, who is basically Elektra). Some others continue being as good as they were, and pretty few have become really stronger.

The game’s plot follows the Civil War story, on which the heroes have to choose between accepting the Act of Registration from the Government, or not. Depending on what you choose, some characters will be available or not, and missions will change, according to the story you’re playing. Nevertheless, the way the plot is told becomes sometimes quite boring, and you just skip the info in order to start playing the missions. The S.H.I.E.L.D. blue points, where you save your progress and change your team are now spread in not very useful locations, unlike the previous game, and you can’t change characters who have died in battle anymore. You have to bring them back to life using the Fusion, and in the Wii version, there are no costumes for the characters. 

Bosses have a balanced level, and the locations, although they are not as exotic as in the prequel, are now made with more detail, giving the game a pleasant visual effect. Missions have become shorter in lenght and not very dinamic in some moments. A good improvement from the first Wii version is that the Wii Remote Control is now more enjoyable without being an irritating feature. Attacks are not made by the control’s movement anymore, and isntead, it is required only in specific actions.

So, in general, MUA2 it’s the same game as the first one with some improvements but no really outstanding feature, a story that can be sometimes hateful, and cool characters that still, have something which doesn’t really fit at all. A good avergae game, but the first one is really missed by the player while he plays this one.

So, here’s a list of all the playable Wii characters, with a brief opinion of mine (based on my playing with them), and more images. Leave your comments as you wish!

1.- Captain America: He’s basically the same as in the first game, and his attacks are overpowered by most of all the other characters. A shield is not very useful, really… Grade: Useful in some moments.

2.- Iron Man: With some new improvements, Stark’s armor is not only a reliable backup, but also quite an offensive fighter. He’s not only powerful but also resistant. Grade: Essential for victory!

3.- Thor: The mighty Nordic God might not seem trustful in this game, but hides great power in his hammer. Strong and offensive, clearly a great choice. Grade: Good choice!

4.- Hulk: This new ally it’s powerful by nature. His only “but” is that he requires “rage” for some of his attacks, but it’s a good companion in rooms full of enemies… Grade: Good choice!

5.- Spiderman: The web-head neighbour it’s the master of agility, and along with his spider powers becomes a useful tool whether for running away, or fighting multiple enemies at a time… Grade: Essential for victory!

6.- Mr. Fantastic: Thanks to his elastic powers, he can reach enemies that are not close to him, but his physical power from the last game, went from 5 to 2 so think about it… Grade: Not the best, not the worst.

7.- Invisible Woman: Susan’s powers have increased from 5, to extra 5, becoming quite a good heroine to play with. Not only will she protect her mates using big shields, but also her “fusion” abilities end up with massive destruction! Grade: Essential for victory!

8.- Human Torch: Johnny’s fire power is strong, and used in a proper way, becomes destructive, besides, his combinations with the other heroes always result in total blast, surely, one hell of a flame! Grade: Good choice!

9.- The Thing: Ben’s physical power it’s the same, but unlike the first game, he’s a little bit faster. This allows him to act like a big bull enemies can’t run from!!! Grade: Good choice!

10.- Wolverine: The iconic X-Man, remains the same as in the prequel, but his lack of power is far more visible. It’s not a good idea to use metal claws against metal armors… Grade: Useful in some moments.

11.- Storm: Storm’s lightnings are a good weapon when a lot of enemies surround you, but… apart from that she has nothing really good to add, except (maybe…) her fusion compability… Grade: Useful in some moments.

12.- Cyclops: This new player seems to have a poor gameplay, but his optical powers ban that statement and make him a good mate rivals can’t deal with. Grade: Good choice!

13.- Jean Grey: She’s probably one of the best newcomers to the game. Not only can she revive with her powers, but also ask her Phoenix’s soul for help and play with telekinesis as if she were playing with dolls. Grade: Essential for victory!

14.- Iceman: Basically the same as always, Iceman icy powers are useful for freezing enemies once and for all, trapping them in what can become a massive punching bag. Fast, agile, and a good shooter… what else do you ask? Grade: Good choice!

15.- Gambit: Another newcomer who impresses with her explosive cards. His shooting ability is stunning, and more when his cards fly everywhere without even aiming at an enemy! Grade: Good choice!

16.- Psylocke: This lady’s pink powers are not very realiable and you’d prefer to take Jean instead of her. Her pink blade is probably a good weapon, along her butteflies, but she’s not the latest warrior… Grade: Useful in some moments.

17.- Deadpool: This mercenary is everything but rubbish. He shoots as fast as you blink your eyes, teleports, jumps, throws granades and starts the massive attacks as fast as he says: “Hello!” His resistance and health powers… make him the perfect back-up. Grade: Essential for victory.

18.- Daredevil: Not a very impressive character, Daredevil shows us agile movements and baton-based hits. Nothing really amazing. Grade: Not the best, not the worst.

19.- Songbird: Another newcomer who seems to offer a lot, but at the end is just another normal mutant. Her sonic powers are only impressive when the fusion is made. A bad point: she can’t attack while she flies… Grade: Not the best, not the worst.

20.- Blade: The old vampire hunter was weak and this new version of him… is still weak. Surrounded by all the other mutants, he barely even disappears among them. Some attacks have become stronger, and the gunshot is probbaly his best feature. Grade: Useful in some moments.

21.- Ms. Marvel: We still wonder why did she return. She’s not amazing and her attacks do a damage level of mediocrity. The only plus is that she’s strong, but in that case… better take Hulk or the Thing. Grade: Stay at the base.

22.- Penance: This mysterious guy doens’t seem to be strong or physically impressive, although visually, he is. Has energy attacks based in getting pain, but his really strong point is the “fusion” move, that ends up sometimes in total destruction. Grade: Not the best, not the worst.

23.- Luke Cage: This warrior is anything but spectacular. Maybe his fists against the ground are something but aparte from that… the chain, the punch… just don’t really work. Grade: Stay at the base.

24.- Venom: One of the two villains available, Venom it’s one of the best newcomers. His slow melee moves are compensed by really good attackas using his symbiotic abilites, which are able to drain enemy’s life in less that 1 minute! Grotesque, sometimes is the best… Grade: Essential for victory!

25.- Green Goblin: The explosive pumpkins he throws make up for his lack of physical damage. Basically that’s all he does… oh, did I mention he launches missiles? Grade: Not the best, not the worst.

26.- Nanyte Nick Fury: This android version of Nick Fury is strong, and has some good attacks… but he’s lack of visual compability with the rest of heroes, makes him a little odd. Apart from that… his sniper rifle deserves some views. Grade: Not the best, not thw worst.

We do feel sometimes the need of using Dr. Strange, Ghost Rider, Moonknight or Colossus right? Hahaha… among all the mentioned, who’s your favorite???

PD: Sorry for writing such a long entrance…

Clearly, I’m mad, I tell you.  MAD.

I’m one of those guys who spend their lives liking the rough sketch better than the final art.  It’s a curse.   I have a fondness for the scribbled, eccentric, humanistic and unembarrassed linework of a rough sketch.  There’s a lovely connection to movement and thought in the first contact with the image to muscles and paper,  often softened unbearably by turning it into a final illustration.   As a professional drawer-boy, I’m always fighting between “cleaning it up” and “letting it live”.

The Batman sketch from an old, old Adventures cover, (which I just found in a box yesterday, and hence this post) is less than three inches high.  It’s drawn in pencil and a thick pentel marker which was clearly drying out, as the background becomes less dark to the right. But the sense of danger, the monster, and the expressions on everyone’s face works for me in a way the final doesn’t.

My Pekar’s AMERICAN SPLENDOR work last year did the same thing to to me.  I was going for a very sedate, “realistic” Curt Swan type of storytelling for Harvey, since that was the basic feel of this particular script…but the rough layouts had a Kirby-like energy to them, with a lively and playful sense of proportion that I wish had fit the story.

( for more Harvey online, click here)

Again, these layouts are about three inches tall, and the final art is fifteen inches high…so the movements of your hands vs. the movements of your shoulders are going to be different.

I just got through reading an issue of Marvel’s new “STRANGE TALES” comic, with folks like Peter Bagge, and James  Kochalka doing very indy looking work on Marvel super-heroes.  Astoundingly great fun, and some of the pages have the same feel as my rough pages do…before I clean myself up.

If only I hadn’t seen so much Harvey Kurtzman while growing up.  I could rid myself of this demon of liking the roughs.

AND NOW—

FOR THOSE WHO DEMAND THEIR HOVERBOY FRIDAYS ON FRIDAY, I GIVE A FIE TO THEE!  A FEE FIE!

Hoverboy Fridays continue to wander the calendar, and we find one barging into Sunday.  I’m only making this rare exception to move Hoverboy Fridays from its regular spot on Tuesdays, to this weekend, because the most recent update is topical!  It has to do with Hoverboy’s very tenuous connection to Sesame Street, which celebrated it’s 40th, or 45th anniversary this week, I wasn’t paying enough attention when Wolf Blitzer mentioned it.

Go to the Hoverboy museum and read more about this astounding connection between Kermit the Frog and The Boy Who Hovers.

www.hoverboy.com (for those who don’t hyper link well).

Ty the Guy.  AWAAAY!

starting now…

first up, a couple more of Spidey/Torch, including a Gwen Stacey page.

A video box cover from the 90s X-Men series.

And a couple from the story Ty did for the GLXmas Special Ty did Dan Slott.  (Grasshopper–will he die or won’t he?)

And, pages from one of Ty’s favourite projects:  Mad Dog!

Marvel Legends Titanium 3 inch Fantastic Four Lot:

• Dr Doom
• Human Torch – Johnny Storm
• Thing – Ben Grimm

Marvel Super Hero Squad Fantastic Four are on the loose.

• Johnny Storm – The Human Torch
• Ben Grimm – The Thing

and their sometimes villians and sometime allies

• Namor  – The Sub-mariner
• Silver Surfer - Herald of Galactus
• Moleman

The vast stable of Marvel motion pictures are the epitome of the word “action”. When our favorite superhero movies are translated across to the cardboard world of the Marvel Superstars Trading Card Game, this concept will go exponential. As you play, you will choose a Leader character to base your strategy upon. Then you will add Supporters, in the form of additional versions of your Leader or totally different heroes and villains. Characters can only be played on your turn, so what is a legend to do when the enemy has the intitiative? Action cards!

This is the official wording from the Marvel Superstars starter set:

C. Actions

Actions represent the skills of your leader and events in the Marvel universe. They are the only type of card that can be played on an enemy turn.

When you play an action, it joins your side. As it does, charge your leader, follow the action’s instructions, and then eliminate it.

The type lines of some actions have the additional word “special.” Such actions benefit a specific character. They are easiest to use if that character is your leader.

So there you have it. Action cards are the only possible play on an enemy turn. This will demand deckbuilding finesse and spectacular strategic thinking. Some action cards will be especially suited to correspond to a particular Leader, and we have learned two more of their identities. Get ready, we will soon be building decks around Dr. Doom and Human Torch.

Hot times ahead.

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Dale Eaglesham (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: The council of Reeds takes on the Celestials, leading our Reed to make a crucial decision.

What’s Good: This issue’s ending was a thing of beauty and a reminder of what the Fantastic Four should be about.  If anything, Hickman’s conclusion to his first arc is almost a chastisement: ultimately, the FF are not about the wacky science hijinks or the epic cosmic struggles.  Rather, it’s about family.

Hickman illustrates this through making Reed choose between family and his own lofty goals, as he’s forced to take a hard look at the increasingly isolated lifestyle he’s been living.  This leads to a final scene that is grand, beautiful, heart-warming, and maybe even a little tear inducing.  It’s a feel-good read that hits home, blending flashbacks with very effective narration by Reed’s father.  I can’t overemphasize how beautiful this last scene is, nor how touching the last splash image of the book.

In the earlier portions of the book, props have to be given to Hickman for being absolutely merciless with his characters.  Suffice to say, some of the versions of Reed don’t make it, and their deaths are sudden, brutal, and decisive.  More amazing still is how, in the space of three issues, Hickman has actually made me care about these guys, despite only just meeting them a couple of months ago and their being duplicate Reeds.  I was genuinely surprised at the emotional moments Hickman was able to conjure up through them.

All of this is beautifully rendered by Dale Eaglesham, who really shows his range this month.  The flashbacks are warm and intimate while the battle with the Celestials is all-out mayhem.  Eaglesham essentially depicts both big and small, public and personal, in a fashion that makes both sides seem grand.

What’s Not So Good: While it’s clearly intentional, this was still “Reed Richards #572.”  All well and good, but a little irritating when our only scene with Ben and Johnny is only written as a means to get them out of the way.

The biggest problem with the issue though is the fight with the Celestials.  Having a gang of the big dudes fighting an army of Reeds will by nature be chaotic.  In fact, I didn’t even realize that the battle was over when it was.

Part of this is because that the actual means for concluding the struggle are a confused mess of ambiguous deus ex machina.  This has pretty much always been the case with the infinity gauntlet by its very nature, while our Reed magically produces guns that just somehow work against Celestials thanks to some impromptu pseudo-scientific babble.  And of course, Reed has a stack of these lying around at home.

Conclusion: The conclusion to the battle is a bit of a mess, but the rest of the issue is absolutely outstanding, with the ending being one of the finest moments I’ve seen in an FF comic in quite some time.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Kirin Hobby is now accepting preorders for Marvel’s Scarlet Witch from Kotobukiya, designed by Shunya Yamashita. Also coming up from Koto is the Asuka You Can Not Advance figure from the new Eva movies, plus new figures of Clalaclan and Celestia from the Shining series and the re-release of the Inu Yasha statues — Inu Yasha, Kagome & Shippo, Sesshomaru. Last but definitely not least are the exciting new releases from the Figma line of action figures from Max Factory featuring the Requiem for the Phantom Ein and Canaan!

New in stock is the World of Warcraft (WoW) Illidan Demon form and the Ame Comi Batgirl and Catwoman statues from DC Direct. More Marvel Minimates goodness with restock of series 14, 23, and 26.

Enjoy!
Edward

Shining Wind: Clalaclan (Waitress ver) [Figure] by Kotobukiya
Shining Wind: Celestia [Figure] by Kotobukiya
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Asuka Plug Suit You Can (Not) Advance [Figure] by Kotobukiya
Marvel Bishojo Collection: Scarlet Witch (Shunya Yamashita) [Figure] by Kotobukiya
Inu Yasha: Sesshomaru Ani-Statue [Figure] by Kotobukiya
Inu Yasha: Kagome & Shippo Ani-Statue [Figure] by Kotobukiya
Inu Yasha: Inu Yasha Ani-Statue [Figure] by Kotobukiya
Lucky Star OVA EX: Kagami (Miku) & Konata (Yuki) Cosplay ver. Set of 2 [Figure] by Sega
Nendoroid Requiem for the Phantom: Ein [Action Figure] by Good Smile Company
Figma # 054 Requiem for the Phantom: Ein [Action Figure] by Max Factory
Figma # 053 Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS: Nanoha Takamachi The Movie 1st ver. [Action Figure] by Max Factory
Figma # 052 Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS: Vita (Knight clothes ver.) [Action Figure[ by Max Factory
Figma # 048 Canaan: Canaan [Action Figure] by Max Factory
Figma # 003 Fate/Stay Night: Saber (Armor version) [Action Figure] by Max Factory
Figma # 002 Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi: Suzumiya Haruhi (School Uniform ver) [Action Figure] by Max Factory
Figma # 001 Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi: Yuki Nagato (School Uniform ver) [Action Figure] by Max Factory
World of Warcraft WoW Series 5: Illidan (Demon Form) [Figure] by DC Unlimited
Ame-Comi Catwoman v.2 [Figure] by DC Direct
Ame-Comi Batgirl v.2 [Figure] by DC Direct
Minimates Marvel Villains: Dr. Doom, Magneto, Green Goblin, Red Skull Box Set [Action Figure] by Diamond Select
Minimates Marvel Series 26: X-Men Origins Wolverine Set of 4 [Action Figure] by Diamond Select
Minimates Marvel Series 23: Set of 4 [Action Figure] by Diamond Select
Minimates Marvel Series 14: X3 Set of 4 [Action Figure] by Diamond Select
Minimates Marvel Secret Invasion: Phoenix, Beast, Wolverine, Jewel Box Set [Action Figure] by Diamond Select
Minimates Marvel Punisher War Zone: Civilian Frank Castle, Jigsaw, Thug, Assault Punisher Box Set [Action Figure] by Diamond Select
Minimates Marvel Invaders: Captain America, Bucky, Sub Mariner, Human Torch Box Set [Action Figure] by Diamond Select
Minimates Marvel Heroes: Spider-Man, Captain America. The Hulk, Wolverine Box Set [Action Figure] by Diamond Select

Found Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes on Nicktoons, thought I’d give a shot. Unfortunately, it suffers from a mess of problems.

• Reed Richards: His design is okay, you can believe he’s somewhere in his 20’s. However, his voice just flat out sucks. I mean it just DOESN’T  sound right. You see Reed and you imagine him having a completely different voice, but then you get the principal from Smallville, and it just really doesn’t mesh well. Also, he doesn’t really give an impression of being the genius leader of the FF. Sound like a guy imitating a genius by saying a lot of scientific hoopla, but not a genius.
• Johnny Storm: There is nothing to like about him. His design would be okay, but his hair is just weird. I know it’s an anime style and gravity defying hair is nothing strange, but its just weird. I mean any incarnation of Johnny kept a short cut (different style depending on decade) but this is just off. Not only that but the color is lighter than Susan’s. They’re supposed to be brother and sister, but their hair color is different, when in the comics they’ve always had the same color. Anyway, design aside, they really overplay him. They try to make him out to be a selfish idiot, but they just go too far and he just seems like he has ADD. I mean, there’s this one scene where Reed shows everyone that their neighbors have been acting EXTREMELY out of the norm. All the FF asks questions regarding it (obviously and rightfully concerned) and Johnny goes from slight concern (“What’s going on” he says) to asking if anyone wants pizza. Now I could understand if he said it in a tone that implied he was trying to calm everyone down with a joke due to the terrifying situation, but no, he was completely serious. And that’s just one scene. In the comics Johnny’s been selfish and a joker, yeah, but when a situation gets serious, he in turn get serious as well. He may be an idiot, but at least he knows whens the time to joke and when to get focused, and this Johnny was joking all the time. Just outright hateful.
• Susan Storm: She’s okay. She’s strong and independent and doesn’t take crap from the other FF members, I’ll give her that. However she suffers from Super Heroine Dumbass Disorder. Basically meaning, even if she has pretty strong powers, the heroine will either be easily  taken out, captured, or she will just stand around (I’m not kidding) and wait her turn to fight. For example, in one episode, the group is attacked by the mole man and some weird mud creatures. They do the standard “showing everyone’s part of the fight” but eventually Reed, Johnny, and Ben get taken out of action one way or another. And then they show Susan, who apparently has been standing around doing nothing (They don’t even show her fighting in the background) while they were fighting. And no she wasn’t preoccupied with enemies of her own, she was just there. Alone, watching. And the minute she tries to attack, she gets captured, 5 seconds flat.
• Ben Grimm: He’s left out alot, so the only thing to say is that he’s rarely touched upon.
• Skrulls: Okay I can understand aliens having a shaky knowledge of humans so they’d get a few things wrong when trying to impersonate them. However, they have a full scale model of the Baxter building, all rooms in it, all neighbors in it, including people who live outside of it (Alicia and Willy) and they have no idea how humans function or how their neighbors behave. First of all, how did they know what they looked like? They either:

1. Observed them via camera. Which would have meant that they would at least know how they behave.
2. Scanned their minds when they captured them. But that would mean that they would still know how their neighbors act. Also if they did scan their minds, then there wouldn’t be a need to observe them to see how their powers work.

So the skrulls just don’t make sense. I mean an advanced alien species and they can’t get human physiology right even if they observed them in a an attempt to trick the FF? It reeks of Tim Story plot holes, and the last person you want to write like is Tim Story.

• Soldiers: just soldiers, especially the SHIELD ones. In the Hulk episode they are sent to take out both the FF and the Hulk. But they’re sent in without any info about how to take them out. They act surprised at each one’s display of abilities. The worst had to be trying to catch Susan (one of them actually says “We can’t find the INVISIBLE woman”) and only after she hits them do they turn on their infrared; which sucks cause  it only shows flashes of her as she moves (like if the infrared cut frames). I mean they are supposed to be heavily funded and they can’t even afford a pair or GOOD infrared devices.

There’s a hell of alot more, but they escape me at the moment. Overall this show is pretty to look at, but then again so were the movies, and everyone knows how those turned out. Hopefully they might make a whole new series what with all the Marvel reboots being planned.

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• Fantastic Four Ultimate Guide by Stan Lee (slideshare.net)

Just finished putting up some new Spidey/Torch pages, some New Batman Adventures pages…a couple other things.  Will be posting more tonight and tomorrow, including some Dark Claw Adventures.

(There’s no official point where the Golden Age ended and the Silver Age began. For the purpose of this challenge, I’m using a transition approach. Basically, I’m counting any new characters/series that debut after November of 1962 when Fantastic Four #1 hit newsstands.  Existing series that reflect a Golden Age approach were phased out over the next couple of years and won’t be covered in the Silver Age Challenge.)

FIRST APPEARANCES
Mr. Fantastic
Invisible Girl
Thing
Human Torch (Silver Age version)
Hulk
Spider-Man
Thor
Ant-Man
Dr. Doom
Mole Man

As you can see, a whole lot of famous characters were introduced in 1962 and late 1961.  From a conceptual standpoint, the minds at Marvel were very, very rich at this point.

ONGOING SERIES
Fantastic Four (9 issues)
Incredible Hulk (5 issues)
Journey Into Mystery (starring Thor, 5 isues)
Tales to Astonish (starring Ant-Man, 5 issues)
Strange Tales (starring Human Torch, 3 issues)

The new super heroes began to take over the established anthology titles just a few months after Fantastic Four debuted.  The FF and Hulk stories were 20-25 pages while the anthology lead features were about 10-14 pages.  All of these stories were written by Stan Lee and, incredibly, penciled by Jack Kirby (some of the dialogue was written by Lee’s brother, Larry Lieber).

SPECIALS
Amazing Fantasy #15 (starring Spider-Man)

The only 1961/1962 Marvel super hero comic that wasn’t penciled by Jack Kirby, instead illustrated by Steve Ditko.  Amazing Fantasy was on the ropes but the one-off Spider-Man story was a success, leading to the character’s own series the following year.

REVIEW!!!!!

Okay, let’s be frank: the writing is terrible.  A lot of the concepts are cool but the writing is just fucking wretched.  I think Stan Lee was either afraid of women, hated them, or just hadn’t met any, because their portrayals are disturbingly shallow.  Unlike her Fantastic Four teammates, Susan Storm/Invisible Girl has no apparent interests and spends most of her time daydreaming about the hunky Sub-Mariner.  The women in the Hulk and Thor strips spend most of their time being thoughtless and swooning over the title characters.

Additionally, the solutions to most scenarios are incredibly cheap and often involve powers that the heroes heretofore had never displayed.  Remember the battle at the end of Superman II in which Superman suddenly has the power to create illusion versions of himself, or shoot lasers out of his hands, or to throw the ‘S’ on his chest and have it transform into some kind of cellophane trap?  That’s the kind of crap you get here.  The Human Torch makes “mirages” of items he saw earlier in the day, even though he’s on the top floor of a skyscraper and can’t even see the item he’s somehow making a mirage of.  Thor spins his hammer so fast that it produces “anti-matter”.

There are plenty of super simplistic “Free World vs Commies” type politics that can only be described as retarded.  I know that the political atmosphere was quite different back then and comics were under completely unfair scrutiny but it feels like Rush Limbaugh was the political adviser.  The Cuban issue is touched on, presenting Castro as a straight up villain and Batista as a good guy (ugh).

The art is almost always solid but the fact is that is you can’t expect a guy (Jack Kirby) to pencil 40-60 pages a month and have it all be awesome.  It seems like some titles were either higher priorities or just had better inkers, as Fantastic Four and Thor stories seem to have better art than the Hulk stories.  Of interesting note is the constantly-evolving nature of some of the series, especially FF and Hulk.  It seems that Hulk is written and drawn differently each issue.  They just didn’t know what to do with him.

The best series is definitely FF, thanks largely to the hilarious bickerings of Human Torch and THing.  As I read the stories, I keep hoping they will murder each other.  Additionally, the delightfully haughty Sub-Mariner comes by all the time to try to kill the male members and have a shot at raping Invisible Girl.  The weakest series is ol’ Ant Man.  The old bore just shrinks himself down and then engages in run of the mill anti-commie detective work.

GRADE: B-
Pros: strong concepts, solid art
Cons: awful writing, inconsistency

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A 20-hour, going away project for my old coworkers.  I drew this 6-page comic with caricatures of every single member of the staff, all based off of super-heroes (both famous and not).  It was a labour of love that nearly killed me.

Page 1

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Dale Eaglesham (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Reed must see both the good and the band, before making the decision of whether or not to join the High Council.

What’s Good: As one of the many Reeds says in one of the strongest conversations of the book, “pretend there is no horizon.”

I think that that line really sums up why this is such an excellent comic book.  It’s insane, it’s ridiculous, and it’s thoroughly impossible, and in so being, it ends up being just what a comic should be.  As I saw dozens of Reeds wandering about, reshaping the universe on a massive scale, battling multiple Silver Surfers, and terraforming planets, I was struck with the enormity and grandiosity of it all.  This book manages to ignore realistic boundaries in ways only a superhero comic can, and it makes the impossible possible in a manner that is pure fun.  Is it taut, intelligent, political intrigue?  No.  But this is the sort of comic that makes you feel like a kid again.

It’s also clear that Hickman has a very solid grip on the characters.  Reed’s internal strife is well depicted and his conversation with Sue is tender; one understands her argument, but Reed is so lovable that it’s impossible for the reader not to forgive him just as Sue does.  Meanwhile, a breakfast conversation between Franklin and Johnny is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face as only the FF can.

I also enjoyed seeing the dark side of the High Council, a side that is coldly logical yet incredibly inhumane and unpleasant.  Yet, I appreciated that Hickman doesn’t use this to go the obvious route of making them evil.

That said, returning to the idea of enormity and impossibility, nowhere is this better displayed than in the issue’s ending, which was pure awesome.  It’s great, great cliffhanger that will have you dying for more. This comic is truly all about achieving the extraordinary and operating on a limitless scale.

Meanwhile, Eaglesham has a better outing this month.  His technology looks great, but more than anything, the entire comic has a warm, comforting, and accessible feel to it.  The book feels both awe-inspiring and inviting, friendly even.   Considering some of the massive things Eaglesham’s drawing here, that’s quite a feat.  He also does great work on the facial expressions, being spot-on with his depictions of even the subtlest emotion.

What’s Not So Good: This isn’t really a Fantastic Four book, nor is this looking to be a Fantastic Four arc.  This issue is basically entirely about Reed Richards and his dopplegangers.  The Fantastic Four have one admittedly fun conversation at the breakfast table, but that’s all we see of the team.  Hell, while it was good, that whole scene wasn’t even entirely necessary save to remind us of their presence.

I complained about this last time as well, but Eaglesham also has the annoying superhero artist tendency of making every male character look like a jacked up power-lifter.  Seeing an army of Reeds all looking like linebackers is quite annoying and Johnny looks almost silly, hulking over the breakfast table.

Conclusion: Pure fun and what a comic should be, I’m completely thrilled to be reading the FF again.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Take charge of the situation Sue! You don’t need Reed to tell you what to do! You’re an equal member of the team!

It sucks being Sue Storm.

We’re slowly going a little bit Marvel crazy in the Jack office, and I have a feeling it’s almost entirely my fault. In fact I’m absolutely sure it’s my fault.

Not only was Neil Edwards, one of Marvel’s best known illustrators in town yesterday for a masterclass seminar in creating superheroes, but the new Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 comes out today for pretty much every console out there

The game is based on the Civil War storyline Marvel did 2 years ago which I know pretty well but everyone else knows nothing about. Basically the superheroes are divided about an ‘issue’ and end up fighting each other.

I, myself, will be reviewing the game over the weekend and a review of the game will go up on the blog early next week for all your beady little eyes…

Not only is the new game coming out, but the Marvel superheroes themselves have been appearing in ominous places all over London…is it wrong that the guy in The Thing costume reminds me of my Nana…

Ty spent a bit of time scanning yesterday, so I’m adding pages throughout the week.  So far, some new stuff in Batman (animated), Justice League (animated) and Spidey/Torch, all for $75.

Here’s the much-seen picture of Barack Obama in front of Superman, in Metropolis, Illinois.  This is the statue Ty did a drawing of  for the Illinois Bureau of Tourism posters; the original drawing is on the Superman page.  I’m still trying to find an image of the final poster:  the posters were bus-shelter ad sized, so we can’t scan any of our copies!

I got ... A-Lien He-ealing!

Okay, so it’s like 30 minutes after the bad guys dropped a freakin’ MOUNTAIN on the Secret Wars good guys, and what’s going on?

1)     When confronted with whether to let an alien – who may or may not be hostile – “help” the fallen heroes, the considered judgment of Reed Richards (Psst! The biggest brain in the cosmos) is “I GUESS CAN’T HURT”!?!?!?! Hey, Reed, how did that thinking work out in a few issues when Spider-Man tries out the clothing machine?

2)     Johnny Storm is ready to get his Captain Kirk on with a piece of alien “strange” he just met. Um … they have STDs on other worlds, dude. And, part of his pick up is a reference to a Culture Club reference!?!?!

3)     James Rhodes is a pilot. He is lead engineer at Stark Industries. He is qualified to operate and REPAIR a state-of-the-art suit of armor. So, why does he sound like Shaft?

BONUS: Um … what exactly is the alien healer hottie doing to She-Hulk? Is that some Barry White form of healing or something?

Man, I love me some Marvel.

Staff Writer Evan Serge has submitted reviews for the following comic book issues: Adventure Comics #2, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus (One-Shot), Red Robin #4, The Torch #1 and Ultimate Comics Avengers #2.

Also, check out upcoming features contributor Alex Bea’s latest review over at his site, No Use for a Headline.

Guys, really, in this age of technical miracles, there is no excuse for not better coordinating your outfits. Now, in fairness, Dormammu has been around since the dawn of time, so …

Oooooh ... this kind of thing can really spoil a good super heroic fight.

Here’s our second foray into the world of “What If Marvel Superheroes invaded the famous moments of DC Comics?”

This time, instead of the first family of Marvel Comics taking on a creature from inner space, they attempt to take down an invader from outer space in the first appearance of the JLA. Unfortunately, in either scenario … Sue Storm looks more than a little helpless. Oh, Sue, just look pretty … until the Byrne years. That’s when you start kicking ass.

Let's be honest, the Invisible Girl is more useful here than Aquaman.