Silk #3 - Review

Written by Robbie Thompson, Art by Stacy Lee

Rating: 4/5

Spoiler Free Review

Silk's back! Since the second issue came out back in mid-March, I've been seriously chomping at the bit for more Cindy Moon. What once again shines in this book is the combination of writing from Robbie Thompson and the artwork from Stacy Lee. The two are clearly working hand in hand to make this book something special and it's clear that there is a love for this character. Anyone who's on the fence about reading Silk, should track down the first few issues and enjoy.





SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT.

UNBOXING: Marvel Collector Corps - April 2015

Today was marvelous day for the mail in my household (see what I did there?). Finally recieved the first box in this bi-monthly subscription box. Curious what was inside? Here we go...

Here's the outside of the box. The inside is lined with red outlines of characters and panels. It's... a really cool box. I will not task myself with finding a reason to keep it. (What's in that other package? It's unrelated but I'll get into that later.)

First thing you see upon opening is a patch with Ultron's face and a pin with Captain America. The patch I could take or leave. But I really like the pin. It's very simple, but the image the picked of Cap feels very classic. It reminds me of my dad's old Merry Marvel Marching Society stuff.

Here's the big guy. The reason most people are here: the Hulkbuster Funko Toy. Standing almost double the size of a normal Funko, it's pretty damn cool. It's got some damn fine detail and that goofy Funko smile. The head actually bobbles to add to that goofiness. This is going to probably the prize of the Funko toys that I have for a while to come.

And up above is the rest of the pack. an Ultron toy in the upcoming "Dorbz" line of toys. It's sort of like they've brought the Scottie Young Marvel kids to life. It's good looking, but I'd never have bought one myself. This actually doesn't bode great for the Collector Corps going forward. The "stylized vinyl collectible" sort of implied it was going to be a classic style Funko toy. I'm not angry that it's not because it was never explicitly promised, though it was implied. Since the Hulkbuster was a bonus for the first month, it'll be interesting to see if it's really worth it after this month. The t-shirt is cool. I got a Hulk vs. Ultron fight. It'll worm it's way into my rotation. The variant print of Guardians of the Galaxy Team Up #1 was a cool addition (always like getting comic variants), although it wasn't in a bag or board and was slightly damaged upon arrival, lowering it's collectibility. 

Overall, was it worth the $35 (after shipping and tax)? I'd say yes. The Hulkbuster and the t-shirt pretty much get it there with the other stuff being bonuses. Will it be the same in two months for Ant-Man? Only time will tell...

Oh and what was that other thing? Oh, just a Spider-Gwen sweatshirt from CoyotePop.

All-New X-Men #40 - Review

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Mahmud Asrar, Colored by Rain Beredo

Rating: 5/5.

Spoiler Free Mini-Review: This is a good book. It's a reflective book. It's about the character's reactions in the aftermath of a massive, 13-issue-long space battle for the fate of the galaxy. That's what I read comics for: insane superhero battles and seeing the "realistic," interesting ways that that can change a person.

Thor #7 - Review

Thor #7 - Written by Jason Aaron, Art by Russell Dauterman with Color by Matthew Wilson

Rating: 4/5.

Looking through my stack of comics for this week, Thor #7 was easily the one I was picking up first.

It feels right that Thor originated in "Journey into Mystery" because the most interesting part of this book has been the mystery. Who is the new Thor? Is she someone we know? It's not Jane Foster, it's not Angela, it's not Frigga. WHO ARE YOU?! But I digress. That kind of excitement? That need to get the next issue? THAT'S what most books are missing these days.

As far as that mystery is concerned, we open up on a scene that almost gives us an answer. Issue #6 left a cliffhanger that left us believing it was Roz Solomon, environmental activist and Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.. She's fighitng for the earth, a noble and selfless cause. Does that make her worthy? It certainly makes her a possibility, and a lesser known character might be a good way to go since we don't want to give up other characters who are busy doing stuff elsewhere. But of course we stop short of actual confirmation. We come so close (literally her standing over the hammer) that I almost think it's a misdirect.

We do get an awesome splash page at the end of the book. Odinson comes across the rainbow bridge with a team that is more or less comprised of every Thor suspect (other than Roz). Let's run through who's there. We've got Odinson, Frigga, Sif, Angela, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Scarlett Witch, Lorelai, Enchantress, and two other Asgardian women I can't confidently identify (Broonhilde and Hildegarde?).

They're all there to backup Thor as she faces the Destroyer. I'll be honest, although this is a cool visual, I don't really like the story that it presents. I get calling in back up, and I love that Odinson, Frigga, Sif, etc come to help but... why is Widow there? Why Jessica Drew? Captain Marvel's dealing with her own stuff (not to mention the Black Vortex), so why is she chosen to show up over say Iron Man or Wolverine? I'm all for the female empowerment at the center of this book, playing against Odin's misogyny makes for great character drama. That's part of why I started reading Thor again when this volume started. But when the only motivation for a character to be part of a team is that she's a woman... is that really moving things forward? Black Widow is a great spy and an amazingly deep character. She can hold her own in a fight, but is she going to be any help against The Destroyer? Probably not. We'll see how that unfolds next issue I suppose.

As for the rest of the story. The fight was cool. There were times that I legitimately thought this might be the end of our Thor and that Odin might get the hammer back. The psychopath duo of Roxxon and Malekith were in full insanity force when they slaughter a bunch of innocent fairies. The guys are nuts (N-V-T-S nuts!)

Overall it was solid outing with Thor. We're journeying ever closer to this mystery's answer and rumor has it issue #8 will finally give us an answer. If it does turn out to be Agent Solomon, the environmentalist superhero battling the corporate Minotaur Roxxon, could be a great dynamic. But we'll see... only time will tell.

Ant-Man #4 - Review

Before I get into the story of this issue (and it's fun, so I will), I have to take a moment to remark on the amazingly ridiculous cover. Ant Man in glorious Miami Vice style, our anti-hero Lang in a nice white suit, and best of all Grizzly: he's a man in a bear suit within a double breasted sports jacket and slacks. I don't know what it is exactly, but Grizzly standing there just fills me with geeky joy.

As for the story here, we pick up with Cassie kidnapped and Lang hell bent on getting her back. But it's the details that make this story great. Bringing back Darren Cross (who appeared in Lang's first appearance ever in Marvel Premiere #47) is a brilliant stroke. Lang has been in plenty of titles over the years but as this is his first real headlining role, it's smart to bring his origins into the picture. It gives new readers a window into his past and is a nice treat for fans who have delved deeper into Ant-Man's past.

Darren Cross: 1979 & 2015 

The other part of this series that's been so fun (and continues in this book) is the way they play with the C and D list characters. Ant-Man (as Taskmaster put it in issue #3) is a B-list hero, tops. The fun of that is that we get a much smaller story. Rather than the world and universe threatening stories of books like Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy, the simple kidnapping here actually feels more dire. Add into that the fun of details like Super-Villain Anonymous and the Machinesmith allowing a birthday party of children to attack him dressed as Avengers, and you've got a perfect recipe for a book that is simply... fun. And that'll be worth my $3.99 any day.

What'd you think of Ant-Man #4? Great callback to an origin story or lazy repeating of the past? Sound off in the comments!

Mission Statement: #GeekVent

Let me just start simple: I am a geek. I'm a big geek. If you had to measure it, I would rate 6 short-boxes. But there's something about being a geek that most people don't talk about. Something plaguing geeks everywhere. Geekangst.

What is "geekangst" (other than a word I made up)? Geekangst is that feeling you get when you just read a book, watched a show, played a game, and none of your friends has read/seen/played it. It is frustrating. It is dispiriting. It is painful. It is geekangst.

Although geekangst seems like a harmless feeling, keeping it inside can be dangerous. For most people, it bubbles under the surface, showing symptoms only in small doses: a joke no one at the dinner table understands or an occasional pushiness about the fun everyone else is missing.

But for geeks of a certain intensity, keeping geekangst untreated, can result in crazier effects. Rants about how Skyrim is really better on your second play through. Dragging of a friend or loved one to a screening they had no interest in (thus losing group movie choice privileges for extended periods of time). Taking a vague interest in the movie Spider-Man to be an invitation to talk at length about the best Spider-character to come out of Spider-Verse and how the book is almost an opening act for this summer's upcoming Secret War event, cementing it's place as some of Dan Slott's best..... see what I mean?

So what's the cure? It's simple really: the patent-pending #Geekvent™* The geek must find a way to get it out of his system. A meet up group, a podcast, a convention; there are many options. For me, that's what this blog is about. The bottom line is that I read a lot of comic books and have few people who read the same ones or on the same schedule as me. So, whenever I feel the geekangst building, I'll be here with a geekvent. 

This will often take the form of comic book reviews (sometimes full, sometimes quick, sometimes micro; sometimes new, sometimes from years and years ago). Occasionally I might just rant about a crazy theory for a TV show or upcoming movie (though most of my TV thoughts can be found on my weekly after show podcasts on Afterbuzz TV). 

That's it. Let's jump on in. Thanks for geeking out with me...



*#Geekvent is not at all patented or trademarked. Please use it. Use it everywhere. Make it a thing!