Thanos: Redemption

This is the prologue to the prologue of the start of Marvel Comics new galactic saga by Dan Abbnett & Andy Lanning.  There cosmic stories revitalized & entire section of the Marvel Universe if you don't know what I mean stop by your nearest theater & watch Guardians of the Galaxy.  Before we can get to their opening story we need to start with the Thanos maxi-series by Jim Starlin & Kieth Giffen these two stories in this series feel separate until you get to the last two issues & it brings everything full circle.  First up is a Jim Starlin story in which Thanos is contemplating his role in the universe; Starlin's writing is definitely not for the beginning comic reader his stories are wording but in a good way.  Also seeing the way Starlin plays Thanos & Adam Warlock off each other is just great.  This first story also gives readers a look at what a showdown between Thanos & Galactus would look like, talk about epic battle.  The second story sees Thanos going on a pilgrimage to the Crunch & the Kiln.  While at the Kiln he meets up with Galadiator & Peter Quill aka Star-Lord.  After a confrontation with a mortal Beyonder & the release of the first herald of Galactus, Thanos returns to his ship witness the fallout between Galactus & his first herald.  The second story is a slower read than the first but overall if you are a fan of Thanos this is definitely a book you should pick up; it gives you some insight into what makes the Mad Titan tick.  Next up is Annihilation the beginning of a new cosmic saga.

Wolverine Vol. 2: Killable

The second volume by Paul Cornell on Wolverine is the end to the fifth series but this is just the halfway point before we get to The Death of Wolverine.  I must say I really liked this volume compared to the previous one.  This book takes Logan back to his childhood home to face his greatest enemy.  I like the fact that Logan is disturbed by his mortality but still feels the need to rush into situations without regard to his own safety.  I like the way everybody is treating Wolverine with kid gloves; its like he just found out he has cancer only its different.  I wish the symbolism of the sword played out differently.  Sabretooth's team is bad-ass there is no other way to put it & I hope they become a bigger force to be reckoned with.  I really like smart mastermind Sabretooth & I am really looking forward to what is done with him once Wolverine dies.  Who will he go up against similar to the way Norman Osborn went from being a Spider-Man villain to an Avengers villain.  This book is also a time team up between Logan & Kitty Pryde.  It showcases how their mentoring relationship has changed over time.  I also like the pairing of Storm & Wolverine as a couple, she is a great rock for him to cling to as he goes through this trial.  I think it would have been really cool if Sabretooth or Mystique were responsible for bringing the virus out of the micro-verse that took Wolverine's healing factor instead of them utilizing the opportunity for their own gains.  It would have made them even more diabolical & brought them up to big bad status for the whole Marvel Universe

Wolverine Vol. 1: Hunting Season

This is the first volume of the fifth Wolverine series to be put out by Marvel.  This is also a new jumping on point for the character after the Age of Ultron event & the first volume of Paul Cornell's run on the character.  This story is kind of bland for an opening arc of a new series but it does have a great cliff hanger ending, that sets up for the next story arc.  Which is great but this volume as a stand alone leaves a lot to be desired.  First of all the reader is kind of thrown into the middle of the everything from the opening page.  I kind of wish there was a little bit of build up to the department store hostage situation.  The team-up of Wolverine & Nick Fury Jr. seems a little forced & awkward in its execution.  Maybe its the fact that Fury Jr. is so new; that the character hasn't really found a voice yet.  I did like the fact that the big bad of this story arc was from the micro-verse but the lead up to it was kind of clunky.  Overall this isn't a great Wolverine story but I have high expectations for what this story will lead to.  Paul Cornell's entire run is leading up to the Charles Soule written Wolverine story arc entitled The Death of Wolverine.

Sheltered Vol. 2

The shit has hit the fan & Lucas is losing is control over Safe Haven.  A group of delivery men arrive with solar panels that Lucas's father had ordered prior the children's coup.  Tensions are high from the first page on throughout the book.  Kids with itchy trigger fingers equals a lot of bad decisions several kids die in this volume.  One of the kids to by the farm in this volume was Curtis, finally that little shite got what he had coming to him.  It is a shame though this volume ends on even more of a cliff hanger than the previous one, I would like to think that the third delivery man who ran through the woods & killed to survive is still alive.  Judging by how quickly the pace picked up in this volume I have a feeling this is not going to be a long series.  By the end of this volume both Lucas & Victoria have lost something & someone.

Superman, Action Comics Vol. 4: Hybrid

I heard the story of how Andy Diggle was taking over Action Comics after Grant Morrison's run.  Diggle would be partnering with artist Tony Daniel for his upcoming run.  This was promoted by DC heavily for months prior to their actual first issue launch.  Shortly after the first issue came out Andy Diggle left the book.  Reasons for Diggle's departure are still unclear probably something to do with editorial since DC has been having lots of those as of late.  Tony Daniel took over writing responsibilities for the rest of the Hybrid arc using Diggle's notes.  Now on to the story the Hybrid arc at the beginning of this volume was actually really cool Tony Daniels art is top notch, his writing however is still clunky.  The first issue by Andy Diggle is a nice throwback to the characterization of Superman from Pre-New 52  The arc overall is a great Luther vs. Superman story that I would love to built upon the characterization of Lex Luther in this story is above any & all expectations,  The second arc in this book is not as good as the first it is by Scott Lobdell building into his run on the Superman title.  Lobdell's arc's in this volume are somewhat confusing unless you have been reading his run.  The final issue in this volume is part of the Psi War story arc which taking place in the other Superman title.  I think Lobdell was put on Action Comics after Diggle's departure as an emergency writer but also to bring some uniformity to the Superman line of titles for DC.  This is really a stand alone volume because of the Hybrid arc but other than that it is a cluster frak of stories.  DC really needs to change up how they create their collected editions because compared to Marvel & Image comics, they are severely lacking in cohesion.

Neverwhere

This is probably one of Neil Gaiman's greatest works outside of Sandman.  Neverwhere is very similar to another story by Gaiman, Stardust.  The difference is that in Stardust Tristran Thorn embraces that word that he has ventured into where Richard Mayhew can't wait to get home to London above.  It is only when he returns to London above that he realizes everything he could have ever wanted was beneath his feet in London below.  The story is your basic group quest adventure in which Richard Mayhew is kind of just tagging along for the ride until he meets the black friars & goes through the ordeal.  Telling anymore would spoil the story for those who are not already familiar with the tale.  I really wish Gaiman would follow up this story in some way preferably with more books.  It seems that this is just a taste of what awaits in London below.  If anything this makes me want to pick up more of Neil Gaiman's prose work.

Manifest Destiny Vol. 1: Flora & Fauna

Everyone knows the story of Lewis & Clark,  it is one of the great tales of American history.  But for the majority of knowing public they only know of the story in the broadest sense.  They know that Lewis & Clark traveled with Sacagawea from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean, but the rest is sort of a mystery unless you go digging for the info.  Such is the premise of Manifest Destiny, in which the general knowledge is known about Lewis & Clark but that just serves as the foundation for this new tale by Chris Dingess & Matthew Roberts.  Chris Dingess has crafted a scary almost alien frontier for Lewis & Clark's expedition to travel through but hes has also given them a secondary assignment to mapping out & exploring the region.  Matthew Roberts art is phenomenal not in characters per-say but in the way he creates the landscape I really love the way the scenery is rendered.  This is another awesome book from Image Comics, the place to go for something different.

Sheltered Vol. 1

Children are chaotic & unpredictable in times of strife.  Sheltered a pre-apocalyptic story that is in the vein of Lord of the Flies.  Imagine if you can that the Governor from The Walking Dead is a teenager & that he is one of your best friends.  Then imagine what would happen if all of your friends & their families got together to build a community that would live off grid in case disaster struck.  Now imagine what your best friend would do in that situation.  Lucas is not the blonde haired blue eyed spoiled boy king that Joffrey was but he is dang close.  This story is allegorical in a way by showcasing what happens if children were in charge with guns.  Like the movie I Declare War which takes a childhood game & turns it into a harsh reality.  In fact part of me hopes that he is vindicated in is belief that the volcano will blow up but that it leads to his death as well because just by his actions alone he deserves to die.  Victoria is shaping up to be a bad-ass & I hope that continues.  This first volume was all set up but it is shaping up nicely I look forward to picking up the next title in this series.

2 Guns

Occasionally there are those rare moments when movies are made from books or comic books in this case that surpass & improve upon the source material.  Just a few that come to mind are Red, Kick-Ass & L.A. Confidential.  I really enjoyed the 2 Guns movie but the book was a little wordy & the big show down at the end is a little anti climactic.  That's not to say that it didn't have its good points like Deb being the Commander's daughter was a nice touch.  However the book just didn't have the comradery develop that the movie did.  If you want to see what inspired the movie pick this up, but if your just interested in a good story to kill some time the movie is good enough.

Superman, Action Comics Vol. 3: At the End of Days

Like most if not all of Grant Morrison's work this is best read as a collection or in this case a group of collections.  I can see why people reading this in single issues would be confused beyond belief it is a serious fraking mess when you look at any single issue especially the later ones.  By the end of this third volume I have to say Morrison crafted one hell of a story that is full of twist and mind fraks at every turn.  By the time you get to the third volume you begin to realize that Morrison's entire New 52 Superman run is one big Mxyzptlk story.  Except this time Mxyzptlk isn't a villain instead he is a hero of some sort, the true villain of this encounter is Vyndktvx another magician from the 5th Dimension.  Overall Morrison has crafted a Superman story of biblical proportions the only thing I wish had been left out was the references to the "Death & Return of Superman" story arc.  If that had not been referenced then it would have made this story feel like a complete reboot.  Another gem of Grant Morrison's Superman run are the back up stories written by Sholly Fisch.  Her back ups have brought this sense of wonder & awe that reminds me of the Superman I grew up with in contrast to the Superman that Morrison is crafting.  In the future I hope DC giving her full creative control of character to craft & broaden the fan-base.  I would love to see what Grant Morrison could do if DC planned a reboot where he had the ability to craft every character as he sees fit.  Morrison's true gift as a writer is in mining the material & creating something entirely out of left field.  I would really like to see a grand epic from Morrison in which he crafts a universe of characters similar to what Brian K. Vaughan & Mark Millar do on a regular basis.  If he could do that I think he would truly be on his way to being considered one of the great comic book scribes of all time up there with the likes of Alan Moore, Stan Lee & Jack Kirby.