MATTERS OF MIND: Whispers, Mind the Gap, Mind MGMT

Vaguely thematic post alert!


This week, I take in three of the most interesting psychological thriller / tenuously related by themes of the brain, and the fucking therewith and bending thereof. Hold on to your heads...

raaaargh

WHISPERS is the debut solo comic book by Joshua Luna, who is one half of the Luna Brothers, responsible for hit comics GIRLS (which I took a look at earlier in the year) and THE SWORD (which I've not read but have been told great things about). A limited series of 6, three issues have been published to date. The book has a lot in common with its predecessor (Girls) in that the protagonist at least begins as quite a dislikeable character. Sam is an obsessive compulsive twentysomething (although this is just the tip of the iceberg in the myriad of social soap operas he and Luna's other characters inhabit). One night he discovers he has the ability of astral projection - cue some forays into high concept eavesdropping and floating out of body weirdness - but this ability soon shows itself to be much more, with Sam realising he is able to bend people to his will. As he struggles with learning the limits of his new gift, he begins to realise he may share this astral plane with a creature that may not be entirely friendly... The art is as engaging and clear as in Girls and the atmosphere genuinemly creepy. Worth picking up issues 1-3 as I don't believe they sold out...

 

MIND THE GAP is a new ongoing, again from Image, written by Jim McCann and pencilled by Rodin Esquejo (whose art you may recognise from his excellent Morning Glories covers). Its first double-sized issue debuted in May and sold out instantly. I'll start by saying that the plot is uber-dense. You have to decide, perhaps even more so than in Esquejo's other title, if you're going to be in for the long haul or not. The mystery begins in issue 1 as our protagonist Ellie is attacked on a subway platform and left for dead. Across its ambitious 48 pages, we are introduced to her family and friends as we learn of the circumstances of the accident...although we don't really learn much, as McCann is clearly a master of red herrings and subtle clues, which no doubt will not be resolved until much, much later. And so, poor Ellie is in a coma, watching her tragedy unfold from - you guessed it - some sort of astral plane, where she's essentially got to solve her own attempted murder in her own unconscious mind. I have to confess, I wasn't absorbed enough by the mystery to delve further into it. No doubt it will be intricate and well plotted, and rewarding to those who stick with it... but right now I'm going to leave Ellie to work it out on her own.

 

MIND MGMT, however, has me hooked. Its first issue, from Dark Horse Originals and published last month, is probably in my top 5 of the year. Simply put, it's got an arresting premise combined with an arresting visual style; combined this creates the kind of absorbing comic book you just don't see every week. Right down to the choice of paper, the subtle snippets of non-information that pepper the edges of the page, and the haunting painted art, this is fucking classy stuff. The opening issue knows that it owes a lot to 'event' TV series such as Lost, even down to the 'big happening' occurring on a plane, even numbering the flight 815 in a not-so-subtle reference. The 'big happening' in question is that everyone on flight 815 gets spontaneous amnesia at the same time, which may not sound that massive, but the way Kindt plays it out is masterful. Some time after the flight, we meet Meru, a journalist desperate to solve the mystery of what happened on the flight. Cue much jetsetting, espionage, chasing and MYSTERY of the highest order! Only two issues in, but this really is one to put on the pull list. 

Next week: What have the G1-continuity Transformers been up to for the last 21 years? 

When Gotham is bricks, you have my permission to fly - Lego Batman 2

Let me start this with a proviso. I may not have the in-depth knowledge of comics as my fellow contributors, but I do fucking love them, including their many media spin offs. That’ll probably be my little ‘niche’ for the site, just babbling about comics that have been adapted into films and video entertainment games and the variable successes that brings.

Superhero 101: have a mean looking snarl/scowl

Of course I had to start with Batman. With the pants-wetting excitement leading up to the Dark Knight Rises (I heard a drill that sounded like the DERRRRR from the soundtrack, I almost had palpitations in the street) DC have joined up with Lego to bring out Lego Batman 2, DC Super Heroes. I have to admit, when I first heard about it I was somewhat skeptical. The first Lego Batman had been dull, with too much repetition, not enough ‘in jokes’ and too much repetition.



'HMhmhmpffhhHmrMMpH!!'



The first thing that you notice about Lego Batman 2 is the graphics. Now, that isn’t something you’d really expect to say about a Lego game, but stick with me. Gotham looks beautiful. From the imposing nature of Wayne Tower, to the creepy warped Arkham Asylum, you will spend hours running (or flying) around getting frustrated when you struggle to work out where you’re going – but more on that later.

*insert Nolan-esque DERRRRRR/BRAAAAAAHM here*

The plot is fun and engaging. Bruce Wayne has beaten President elect Lex Luthor in the ‘Man of the Year Awards’. Lex gets his tech out for the lads and joins up with the Joker and the gallery of rogues from Gotham to gain Presidency through illicit means. It’s your job to stop him…but in a child friendly manner.

for a Lego guy, Lex really does have some rocking cheekbones...

There are two things that are a first for any Lego release in this game. 1) Alongside the levels you can free-roam in Gotham 2) The Lego speak. I cannot emphasise how much the second point makes for a much MUCH more enjoyable game. Although they couldn’t secure the services of Kevin Connolly (the definitive Bat-voice) and Mark Hamill for the Joker, the fact that they say anything makes it a lot more fun from the outset. It leads to some of the best interplay moments between Batman and Superman, which is one of the true highlights of the game.

The World's Finest AKA Bro's for Life

Apart from those changes it is still very much a Lego release. You go round smashing everything in sight to collect the precious coins to use later in the game. Swapping between characters with different skills to complete challenges keeps it fresh and a big plus. In total there are 50 playable characters in this game. I had to look some of them up, as it starting getting a little ridiculous.





according to Wikipedia these guys are Green Justice and Captain Fasto...



As the story goes on, more characters are introduced. Playing as Superman is FUN. I’m not a massive S-MAN fan per-se, but being able to fly around the levels, burning things with heat vision and being indestructible is a little different from stuck-on-the-ground Batman. I even text Tweed after a level to find out what was the best Superman comic to buy as I was so won over.

FYI All Star Suparman is the best one...NO ARGUEMENTS

The main problem is…the main storyline is too short. Just as I feel it’s getting going with different possibilities it finishes. Then you return to the old Lego staple, repeating the levels with your new unlocked characters to collect coins and unlockable trophies. It’s too soon to become repetitive, and although you can now free-roam, I also became a bit blasé and soon the soundtrack (taken from the respective films – apart from Green Lantern…which sucked) becomes less spine tingling. I hate myself for saying that. Sorry Johnny Williams.

YOU EVEN SUCK IN LEGO FORM, YOU JADE JERK-OFF!



There is one area where Lego Batman 2 has a leg-up over other Batman games: the ability to travel around Gotham in your Bat-vehicle of choice. I admit to becoming a little excited when I first realised this, even making my girlfriend stop what she was doing so she could watch me drive the Batmobile around the mean streets of Gotham. I am sure that confirmed to her what a catch I was.



'It's the car, chicks dig the car....'



This is never going to be the same level as your Arkham series, but it does a mighty fine job of making a version that is applicable for the younger generation, whilst still making it engaging for a seasoned old-time gamer. I will go back and try to unlock all the characters, but my light for the game has already faded a little. 7/10.

Marvel Movies Phase Two

San Diego Comic Con took place this weekend, traditionally (for me, anyway!) this time of year is like Nerd-Christmas! New comics are announced, The Big Two reveal their plans for the rest of the year, movies are previewed and...I could go on but I'm sure you get the jist.

The Marvel Studios Panel was always going to be an exciting affair. Still riding high from The Avengers Marvel Studios could have announced a Batroc the Leaper movie and I would have lapped it up like an eager puppy!

i can think of a couple more things to add your list, Batroc...

They didn't announce a Batroc the Leaper movie (seriously, this guy is real look!) but they did reveal the next 'phase' of Marvel Studios movie.universe. Universe, as it turns out, is now a much more apt description of what Marvel are building....but, as ever, more on that later.

(caveat: you might need some spare pairs of underpants, don't say I didn't warn you)

Let's talk sequels first of all, the three primary Avengers have a film series of their own now and the Iron Man films in particular are great examples of a character having their own little corner of the universe to run around in, carving a distinct niche. Watching the Iron Man, Cap and Thor films now, having seen them all on screen together in The Avengers, only reaffirms that. Cap is the man out of time, Iron Man has the tech-espionage on lock-down and Thor can pretty much visit any of the Nine Realms! 

Thor has earned a sequel Thor: the Dark World, due next November, will hopefully see a lot more of these Nine Realms mention in the first film (we saw the frost giant realm pretty bad ass). It is also worth noting that this will be directed by Alan Taylor who has directed Game of Thrones..including both extremely awesome season finales!

Game of Thrones is AWESOME

Captain America also gets a sequel, The Winter Soldier arrives in 2014 and is based on the character created by Ed Brubaker in his run on the comic. Winter Soldier is Bucky, Cap's best buddy who (in the film, at least) fell off a science-Nazi train to his 'death' and (in the comics) is resurrected by the Russians, so he is like a communist Captain America!

in communist Russia, skin tight metal sleeves wear YOU...

Again, this sounds great, Marvel are being creative and using characters they actually have the rights for (Fox own the movie rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four, Sony own Spider-Man) and some fan favourites are being made real....DO YOU PEOPLE REALISE HOW GOD DAMN LUCKY YOU ARE!!!

Award for the sequel I'm most excited about goes to Iron Man 3, out next May. JESUS CHRIST IN REVERSE I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS FILM. It is loosely based on the Warren Ellis Iron Man mini-series, Extremis. In Extremis an experimental techno-biological virus is injected into a  vengeful nutcase and to defeat him Tony Stark pretty much has to change his biology to become...something else!

*guttural sex noise*

Whilst I doubt Marvel will stick totally to the Extremis mini-series (it IS pretty brutal, you should read it!) I think some things will be brought across, chiefly the evolution of Tony's armour and how he has to evolve with it. The concept art above, to me anyway, looks like the gauntlet has flown across the room onto his arm, by the end of Iron Man 3 will we see Tony Stark suit up like this:

work it, girl!

I certainly FUCKING hope so!

Ben Kingsley is slated to appear as classic Iron Man baddie, The Mandarin! Which is very cool indeed. Hopefully they will use The Mandarin as he appears in Fraction and Larocca's Iron Man run; a self deluded, alien power ring wielding playboy/despot!

did i forget to mention MANSABADMAN!

Iron Man 3 excites me the most because out  of all the comics Iron Man's roster of villains is most ridiculous and I'm anticipating anything being thrown at me, could Iron Man 3 give us the first glimpses of a cinematic version of M.O.D.O.K?

dear god, i hope so....

But the two most exciting things announced by Marvel Studios were the new films slated for 2014. You'll be needing those fresh undies at the ready soon.

Ant-Man is getting his own movie directed by Edgar Wright, of Spaced and Scott Pilgrim fame! Wright has a great visual style and I think that this could be a really unique film. Imagine the super hero-y bits from Scott Pilgrim ramped up with a bigger budget.

do you want ants? cos that how you get ants!

The character of Ant-Man is a firm fan favourite and was present even in the earliest incarnations of The Avengers. I want Ant-Man in the next Avengers movie and I want 'loveable rogue' Nathan Fillion to play him. Joe Cornish (of Adam and Joe fame) is meant to be writing for this film too, seriously excited!

get Hollywood on line one! we just found their Ant-Man!

But the most pant wettingly exciting announcement was that in 2014 we will be sitting down in the cinema to watch a Guardians of the Galaxy movie! holy shitsnacks!

what's the collective noun for a group of bad asses? an awesome of badasses?

For the uninitiated the Guardians of the Galaxy are a band of intergalactic heroes that live in the hollowed out head of a dead Celestial and count amongst their ranks a talking Raccoon, a walking tree, a telepathic Russian dog and a dude called Starlord. They inhibit the 'Cosmic' part of the Marvel universe and have frequent run-in's with Silver Surfer, Thanos and the Inhumans. 


So that's your universe right there! We have the weird, supernatural elves and frost giants covered thanks to Thor and now we can safely assume that future Marvel films will have an even bigger scope! the fact that Thanos briefly appears at the end of Avengers proves that Marvel know what they are doing here. Are we going to see an big screen incarnation of the classic Infinity Gauntlet storyline?

fuck yeah!

So, exciting times ahead! Marvel sure know how to get me reaching for my wallet with out fail, at least for the films. I'll see you back here in 2018 for my scathing review of the Batroc the Leaper film!

the ball is in your court Marvel, bring Batroc to the big screen...

The IFLC Review: The Walking Dead #100 *MAJOR SPOILERS*

First... a personal note.

I'm delighted to return to I FUCKING LOVE COMICS, this time as a regular contributor. The owner of this here fine blog, Andrew, has been instrumental in rekindling a love of comics I never knew I had over the last few years, and I'm here to do the boy proud.

It's fitting that my first post as a regular contributor is a review of The Walking Dead #100, as it's this book which, three or so years ago, sent me on a journey which currently involves an insatiable hunger for not only new books but an overwhelming desire to explore the biggest and best from the last 70 years. In the time since I picked up that first hardcover, The Walking Dead has grown from a word-of-mouth hit among zombie fans to one of the best known properties in the entertainment industry. It's the 'The Wire' of comics - a small readership in the early noughties loyally tuning in to each new episode, growing into a larger fanbase who buy and share boxsets - you get the gist. TWD has grown exponentially in the last two years, too, with its TV adaptation one of the highest rated shows in cable history (despite its erratic dips in quality, the last half of season 2 was solid - and season 3 is looking great).

And so, this brings us to a landmark 100th issue of the monthly comic. The advertising has gone into overdrive in the last few months, ramping up production on the comic to every three weeks in order to get #100 out in SDCC week. Advertising such as this cryptic and ominous teaser:

Who is Lucille? One idea a friend had was that it would be the wife of none other than TV show fan favourite Daryl Dixon, who Robert Kirkman has dropped hints may be joining the comic continuity imminently...

...if only.

Expectations for this issue have been high. Personally, and perhaps many of you will share this, I was dreading this issue being an 'event massacre' along the lines of the 'No One Is Safe' (#44-48) and 'No Way Out' (#80-84) arcs, in which our survivors might face an insurmountable threat of invaders, whether human or inhuman. The current arc, 'Something to Fear', has built up this expectation in a similar manner to earlier 'threat' stories, with the looming presence of the mysterious Negan hanging over the group. And the setup on the final page of #99 indicated we might be seeing something similar in #100.

Not so. Issue 100 is a wonderfully crafted, horrifically sadistic pleasure, full of self-reference. Negan does appear, as do his followers, to put Rick and the other survivors in their place. A few pages of delicate character moments in, followed by an eerie calm as Rick, Glenn, Maggie, Sophia, Heath, Carl and Michonne stop their vehicle in the dead of night. The panels unfold with palpable tension as Rick drifts off on his watch. The final two panels are beautiful in their subtle ominosity.

...and everything that follows is brutal and gripping. Instead of a huge fight, Rick finds himself at Negan's mercy, and soon, the remainder of the group do too, lined up to meet Lucille...

And from this point, we're at Negan and Lucille's (or rather, Kirkman and his script's) mercy. Negan becomes Kirkman's stand-in as he toys with the group, toying with his reader at the same time. Every fan knows that anyone can go at any time in this book, and everyone has been very prepared to say goodbye to one of the gang's mainstays, especially since Abraham was unceremoniously killed off in issue 98. Kirkman really addresses his fans and critics alike on the following pages, debating to himself which of his characters he should kill.

"A mother and child... No way I can kill you," Negan says to Maggie, in a wink to the events of #48 in which Lori Grimes was shot to death and fell upon the infant Judy. Kirkman continues in Negan's voice, this time turning to Carl, "What's the story on this future serial killer?... I can't kill you before your story ends." To Heath, Glenn and Michonne, he brings up the "Race Card" - a nod to the many times Kirkman has had to answer for killing off black characters in the book. And to Rick -  "You? How stupid do you think I am? You're practically invincible."

Of course, someone has to meet Lucille, and after a few more tense pages, poor Glenn is 'it'. I'm not going to print the panels here, mostly because you won't feel it as much seeing it here as if you're turning those pages. As my friend James remarked today, Charlie Adlard really steps up his game here, getting the chance to draw some extra detail in 4 oversized panels and a harrowing splash page at the end of the ordeal. Rest assured, this is pretty fucking grim and you may not feel ok afterwards. Negan's casual taunts throughout are as heavy as Lucille's blows.

The issue ends with Negan's promise that the survivors are entering a new world, one in which they will work for him. It's a portentous warning which sets the stage for what could be a genuine rejuvenation for this title.

Although there have been moments of brilliance, and the narrative has remained engrossing, things haven't really been the same since that fateful day when our characters left the prison. Even last year's 'No Way Out' event managed to shoot itself in the foot by effectively negating the zombies as a threat, with a post-battle emphasis on establishing a new world order and a realisation that with organisation, human beings could beat zombies. The quieter arcs since have built on this idea with the introduction of other characters and the Hilltop community (special mention to my favourite new character Jesus) but all this time, we've been missing the Governor, the Shane; the nemesis. The antithesis to Rick's ideals. In Negan, perhaps we've found a greater villain even than the Governor.

I guess we'll see how it pans out in #101...

but for now...

Ta ta.

Aaaaaand we're back!

Welcome back, everyone!

This post is me blowing the metaphorical dust off the cover of an old (and I guess probably also metaphorical) book. 

Its has been 3 months to the day since I last brain-farted a collection of words about comics on to/into the intertubes.

"Why the long wait, asshole?" I hear my legions of devoted fans screaming! 

Well the truth is I guess I wasn't totally satisfied with it....so me and my blog had a trial separation. After extensive couples therapy we hashed out an agreement. The fruits of which will become apparent in the coming weeks (also more on that later, impatient pants!) 

In the months I've been away (training in the ways of the samurai in a secluded dojo, if you must know) I feel my place as a Nerd (capital N)  in this world has changed, allow me to explain using flowery language and annotated pictures...

classy.....

So Avengers came out! or....sorry...Marvel's Avengers Assemble as it was called over here in the UK (fyi: I don't know anyone who called it that and I will administer harsh Chinese burns to anyone that does) 

To say I was excited was an understatement, in fact I think when people ask if I was looking forward to the film my exact response was 'I'm RIGID with excitement'....so, yeah....

The film its self was incredible. Once I got past the fact my actual,god-damn,since childhood obsession with comic books had lead me to the cinema on a rainy Monday in April to watch a film about The mother fucking Avengers. Once I got past the prospect of seeing Robert Downey Jr play Tony Stark AGAIN! Once I got past the fact Joss Whedon had directed and written the whole shebang I was presented with the first few minutes of the film. To be totally honest for about four minutes of the film I was scared I had raised this film on to high a pedestal for it to actually be any good. After the film was over I was straight on the phone trying to find my nearest pedestal extension company. IT WAS INCREDIBLE.

*guttural sex noise*

Avengers is tremendous amounts of fun, usually when people describe a film as fun its used almost as a distraction from the fact the film is awful but this film is not awful, sir! oh no!

Its almost as if the film itself as an entity (stick with me this is going somewhere) is aware of the sort of film it is and has to be. It delivers everything an Avengers film and everything a comic book film should deliver.

 I was reminded of when I first saw the Ang Lee Hulk film (you know the Eric Bana one) and how frustrating it was watching the Hulk actually skulk about in the shadows and mope when all I really wanted to see was Hulk smashing things in glorious, fucking hi-def. In Avengers Hulk smashes things and gets all the best lines. Its like the film has read my mind.

JUST FUCKING SMASH SOMETHING YOU PRICK!

Avengers throws you right in to the action at the start and doesn't take it's foot off the gas for the duration. It squeezes lots of action and cool set pieces (the fight between Cap, Iron Man and Thor is just pure cinematic sex) in but doesn't neglect the character development. 

I'm no massive fan of Joss Whedon but the epsiodes of Buffy and Firefly I have seen are great, he does ensemble casts very well. I always liked the way he twisted character tropes ever-so slightly to create a bunch of misfits in Buffy (and in what I have seen of Firefly) that you can't help but be drawn to. Whedons script for Avengers is funny but also has the feeling that we are listening in genuine conversation. The dynamic between Tony Stark and Bruce banner is beautiful and hilarious.

........

Watching Avengers is like sitting down and reading a big graphic novel (Civil War, maybe) all in one go. It's bright, glossy, satisfying and very very funny. 

Avengers has done two things: It has proved that super hero films don't have to be cheesy and limp (i'm looking at you Green Lantern) and it has exposed a lot of people to characters that have existed for decades. It has made new nerds...FUCK YES!

My good friend Mark described the Avengers as 'fucking bliss' I i totally fucking agree.

The second really cool nerdy thing I did in last few months is go to Kapow Comic con. I had never been to a con and I was very eager to get stuck in. Mark and I ventured down to the Business Design Centre in London for both days. It was awesome for many reasons.

i had an 'alright' time...

Costumed lovelies aside I think both myself and Mark agreed the weekend totally justified our nerdiness. Meeting artists and writers was weird but really exciting, flicking through box after box of comics was bordering on Zen-like and just being in an environment filled with people that are passionate about comics was somehow calming.


Personally I met Frank Quietly, Shaky Kane (who did me an awesome sketch of a Hateful Dead zombie from Bulletproof Coffin), Scott Snyder and Becky Cloonan. I was also in attendance for the 'Audience with Warren Ellis' which was great. Ellis is so sarcastic and belligerent but somehow warm and funny. During his 45 minute talk he consumed 3 Red Bull drinks and continuously pulled on an E-Cigarette. Main piece of advice from Warren Ellis for any writers in the audience was 'if you don't write every day, you aren't a writer'. Pretty clear.


So with my Nerd power now at level over 9000 I left Kapow even more resolute in my love of comics and determined to put more effort into my own projects.

this probably now qualifies as a 'vintage' meme in internet years..

The final part of this nerdy trifecta is a one-two punch of such planet shattering awesomeness you may wish to sit down with a stiff drink. 


Pretty much within a month I attended a free lecture at The Contemporary in Nottingham. The guests were Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie. Very fucking cool. Moore spoke broadly about his career and some of his stuff (Promethea, From Hell etc) and gave his opinions of modern comics as a money making machine. He also stroked his beard a lot and flicked his long, grey hair over his shoulders like some sort of badass, fuckin' warlock.

i repeat: BADASS FUCKIN' WARLOCK

Melinda Gebbie was very warm and reassuring. When taking questions from the assembled masses about how they got into the field of comics they both came across very encouraging and positive. Alans remarked 'all you need to be a writer is a biro and a piece of paper' and Melinda said 'you don't need anyone's permission to be creative'. I walked out of this experience feeling so focussed on my own endeavour (I had attended this talk with Matt, my co-conspirator in the world of comic making) and daunted by the prospectof hammering away at a medium I love for as many years as Moore and Gebbie had.


A few weeks later I was lucky enough to meet Dave Gibbons, He of 'I co-created Watchmen' fame. Gibons was in conversation at Confetti (again, in Nottingham) and he spoke about his career, his involvement in some of the greatest works of sequential art ever committed to paper, his involvement in video games and Hollywood's adaptation of Watchmen.

also: big blue wangs...

Gibbons was very cool, the most interesting parts of it all for me were the little insights in to his professional life, he spoke about converting his garage into a drawing studio and earning $28,000 for basically tracing something for the Watchmen film. It was encouraging to see someone who had been so successful both artistically and financially! 


Gibbons was also kind enough to sign my copy of Watchmen, he scrawled a sketch of Rorschach in the blink of an eye and it is awesome. 




So...a pretty hectic three months nerd-wise (I also built a replica arc reactor and saw Avengers 2 more times). 


Three months ago I was enthusiastic about all things Nerd but now I realise I'm a lifer. I have a lot of opinions and things to say about this niche interest. That's why I started this blog. 


So in the coming weeks I will be welcoming aboard two more regular contributors and co-conspirators, think of them as the Bruce Banner and Thor to my (admittedly shambolic and nowhere near as rich) Tony Stark.


There will be new posts from Mark and Ed in the next week or so and just generally more activity, more guest posts from more contributors and general bullshit!

and not to mention more hilariously captioned pictures..

So, short version; Blog is alive, stay tuned.

Avengers VS X-Men #1 by (mainly) Brian Michael Bendis and John Romita Jr

Marvel's annual 'big summer event' is like that ex boy/girlfriend that you always keep going back to, knowing full well that nothing will change and it will be a waste of time for everyone involved. But you still go back, time after time.....

look at it, so seductive...but i know you will break my heart

I spoke, at length, before here about Marvel's previous successes and failures in the big summer crossover blockbuster department. After last years great on paper but in reality a bt dull Fear Itself event I felt let down. So it was with apprehension I purchased the first issue of Avengers VS X-Men (from here on; AVX). I read it, I read it again. I liked what I read.

Much has been made of AVX as a 'great jumping on point' for new readers, hoping to cash in on the release of the upcoming Avengers movie this month. Marvel say this a lot, mainly to sell comics, but this time they have at least successful created an issue with minimal backstory that, in theory at least, anyone could pick up and genuinely enjoy. 

The kernel of the story is thus: The Phoenix Force is carving a bloody path toward earth, devouring any planet in its path. It is searching for a host and has selected young mutant Hope Summers. The Avengers decide to take Hope into custody to prevent planet-wide destruction, the X-Men object and a fight ensues. Its hardly Watchmen, it's basically an excuse for some fighting.

that is one angry, destructive cosmic entity...

Big dumb plot, all locked and loaded and ready to go right there!

AVX is written by, deep breath, Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman and Matt Fraction and is illustrated by John Romita Jr, Olivier Copiel and Adam Kubert. There is some seriously hefty talent involved in this. I am a huge fan of all the writers non-Marvel work (Powers, Fatale, Casanova etc). Each writer will be scripting a three issue 'act' of the twelve issue series and pencils will be handled by a different artist on each act.

This issue starts as I hope the rest of the series will will go on. Within the first few pages a member of the cosmic gaurdians, The Nova Force crash lands in NYC, taking out a plane and a skyscraper in the process. The Avengers a forced into action, showcasing why the are 'The Earths Mightiest Heroes'. They are also The Worlds Wittiest Heroes, Bendis knows his way around dialogue and has been writing the Avengers for the last decade. The dialogue in the wholes Nova crashing to earth scene in textbook Bendis, Spider-man is jokey, Cap is super serious, Iron Man is arrogant and jovial....But far from feeling phoned in the writing in this scene and the whole issue is terse but deft, progressing the story at a snappy pace.

could be Obama...

The Avengers are very much 'the good guys' in this scrap. Captain America and Iron Man are seen briefing the President of the USA on the arrival of the Phoenix Force and are working alongside the Government to protect the planet. The X-Men, however, are painted as the kinda bad guys in the first issue (only really because of Cyclops' attitude but i'll get to that in a bit). As a species, the mutants have not had much luck of late. With their numbers reduced to a couple of hundred due to a cataclysm that depowered 85% of the mutant population the remaining mutants moved to their island home, Utopia and then suffered a schism which divided the X camp down the middle. Wolverine decided to open a school for mutants, Cyclops decided to stay on Utopia and go all weird and a bit crazy...

...cos, you know, he  IS a dick..

Cyclops believes the Phoenix Force can bring 'rebirth' to the mutant species and is not willing to let The Avengers compromise his species salvation.

The X-Men half of this comic should be called 'What's Eating Scott Summers?' The last few years have been tough on Cyclops and it's nice to have a ringside seat in his nervous breakdown, dude zaps Captain America so best believe he is crazy with a capital MENTAL! 

My friend Tom said that this comic is like 'the locker room script to a wrestling match'...it SO is...and it is brilliant!

where's Jake 'The Snake' Roberts when you need him?...

The art in this comics is just stunning, I'm really excited to see Romita drawing the X-Men again, he makes every character so unique. Cyclops is tall and thin, I swear he is looking more and more like Black Bolt these days....which is kinda appropriate if you think about it.

there is not a lots else to say really....its a big, dumb, cool fight comic written and drawn by some amazing talent. I really, really hope Marvel don't fuck it up.....

Guest Post Recommendation: Girls by the Luna Brothers

OK, so as with most books, I'm a little late to the party. Girls was published monthly by Image between 2005 and 2007, and is probably on a great deal of people's radars already. Nonetheless, having read all 24 issues cover to cover in only a couple of sittings - it's that good - I feel compelled to share my thoughts with you, readers of this here blog. Once again, Andrew has kindly allowed me to do so.

The interesting thing about Girls, for me, is that I was spellbound from the art from the very first second I saw the trade covers out of the corner of my eye. There is something incredible about the way the Luna Brothers' Girls are drawn and coloured; simple, beautiful nude figures surrounded by minimal backgrounds. Each single issue cover, too, pictures one of the Girls in a slightly different framing, a variation on a theme, compelling and interesting... that's what you want your book to do though right? To leap out? Interestingly, overheard a conversation in my local store the other day where a guy and girl were discussing this very thing and pointed out the cover of Fatale #4 as leaping out of the rack with a startling, simple image - I wholeheartedly agreed - and that's what the art in Girls is like.


Luckily, there is a story to match the art, which expands upon its simple concept over 24 issues masterfully, growing from a seed of a story to a multi-layered set of separate conflicts. The structure of the story mirrors the plot itself, which begins with our main protagonist Ethan ostracising himself from the remainder of his 63-strong community of Pennystown by denouncing women in a bar while on a drinking bender. I have to admit, this put me off the book at first, as I was worried it might border on the misogynist, which it doesn't really. Ethan does get a pretty hard time during the remainder of the book for the crap he says. (Again - interesting aside - Joshua Luna's recent Whispers has a pretty unlikeable protagonist but judging by last week's issue 2 that story will expand and flesh him out too. Give it a read).

Following Ethan's outburst, he's driving home when he sees a beautiful nekkid chick walking along the roadside. Naturally he picks her up with the intention of taking care of her, but being a weak man who thinks with his junk, he ends up banging her later that night. Questionable morality is all over this book! Especially given the girl doesn't say anything very much apart from mimic others' words, making Ethan's decision to do the wild thing with her a little more iffy. But Ethan's opened a bigger can of worms than you might think, as when he wakes in the morning, his new girlfriend has laid a load of motherfucking eggs in his bathroom!

Instinctively he goes to get help from Sherriff Wes (bit of a dick in Ethan's eyes) and his old flame Taylor (who's spending an awful lot of time with Wes...) who accompany Ethan back to his bathroom, whereupon they discover the eggs have hatched... and instead of just one new girlfriend, Ethan has five! Original girl has given birth to four clones, and they seem angry. Pretty soon, the whole town knows of their existence, and from there, things just get weirder - and the girls get more violent...

Before long, we have some amazing set pieces and well-mapped splash pages, a giant sperm monster that swallows dead women, an impenetrable invisible wall that surrounds the town, but juxtaposed with incredibly well-written interplay between the town's array of characters. The interactions between the charcters are a backdop for an exploration of gender roles and dynamics. Each character is remarkably well developed, from the hapless men who know the dangers of their situation but can't keep it in their pants for a second, to the female characters who range from the level-headed Taylor to the mercenary Nancy. The groups in the town splinter and realign, from a male/female divide to more complex allegiances and rivalries, all while confronted by the murderous Girls.

Reading as a complete collection (I have the full 24-issue volume rather than the 4 6-issue trades), Girls plays like one long horror movie. The style and the feel reminds me of Stephen King novels from the '80s which I used to read as a teenager. The small-town setting serves as a perfect microcosm and the central premise is a perfect way of exploring relationships and gender roles. I'll be certain to pick up The Sword, also by the Luna Brothers, and continue to keep an eye on Whispers, currently being published monthly by Image. I'm also expecting someone to buy up the film rights for Girls sometime soon...