Superior Spider-Man #6 AU was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The story feels a bit jumbled because it comes a few weeks after three issues of Age of Ultron even though the events of this book take place during AU #1. Even though, this tie in does manage to tell a great standalone tale as Otto tries to takedown Ultron by himself and nearly succeeds if it wasn’t for his pride getting in the way of his intelligence.
When the line-up of the new Justice League of America was announced, it didn’t come as a huge surprise when the likes of Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Green Arrow, and Green Lantern ‘Baz’ were included. Whilst they are all essentially secondary characters in terms of DC universe ‘gravitas’, they are still well known characters that would offer a lot to the title. What was a surprise was the inclusion of lesser known characters such as Vibe and Katana.
Arrow has been quite a success for the CW. It’s been bringing in a respectably sized audience over in the US while doing well oversees too. As the show is an adaptation of the DC character Green Arrow, it wasn’t too surprising to hear that it was getting a comic book tie-in.
A chromium cover? I don’t think I have bought one of these since the 90′s, and it brings forth both a pleasant trip down memory lane and an embarrassed chuckle. There’s just something about it that feels quite tacky to me but I am unsure why. Visually it works and I can’t help but take greater care with it as though the shine coincides with value. Still, it’s an interesting throwback that reminds me of how long it has been since I read a comic with Ultron in it.
When it comes to Mark Millar, I am a man divided. I’ve read some of his work at DC and loved it (for example Superman: Red Son) and the same stands for the work I’ve read of his at Marvel (such as Wolverine: Enemy of the State). But, when it comes to his creator owned work, I’m not always as convinced. Millar’s creator-owned work is known for its over-the-top action, violence, seedy suggestions, and strong language.
The only reason I decided to pick up this book was because I’m a huge fan of Psylocke and was interested in seeing where Sam Humphries would take the character and the X-Force as a team. I respect that Humphries decided to take this story in a different direction than Remender did in his Uncanny X-Force though some similarities still remain.
In this issue of Superior Spider Man the relationship of Mary Jane Watson and Peter (Otto) Parker is in the spotlight as we see Otto try to weasel himself back into Mary Jane’s life. It isn’t that easy though as we see Mary Jane taking things very slowly and as if she is dating Peter for the first time (she is technically). I was a bit worried (and still am) about how Slott was going to handle this icky situation with Petey and MJ but Slott has handled this very delicately but I feel that MJ has taken a slight step back in terms of character growth.
This is how an origin story should be written! Nova is a character with a very rich history and I felt that Jeph Loeb really did a fantastic job of helping us to ease into getting to know this character. Sam Alexander is the new Nova, but this story is about him and his alcoholic father who was also a Nova Corps member. The story blends both his Dad’s final mission (?) as a Nova and gives us a great look at the character of Sam and his family. Sam is very similar to Hal Jordan in terms of how he acts, I’m not quite sure if that’s a complaint or insult.
When launched in March 2012, Saucer Country was plugged as a hybrid between The West Wing and The X-Files. Despite it being an odd tag-line for a comic, I decided to give it a go for its intriguing premise. Based around Governor Arcadia Alvarado of New Mexico, the comic tells the tale of her attempts to run for the presidency of the United States whilst hiding the fact she, along with her ex-husband Michael, is an alien abductee.
Last Thanksgiving, Marvel announced the first event of 2013 would be the Age of Ultron. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Bryan Hitch, Brandon Peterson and Carlos Pacheco will help tell us the story of Ultron (an Android created by Hank Pym) taking over the world as what’s left of the world’s heroes tries to form a resistance to stop him.
Wednesday 23rd January 2013 was unofficially branded Green Lantern Day. Due to last minute changes in their publishing schedule DC Comics released Green Lantern #16, Green Lantern Corps #16 and Green Lantern: New Guardians #16 all on the same day. The excitement amongst Lantern fans was high and, given the recent disappointment of all three titles, I am pleased to report our excitement was suitably matched by great improvements in quality and storytelling.
The Green Lantern world boggles my mind. It is just too big; there are too many heroes and too many species! Essentially the writers have infinite universes and species at their creative disposal, but they have shaken the Green Lantern world to the core, repeatedly, leaving it in a completely jumbled mess. They were part of the New 52 reshuffle, but did not follow suit, instead they landed a further two titles in the form of Red Lanterns and New Guardians. Many of the DC books returned to a simpler, less complex, restarted universe, meaning they could create simpler stories and focus on some core ideals.
The month of December was a big one for Peter Parker and Spider-Man, well for Spider-Man at least. If you haven’t heard yet…Peter Parker is dead (again?) and the new SUPERIOR Spider-Man is none other than Doctor Octopus! Allow me to explain and this has been in the work for about 100 issues (still working reading through them). Sometime during one of their encounters; Doctor Octopus implanted his memories into the body of Spider-Man/Peter Parker and vice versa.
Written by Frank Miller, and with art by Jim Lee, All Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder (Volume 1) is an out of continuity re-imaging of The Dark Knight’s early career and first encounter with The Boy Wonder. Collecting issues 1-9 of the never finished series, Volume 1 was released in 2008, to mixed reviews. Despite some awful lines, All Star Batman & Robin makes for an interesting read, but be prepared for a different kind of Batman; one that you might not like.
The initial shock of the original X-Men as they see what Cyclops was is one of the great comic book moments. You could feel some of the innocence being lost as these characters get a glimpse of their future counterparts in action. So many new and interesting plot points have emerged with this issue and it’s guaranteeing some great stories in the future.