heroic snaps!

this week, we get sneak peeks on various books (characters) that would litter the Heroic Age, and we give them grades based on these shorts. all subjective, of course. that would be the indication of personal interest, of course.

"Admissions"
Christos N. Gage/Mike McKone/Jeromy Cox/Joe Caramagna

the first Avenger-in-training makes his appearance and he has the power of the Jurassic Park trilogy! Reptil, experimented on by H.A.M.M.E.R. (man, i hate paying taxes!!), is broken out by Avengers not asked to be on Avengers or Secret Avengers or New Avengers. hey, does this mean Hank and Tigra are gonna be an item? y'know, on account of Tigra having a baby Hank? what -? that was a Skrull?! when did that happen?? (B+)

25 mph? you're slower than molasses, kid.

"Heroes for the Ages"
Jeff Parker/Gabriel Hardman/Giancarlo Caracuzzo/Elizabeth Breitweiser/Ed Dukeshire

ok, i already said i just grabbed on the bumper of the bandwagon. geez. i just wonder what's wrong with this world that there's always something bad happening somewhere. even sunny Hawaii. (B)

i keep referring to him as Jimmy Choo.

"Coppélia"
Kelly Sue DeConnick/Jamie McKelvie/Matt Wilson/Nate Piekos

i don't think i need this to convince to follow the Black Widow's adventures, especially if drawn by Daniel Acuña. Natasha takes a break from Avenging (avenging who, really?) and goes back to the spy biz from time to time. and just in case nobody bothered to check Wikipedia, the title of the ballet directly correlates to the tiny dancer/weapon she breaks out here. (B-)

you hit like a girl! uh ... wait ...

"Big Trouble in Little Chinatown"
Jim McCann/David Lopez/Alvaro Lopez/Nathan Fairbairn/Cory Petit

my thanks to Jim McCann for opting for the freelance gig to at least continue scripting Hawkeye and Mockingbird. pretty much in Dark Reign, Clint Barton was all bluster and no muster. maybe this time he'll be doing something useful. and who is Bobbi talking to, you think? my bet is her old boss, Nick Fury. (A-)

how about porn? or two people, one cup?

"Top Dog"
Jeff Parker/Kevin Walker/Frank Martin/Albert Deschesne

now that's a sneak peek! Parker lays some more groundwork which makes sense (ex-T-Bolts Fixer and Mach 5 redoing security, Osborn being frog-marched among inmates) and positions Cage (albeit in a telegraphed move) to draw the line and yet make his pitch. for reform. there's a new sheriff in town. (A)

"Thumb On The Pulse"
Kurt Busiek/Marko Djurdjevic/Jelena Djurdjevic/Dave Lanphear

is this Busiek's first Marvel work in years? can't remember. but its a familiar refreshing method, this time a take on Hitler-moustache-rocking, all-around-blowhard JJJ who for some reason is still mayor of NYC (Mitchell Hundred and Bloomy would laugh), and how he reacts to the Heroic Age. though it ends differently than you expected, well no, not really. (A)

a message in three panels - a fine collaboration between Busiek and Marko the Awesomeness

"A Date with The Doctor"
Rick Remender/Chris Samnee/Matthew Wilson/Dave Lanphear

while we won't be seeing a regular Doctor Strange, er ... Sorcerer Supreme book anytime soon, and maybe its better that way. is there a market for magic books? sure there is. but in this economy, this should work like Hellboy - a series here and there, but still building continuity. Dr. Voodoo can also make regular appearances all over the place, especially if writers handle him well like Remender. by the way, what did Steve Rogers ask Stephen Strange? and how come he didn't ask Dr. Voodoo? (B+)

uh, what did i miss? where's Monica?

"Diplomatic Incident"
Paul Cornell/Leonard Kirk/Paul Mounts/Dave Lanphear

this just reminded me why i miss the Cornell/Kirk duo on a Captain Britain/MI:13 book. oh wait, there could still be one in the future, right? and on that note, who else hasn't been offered Avengers membership? me, apparently! (B+)

that means Brian's not gonna sleep because it'll be 9 GMT to 5 PST job!

"N.Y. State of Mind"
Dan Slott/Ty Templeton/Jorge Maese/Dave Lanphear

and of course, Spider-Man, despite being a member of the Avengers and practically just a goddamned real frikkin' hero many times over, still gets shit from New Yorkers. ease up once in a while, fellas!! (B-)

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Enter the Heroic Age, Age of Heroes #1

things i liked this week

Avengers #1 (Marvel)
Brian Michael Bendis/John Romita Jr./Klaus Janson/Dean White/Cory Petit
Avengers - reformed! Kang - in da house! Wonder Man - on the verge of becoming a douchebag (again)! Hulk - on the loose! Next Avengers - now part of the 616! me - hoppin'!

Batman: Streets of Gotham #12 (DC)
Paul Dini/Dustin Nguyen/Derek Fridolfs/John Kalisz/Steve Wands

i like this book for its consistent quality output, not to mention the longtime partnership between artist and inker. "The Carpenter's Tale" is an interesting one - an SFX expert hired for the 'Death of Batman' movie may be way out of her depth (yes, "her") - but am intrigued more about Damian's wheeling and dealing on the side. not unlike his dad (example, bribing Mirror Master, JLA #12).

Atlas #1 (Marvel)
Jeff Parker/Gabriel Hardman/Elizabeth Breitweiser/Ed Dukeshire (cover: Terry/Rachel Dodson)
wasn't sufficiently intrigued before (liked: crossover with T-Bolts, X-Men), but now with framed 3-D Man on the run, and possibly joining them, all bets are off.


X-Factor #205 (Marvel)
Peter David/Val De Landro/Pat Davidson/Jeromy Cox/Cory Petit (cover: David Yardin/Nathan Fairbairn)

a Second Coming tie-in, David neatly segues Bastion's plans into whatever he's had in mind for Madrox's team, but it doesn't look like X-Factor Investigations can be separate any longer. i mean, if they're all dead by the end of this thing. and hmmm, an uneasy alliance with Baron Mordo may be in the works.

X-Men Legacy #236 (Marvel)
Mike Carey/Greg Land/Jay Leisten/Justin Ponsor/Cory Petit (cover: Adi Granov, variant covers: David Finch/Matt Banning/Peter Steigerwald/Mike Choi)

sorry to be playing like a broken record, but Second Coming maintains its breakneck pacing (Siege? what Siege?) and am thoroughly enjoying the heck out of it. our merry band of mutants are now trapped inside a sphere covering the San Fran area, and uber-Nimrods have arrived to finish the job. we also see the first team-up with the Avengers 4.0, and its fun, despite some awkward jokey dialogue between gods, mutants and mortals. now i wonder when Hope is going to pull her weight.

Zatanna #1 (DC)
Paul Dini/Stephane Roux/Karl Story/Pat Brosseau/John Kalisz (variant cover: Brian Bolland)

and y'all thought Z was sexy naughty! now. must. buy. statue. what about this debut issue? ummm, she owns crowds. and she pwns demons. yeah, that's it.

Rescue (one shot) (Marvel)
Kelly Sue DeConnick/Andrea Mutti/Jose Villarubia/Clayton Cowles (cover: Travel Foreman/June Chung)
well, this should be called "Are Those Your Gloves or Are You Just Happy to See Me" ...ok, moving right along - at least someone remembered who Happy Hogan was, and i for one, am glad to see him make a reappearance here (although it is really about Pepper). whether Tony cut off his life support or not, i want him, or better yet Pepper herself, to beat the snot out of Spymaster for causing the events that led to Happy's coma. and now let us sing, "God bless you please, Missus Frac-shi-on, we like this book than you will know, woh woh woh ..."


Deadpool #23 (Marvel)
Daniel Way/Carlo Barberi/Juan Vlasco/Marte Gracia/Joe Sabino (cover: Jason Pearson)

Deadpool's quest to become a good guy brings him to Vegas, where he finds his old pal Weasel working as a glorified security guard. now that sounds like a good gig, right? but am just not sure about Grizzly - shouldn't he be in jail after serving with Osborn's Thunderbolts?

War of the Supermen #3 (DC)
James Robinson/Sterling Gates/Cafu/Bit/Blond/John J. Hill (cover: Eddy Barrows/JP Mayer/Rod Reis, variant cover: Aaron Lopresti/Matt Ryan/Brad Anderson)

to rescue the dying Kryptonians, Flamebird restarts the sun as yellow - and cough, cough, conveniently only saves Superman and Supergirl. General Zod wants payback - and the Earth is doomed. man, at this rate, nobody would insure anyone anymore - everything's force majeure.

Invincible Iron Man #26 (Marvel)
Matt Fraction/Salvador Larroca/Frank D'Armata/Joe Caramagna (cover: Carlos Pacheco)
i only have one question: was the fat programmer that Spymaster bought out at the beginning really Robert Kirkman?


Superman/Batman #72 (DC)
Paul Levitz/Jerry Ordway/Steve Wands/Pete Pantazis (cover: Fabrizio Fiorentino)

ex-publisher Levitz returns to full time writing, and here he puts Lois Lane in mortal danger from a Superman-worshipping cult. only Bats is around to help, but will he be there in time? Ordway's art seems enhanced, and maybe its because he's inking himself, and the Pantazis coloring.

G.I. Joe #18 (IDW)
Chuck Dixon/SL Gallant/Gary Erskine/Andrew Crossley/Chris Mowry (covers: Kelsey Shannon/Robert Atkins)

a paintball training exercise goes belly up as a Joe team finds itself against two Cobra soldiers, instantly morphing into live fire action. only Covergirl's (yes, Covergirl!) instincts save the day. man, you guys better step up.

Ultimate Avengers 2 #2 (Marvel)
Mark Millar/Leinil Francis Yu/Gerry Alanguilan/Laura Martin/Cory Petit

so there's another Hulk, someone who came before this Ultimate Hulk we know? apparently, he's a badass gangster using the Third World as his toilet. exactly the kind of guy Samuel Jackson, i mean, Nick Fury needs for his black ops team, because they need to take down ... the Ghost Rider? do tell.

Atomic Robo & the Revenge of the Vampire Dimension #3 (Red 5)
Brian Clevinger/Scott Wegener/Ronda Pattison/Jeff Powell
let's just say this put the icing on the cake:

back to the future

drive-by readings

Avengers vs Agents of Atlas #1 (Marvel) "Earth's Mightiest Super Heroes"/"Defender of the Deep" Jeff Parker Gabriel Hardman Elizabeth Breitweiser Tom Orzechowki Takeshi Miyazawa Chris Sotomayor Joe Sabino Humberto Ramos/Ed Delgado (cover) we had them teaming up with the X-Men, now we get them with the Avengers. everyone's favorite retro team gets lots of guest bookings (now also appearing in Thunderbolts), despite the cancellation of their book. i was thinking this was going to be a time travel thing considering the cover. as it turns out, it is but in reverse: a time/space anomaly has converted the present day (real) Avengers into their '60s incarnation, giving them the opportunity to catch up with old times with the Atlas people. it may be similar to Avengers/Invaders but i assume Jeff Parker has tricks to wow us. there's also a backup story that would serve as a lesson to kids who intend to take up whale-hunting as a career.

snaps: X-Men vs Agents of Atlas #2

... where the time-honored tradition of fighting before simple diplomacy is in full effect. (actually that describes around half of superhero comics since 1938!)

1) cat? i thought he was a dog?! or a horse?!

Q: What do you call a bunch of Hank McCoys?
A: The Blue Cat Group?


2) Namor: "that insolent remark will cost you thirty lashes in our next tryst. when is that scheduled, by the way? am not sure we should do it in Utopia."


3) how do you say "get a room!!!" in Atlantean?


4) speaking of feelings, here's some creepy ones along the lines of cyber-telepathy.



5) oh, i see what you did there, Jeff Parker, you clever man you.


6) lookit! it's Cyclops without his visor or any eyewear!! isn't he handsome?? (this would qualify for a No-Prize, except that its in the astral plane or some plot device which anything is possible)


7) see, there's always a way to stop Wolverine (short of a Muramasa blade).

enlighten me ...

... o geekz of the InterWebz.

how does Namor talk through water again? and in an intelligible way?


you can see the bubbles from below so don't tell me he's not in water.

oh and hey, where's that webbed thing that used to be under his armpits? or does that appear only when he's flying?

also, let's see what Namor is actually saying on the cover (considering that watery thing that muffles sound):

Namor: "you cannot keep me from my cousin's puppies!!!!!!!!!!"

honest to God, that's what happens in this issue.

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Agents of Atlas #6

Carlo drinks your milk! (shake)

a conversation between Jeff Parker and my countryman Carlo Pagulayan. i'm trying to remember what that milk was. was it Klim? Nido? Bear Brand? Carnation?

if i can't remember, i probably didn't drink it. i was probably breastfed by wolves.

the Sentry saves Filipinos, film at 11

oh, what volcano is it this time? not to be ungrateful, but shouldn't you be in Darfur or Gaza or something? juuuuuuuuuust asking.


thanks, Bob! but that doesn't still excuse you from being Norman Osborn's errand boy!



what does "Cilajet" mean?

what is the whole deal with Agents of Atlas?

will this be like The Order?

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Agents of Atlas #1