blacker ops

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Uncanny X-Force #1 (Marvel) "The Apocalypse Solution, Chapter One" Rick Remender Jerome Opeña Dean White Cory Petit Esad Ribic (cover) Clayton Crain/Rob Liefeld/J. Scott Campbell/Marko Djurdjevic (variants)

what we learned: X-Force just won't die. and though the previous hype for this new incarnation came across as cheesy, Rick Remender's take is fresh and his choice of characters and characterizations are on the money. the new team follows the money trail to a resurrected Apocalypse, and Archangel himself has made the decision to clearly kill the S.O.B. its also refreshing to see someone use Deadpool for his talents as a coldblooded wisecracking skilled killer that he is, and not simply as the premiere wisecracking raconteur of the MU. this is clearly the best work of Jerome Opeña's burgeoning career.
oh shit moment: gone are the days of simply killing human footsoldiers of the anti-mutant forces. Remender ups the ante and puts our heroes in real harm's way. i don't expect this original team to be still intact at the end (you could say the same thing about the past incarnations, but its probably the vibe of this new team).
what's next: the best time to kill Apocalypse is while he's a child.


no one explains how Warren lies down on his back.

full circle, part 1

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Second Coming #2 (Marvel) Zeb Wells Ibraim Roberson Matt Milla Mike Carey Esad Ribic Matt Wilson Craig Kyle Christopher Yost Greg Land Jay Leisten Frank Martin Matt Fraction Terry Dodson Rachel Dodson Brad Anderson Joe Caramagna Clayton Cowles Joe Sabino Adi Granov (cover) David Finch/Matt Banning/Peter Steigerwald (variant cover)

so this is the end of the one of the more exciting X-Crossovers in recent years (i'm still partial to Messiah Complex). Hope's initial worth was a few limbs, and the lives of Kurt and oh yeah ... that guy on the cover above. if you didn't see that coming ... well, i guess some of us didn't, despite the obvious buzz on Nightcrawler's death. hey, if you Google "cable is dead", all the top hits are about the ex-Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable. no respect for you, Nathan.

the final story is divided into four chapters, and the first one is easily the most interesting. there's Peter getting his broken arm reset (25000 PSI!). there's Magneto showing flashes of his old self (quite characteristic actually). and there's that poignant shot of Hope holding her known father figure's arm (all that remained of him). i can't believe they're getting rid of Cable this easily. then again, this is comics. he'll probably come back as a baby as well.

if i have a beef with the first chapter, its this:


we know Karma lost her leg several issues ago. either they created costumes (unstable molecules!) for her that really ends high up that leg, or she never changed clothes since.

chapter 2 has a flashback with Hope and Cable, and kind of confirms in a way that he may not be gone forever. erstwhile best pal Deadpool shows up at his funeral (and the 3rd chapter will show why). Magneto is there of course, full costume and all, and its ironic, for someone who remembers the '90s.

in chapter 3, we have a philosophical argument between Storm and Wolverine about X-Force, and they agree to disagree. Logan disbands the rest of the team, and reports back to Cyclops of the dissolution. Scott heroically confirms that he'll do it all over again, and is even willing to go to jail if the oh-so-heroic Avengers ever learn about their activities and attempt to arrest him. despite their differences over the years (not the least of which was fighting over a certain redhead), Scott and Logan are the perfect foils to each other and work well as anyone. that relationship is going to be strained when Scott learns about this:


is Warren holding a gun? Psylocke too? and why are they all facing us? was there a presscon and they need to pose, a la Dark Avengers? are they LMDs? Deadpool finally gets to be a full time member of an X-team. sort of. by the way, is Logan required to change costumes when doing X-Force meetings?

so, Uncanny X-Force it is.

two things on the last chapter: Emma gets the bejeezus scared out of there because of some connection between Jean Grey/Phoenix and Hope (redheads just won't die), and Namor getting to be more and more of a team player (a gruff one at that, and he can't shoot the rock a lick). the co-opting of Magneto and Namor under the X-banner is one of the most welcome events in X-Men history. like i keep repeating on this blog, do not turn back the clock and make them villains again.

hand in hand

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Daredevil #502 (Marvel) Andy Diggle Roberto De La Torre Matt Hollingsworth Joe Caramagna Esad Ribic (cover)

so much for killing Master Izo. of course its all a scam; my problem is that: did the reveal have to happen the very next issue? i like stunning surprises. this could have been a long exciting culminating in that reveal by issue #525. oh, well, let's see what else Andy Diggle has in store for fans spoiled by Bendis and Brubaker. art-wise, Roberto De La Torre changed styles from his Iron Man run and is channeling some Bill Sienkiewicz here. it kind of works, but i want my Daredevil to have a bit more consistent detail, like that NYPD cop car bursting through the chain-link gate.

so this is Matt's new life. sitting on his throne, brooding and having daymares, then going on patrol at night with his ninja posse. kinda sweet. no need to worry about court appearances, opening and closing statements, and swaying the judge and the jury. yep, leave that crap to Foggy. wait, he used to do that most of the time anyway.

oh, by the way, for those who weren't paying attention, corrupt lawmen + Daredevil = conflict. i mean, well, its about time. will he cross the line and kill bad cops? apparently, he started with chopping some grubby hands off. well technically, he didn't chop the hand himself. but NYPD vs DD? grab your tickets now!

talk to the hand

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Daredevil #501 (Marvel) "The Devil's Hand" Andy Diggle Roberto Dela Torre Matt Hollingsworth Joe Caramagna Esad Ribic (cover)

as Batman might say, "hhhh." Daredevil's finally taken control of the Hand, with one little caveat - a sacrifice of the innocent. i can understand if he actually killed a baby. but Master Izo? really? that alcohol-swilling vice-indulging old prick? even Dakota North isn't innocent. and we all know, Stick (and Mr. Miyagi) notwithstanding, that old martial arts teachers are practically immortal. so who's fooling who here, Andy Diggle?

elsewhere, the Kingpin extends the lifespan of his longtime bootlicking gofer, Turk (oh the stories he could tell his kids!). but its all a ploy of course. everyone has got an agenda. not sure what Lady Bullseye's is though, throwing in with Wilson, even if she worked with Izo to maneuver DD into the position of Hand boss.

wow. the Hand being led by their former enemy, the American red/blonde-haired devil-may-care chick magnet hotshot lawyer. Kirigi must be rolling in his grave.