Warriors Three Reboot

So this week was a triple shot espresso courtesy of Marvel. First, they gave us ...

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Oh wait, that's not the female Thor they were rolling out soon. So apparently, Thor (the Thor we all know and love, that lout) will become unworthy of Mjolnir, and thus another hammer-bearer is needed. Apparently also, Beta Ray Bill was not answering his phone.

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All bets are on the recently-acquired comic character/property Angela as the new Goddess of Thunder (what if it was Sif all along?). And although they say she "... isn't a temporary female substitute", how many issues or months would you bet before Thor Odinson regains the hammer? I'll wager less than 3 years, for one big crossover again.

Not too surprising is the ascension of Sam Wilson as the new (albeit temporary, i dare you challenge me) Captain America. I was thinking they would find a cure for Steve Rogers' dilemma in time, but I guess this was one of those insidious long-term plans concocted during one of those Marvel retreats. And why not? Marvel's batting average has been on the rise in the last 14 years.

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Lastly, we are going to have an Iron Man that's "... hard to root for." Yes, the return of Drunk Tony!! Oh, wait, its going to be a Superior Iron Man. Hubris will be the norm, as Tony apparently continues the legacy of Steve Jobs (in more ways than one) and kind of forces his vision on the world (or in this case, San Francisco) because he knows he's right. You know he's always right. He may have gone too far with his Illuminati machinations, but .... you know he's right. 

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October can't be too far away. Enough time to grab the popcorn eh?

antipodal proof by Prof. Aaron

if you don't believe him, check this.

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Wolverine #9
story: A-
art: B+

come on down

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Wolverine #1 (Marvel) "Wolverine Goes to Hell, Part One" "Last Stand of the Silver Samurai: Scorched Earth Chapter One" Jason Aaron Renato Guedes/Jason Latour Jose Wilson Magalhaes Matt Wilson/Rico Renzi Cory Petit Jae Lee/June Chung (cover) Steve McNiven/Dexter Vines/Justin Ponsor/Marko Djurdjevic/Art Adams (variant covers)

what we learned: i mistook the hype for this new direction as Daken taking over Wolverine's body while Logan being sent to Hell. but that would've been a cooler premise: its one thing to be reconditioned by the Hand, its another to have switch souls and personalities between two mortal shells. what would the Avengers and X-Men do? kill him? but i digress. some mysterious party (called the Red Right Hand - 'allo, Nick Cave - purported to be the vengeful hand of God) wants Wolverine and his family/friends taken out, and some demon has taken over his body (taking on John Wraith for starters). next up: Logan's current galpal Melita, who's oddly rescued by Mystique. over in Japan, the RRH puts a hit on Kenuichio Harada, and it looks like he doesn't survive the experience.
oh shit moment: you know there's a demon in Wolverine, but that doesn't make it any easier.
what's next: who are these Red Right Handers? kin of people Logan killed over the century?


will.i.am was already goddamned sick of "My Humps".

purplish haze

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Scalped #40 (DC/Vertigo) "Unwanted Part 2" Jason Aaron R.M. Guera Giulia Brusco Trish Mulvhill Steve Wands Jock (cover)

what we learned: Red Crow and Dash's dad Wade do the tango, but no shots are fired. bummer. Carol wrestles with her pregnancy and abortion, and her palpable fear and anxiety gets to you. also, Dash is either hallucinating or is in an actual community with a shaman and he's puking spiders and shit.
oh shit moment: ever ran around in the snow naked in the dead of night?
what's next: that Dash/Shunka rematch will have to wait.


it was sad when they kicked Kevin Costner out of the rez.

reflection

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Wolverine: Weapon X #15 (Marvel) "The End of the Beginning" Jason Aaron Davide Gianfelice Dave McCaig Cory Petit Ron Garney/Morry Hollowell (cover)

what we learned: somebody has to write the obligatory Logan/Kurt reminiscing story, and that task falls on Jason Aaron, who does a good job. Kurt, through all their years as X-Men, has been carrying his heart on his sleeve, and even after he's passed on to the afterlife, finally gets through to Logan's hardcase exterior.
oh shit moment: you ever carry a piano up an impassable mountain on foot?
what's next: stories like these lose some of its luster when the character in question gets revived at some point. but then again, its Nightcrawler, and such an event which will then become proof of his faith (betcha somebody's writing that story right now).


yeah, and we will too ... in Essential X-Men!

closer

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Punisher MAX #9 (Marvel) "Bullseye Part Four" Jason Aaron Steve Dillon Matt Hollingsworth Cory Petit Dave Johnson (cover)

what we learned: after Frank guns down a corrupt cop, the NYPD guns after him, but Bullseye takes his sweet time and tries to get more into Frank's head, not to mention irritating the hell out of Kingpin. its 95% amusing, because we all want the mano-a-mano between the Punisher and Bullseye to commence, but somehow you feel it might not be worth it, because status quo reigns here - nobody friggin' dies.
oh shit moment: Bullseye brazenly walking into a Punisher safehouse, knowing he's there and he's going to wipe out everyone.
what's next: just get it on, dammit!!!


no, its black and white, you dumb ass.

it does not compute.

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Wolverine: Weapon X #15 (Marvel) "Tomorrow Dies Today - Conclusion" Jason Aaron Ron Garney Jason Keith Matt Milla Cory Petit Garney/Chris Sotomayor (cover)

what we learned: i'm still a little doozy. so bad Deathloks from future go back to the past to kill a number of people, one of which is Miranda Bayer, who's part of the future resistance. she's also their agent in the present, and in holding one child hostage (said child set to grow up to be the same Deathlok about to kill her), she brings about the conversion of the Deathlok to find its own humanity. it certainly is ambitious as it gets, but somewhere along the way to this ending, we all got our heads slapped upside down.
oh shit moment: the head of the future resistance - is the same Deathlok who got humanized.
what's next: Kurt lives! no, not Cobain.


machines get personality disorders too.

snaps: Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #1

... where our intrepid heroes find themselves in the Savage Land after a weird event at a bank robbery. turns out its not the Savage Land, and its not Kansas either. am not sure how the characterization works with Logan and Peter - at one point, they kind of regret being trapped there together, but for me, Logan's like the big grim brother to him and their time as Avengers solidified this (i recall Logan telling him that Peter can't miss next time he gets a shot at Norman Osborn - am waiting if Siege #4 delivers on that). the hyped pairing of Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert has beget a story that looks like a raucous adventure even though am not sure where its going.

well, i guess not everyone wants to be on Survivor: Heroes & Villains, even if you're a hero.


how much you wanna bet there's a little Logan or two among these people?


what, now we have to change the song lyrics??


stop whining. you could be stuck with Daken and J. Jonah Jameson, respectively!


Angar the Screamer has a crew? that's a ... scream.


Devil Dinosaur doesn't get no respect. damn you, Warren Ellis.

Lo-gone.

Wolverine gets sent to Hell, Daken takes over. awesome!! [via @jasonaaron]

snaps: Wolverine: Weapon X #12

... where we get the full "Days of Future Past" treatment, this time with the Terminator, i mean the Deathloks gunning for new Captain America in the present (and who presumably is the "General" in the future?). but wait, what happened to the real Luther Manning?

what? he didn't turn into Frankencastle??


Weapon X now means "X-tra Useless".


c'mon, do we still think hiding a shield on his back is believable?


as well as readily re-attaching severed robotic limbs in a snap??


see, Virginia, the big bad Wolverine's not unbeatable!

them's the Mannings

drive-by readings

Wolverine: Weapon X #11 (Marvel) "Tomorrow Dies Today, Part 1" Jason Aaron Ron Garney Jason Keith Cory Petit this title continues to impress. its a great opportunity for longtime allies Logan and the reborn Steve Rogers to bond, and what better to celebrate than a global pub crawl? hold up - didn't Rogers just drink milk? am i to construe he's just like the rest of us? anyway, somebody's been offing super-powered individuals, and his name's surely as hell not Scourge. no, Deathlok has been doing the rounds. even better than Jason Aaron's opening scene is his ending reveal. its also nice to see Ron Garney back to drawing Cap, even just for this story arc.

hey, its .... Bat-Moon Knight! with some Rockslide thrown in.


but you HAVE kissed a boy, though?



hey, don't you be dissin' Billy Ray Cyrus!!


you have a marauding bulletproof cyborg, and you use an ax?

with feeling

drive-by readings

Scalped #35 (Vertigo/DC) "Listening to the Earth Turn" Jason Aaron Danijel Zezelj Guilia Brusco Steve Wands Jock (cover) haven't read much this week, but for sheer emotional drive, this is hands-down my best book so far. taking a break from the action and backstabbing, but not taking the gas off the heartbreaking. Danijel Zezelj's bleak landscapes and tone fit the story of Mance and Hazel Boaz, hardy survivors of the Dakota Badlands, who are undergoing a grueling winter, tending their meager crops, and identifying Air Force jets from the sound of the engines as they lie in bed at night. food is scarce, and the biggest challenge is to drive into town and ask for supplies from the Assistance Center. it certainly takes a lot of guts to swallow your pride and accept the fact that some things are beyond your control. Mance though, maintains a modicum of pride by only accepting less than what's being offered. but the winter isn't done with them yet. Hazel's taken sick so they drive into town for medicine. this turns out to be a blessing in disguise, as a wayward jet crashes into their house. but their indomitable spirit gets them through, and out of disaster, hope springs eternal. this issue put a lump in my throat, as i can easily put myself in their shoes. i may be a big fan of the superhero genre, but its comics like these that justify me staying a fan.

snaps: Punisher MAX #4

... where "The Mennonite" (uber-cool handle, brah) meets up with Frank and trades tips on crippling moves. also, Wilson Fisk's diabolical plan to take control of the New York underworld is coming to fruition. if the Tea Party hires this guy, its all over.

"no, i am going to use a spade. happy now?"


and then there was that time when Donald Blake ran into Frank Castle.


and there goes the next generation of hardcore Mennonite farmer-killers.


hey, hey, hey!! don't you know competent Asian manicurists are an endangered species??


the Mafia's ignorance of technology puts them at par with the Mennonites then?

hairy valentines

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Wolverine: Weapon X #10 (Marvel) "Love and The Wolverine" Jason Aaron CP Smith Cory Petit Adam Kubert/Morry Hollowell (cover) Logan has a gurlfwiend! Logan has a gurlfwiend! a light and endearing romp through Logan's love life after the last few issues of vivisection, vital organs, loony bins and Dr. Rot, though it seem out of place for a comic called "Weapon X". the lucky lady who suddenly finds herself with the key to Logan's ticker is Melita Garner, tough Frisco reporter who's been introduced with this book. the story is strung upon two people trying to deal with their feelings, especially with the rawness and newness of it all, and touches upon aspects of women who have considered Logan a friend or shared his heart (and most likely, bed). who knew that Logan's first experience was with an illegal immigrant? and he made it with a couple of non-humans? (i bet it was with a Skrull and a Sh'iar, both gender-ambivalent) otherwise, there's all the usual suspects - Yukio, Black Widow, Rogue, and possibly Storm (there's an alternate universe where they end up together). of course, there's that pesky Mystique. i'd list a few omissions but there's probably an explanation. Kitty? M.I.A. Jean Grey? dead, presumably. Yuriko? more hate than love. hey, Domino is also on the cover (and for sure they've knocked boots more than once), but nothing mentioned here. but that's alright. Jason Aaron has a heart, after all.

closing circle

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Punisher Max #3 (Marvel) "Kingpin Part Three" Jason Aaron Steve Dillon Matt Hollingsworth Cory Petit Dave Johnson (cover) here we get our first encounter between Wilson and Frank, and it ends inconclusively, as they end up killing Mamma Cesare, mother hen to the East Coast mafia. its mildly surprising that they didn't shoot themselves after seeing her in the buff - gaaaah. we also have a mysterious assassin in the mix, a Mennonite who's reluctant to go back to his murderous roots, but a family tragedy may give him no choice. though we have an idea somewhat where all of these is headed, Jason Aaron makes it a thrilling slowburn ride.

king of the mountain

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Punisher Max #2 (Marvel) "Kingpin Part Two" Jason Aaron Steve Dillon Matt Hollingsworth Cory Petit Dave Johnson (cover)

after my initial misgivings, this is a better read than i thought. and no, its not because of the sex and violence allowed in a Max title. and no, its not the edgy scary tinkering of the mind of Jason Aaron. nor is it the simple yet powerful etchings of artist Steve Dillon (who could draw Frank in his sleep). no, it must be ... wait, yeah, you're right.

i think there might have been one or two superb Kingpin origin stories in the past, but this version by Aaron takes a backseat to no one. a master schemer and manipulator, the once-bullied fat boy takes his lumps, bides his time, leaves no loose ends, and is poised to take over current mob boss Rigoletto's empire. which leaves him obviously on a collision course with the Punisher, whom Rigoletto aims to herd into their crosshairs.

its amazing that the non-superpowered Fisk is considered a 'supervillain' in Marvel canon and has gone toe to toe with everybody including the likes of the Red Skull and Hydra and still manages to survive, time and time again. he'll probably still escape a direct confrontation with the Sentry. ok, that's a stretch.

Jason Aaron is impressing me, as usual.

fat man rising

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Punisher MAX #1 (Marvel) "Kingpin, Part One" Jason Aaron Steve Dillon Matt Hollingsworth Cory Petit Dave Johnson (cover)

so, this is essentially a reboot. i mean, over in the other Punisher series, he's been reborn as Frankenstein. here, we have him harkening back to his mob-killing days, slightly after the Garth Ennis run. i'm just a little confused to have Barracuda referenced here, then the key point of putting in Wilson Fisk as an ambitious enforcer, presumably preceding his ascent to eventual Kingpin status (it is, because that's his wife Vanessa and his son Richard - the future Rose). i guess am just used to have the Frank's timeline in my head. Steve Dillon returns for another go-round, and it remains to be seen if his team up with Jason Aaron, no mean SOB himself, will scale the heights he did with Ennis.

drive-by readings: Wolverine: Weapon X #4

Wolverine: Weapon X #4 (Marvel) "The Adamantium Men, Part 4 of 5" Jason Aaron Ron Garney Jason Keith Cory Petit Garney/Morry Hollowell (cover) Adi Granov (variant cover)

action fans, look no further as this issue takes a page out of Family Guy's Peter vs Chicken battles - am sure Ron Garney got a kick out of Logan exchanging blows and slashes with technically his descendant - complete with comedic moments like dragging your head on train tracks and a stoppage when a schoolbus full of kids comes along. what i don't get is why Logan had to bother with going to the Carribean and wringing an address out of Blackguard (read: Blackwater Worldwide) employees to find their CEO who wants to jumpstart the Weapon X program, when he can just ask any of his superhero cohorts to find out that information. as to being arrested by H.A.M.M.E.R. - eh well ... let's just go back to the slicing and dicing, shall we? i almost expect Sabretooth to show up next issue, head reattached and all. also: Maverick is a useless backup and a terrible lay (allegedly).

drive-by readings: Immortal Weapons #1

Immortal Weapons #1 (Marvel) "The Book of the Cobra"/"Caretakers, Part 1" Jason Aaron Duane Swierczynski Mico Suayan Stefano Gaudiano Roberto De La Torre Khari Evans Victor Olazaba Michael Lark Arturo Lozzi Travel Foreman Nate Piekos Edgar Delgado Matt Hollingsworth Jelena Djurdjevic Jodi Wolff June Chung David Aja (cover)

screw the DC Universe Kobra, or the G.I. Joe Cobra. make mine Fat Cobra! it may or may not make them a bushel of money, but Marvel's Immortal Weapons, a spinoff series of the popular characters from Iron Fist (thanks to Messrs. Brubaker, Fraction and Aja) make for great reading. we can all figure that Fat Cobra has an eating problem, but who knew he had a semi-Forrest Gump streak in life, hanging out with Elvis, fighting side by side with Nick Fury, and siring Skrull children? holy humongous hogs! Fat Cobra has the most star power among the Weapons (save Danny Rand of course), but i hope the others will be fleshed out just as entertainingly.

Iron Fist fans (like me), fear not! a backup story is included in each ish (Caretakers). Danny goes back to his roots trying to save regular folk on a daily basis (nice touch with Misty co-teaching in his dojo). they may not be Heroes for Hire in that sense anymore, but they're "heroes" with a fuller meaning.

drive-by readings: Scalped #30

Scalped #30 (DC) "The Gnawing, Part 1 of 5" Jason Aaron R.M. Guera Giulia Brusco Steve Wands Jock (cover)

i keep forgetting how good this series is, and keep weaving in and not. at some point one day, am gonna read it all again right from the start. for newbies, Scalped follows the protagonist Dashiell Bad Horse working as a reservation cop under the auspices of Chief Red Crow. but Bad Horse has his own agenda, being an undercover FBI agent trying to bring down Red Crow for murder. this time, the loop closes in on Bad Horse as he is caught between his opportunistic boss Special Agent in Charge Baylis Nitz and the increasingly suspicious Red Crow. yes, its kinda like the last hour of The Departed. gritty and not the least scared to spill blood, Scalped always works. until i get distracted again.