we're not worthy

... because some other people have been chosen, not us.

er... how is Juggy, i mean "Kuurth" (is that like Steve Kurth, or Kurse as pronounced by a someone with a lisp?) going to see out of his helmet, if the holes are kind of nowhere near his eyes? that probably explains why the Juggernaut kept breaking things, because he can't see where the hell he's going!

oh, and he can't break anything metal now, can he?

Fraction should have just called Hulk "Nul, Breaker of Scripts and Programming Code" but i digress. why invent new villains when we can just co-opt Marvel's powerhouses and make them mind-controlled baddies eh? if you have a breaker of worlds, then why would you need the other six?

i guess the letter N made her new nickname much tougher-sounding rather than a T ("Skirt"). and i heard in the original script it was written as "Skirn, Breaker of Balls", but then Editorial got into the picture. anyhoo, Titania seems destined to break the male populace, but would that include her longtime daddy-o, Crusher Creel a.k.a. The Absorbing Douchebag? apparently Creel would also be having a hammer of his own, and he will be dubbed "Crul, Breaker of Chicks".

is that Attuma, or is that Attuma? and why is he breaking oil pipelines? shouldn't he be breaking fiber optic cables so as to disrupt Internet service globally, hence sending about half of its denizens into a frenzy because they couldn't Tweet or update their Facebook pages? i tell you, online deprivation is a huge FEAR!!! hah!!!

Fear Itself #2 unveils a bunch of "The All Father's" stooges, and indescribably puts the world under attack so quickly that the Avengers seem overwhelmed or unprepared. we all know the Asgardians just up and left (i think Odin's still hiding something - "The All Father" is his evil doppelganger?), but seem to think that the best option is literally a scorched Earth policy. the story still seems too fantastical at the moment (shades of Fraction's World Tree storyline over in Thor) and not too grounded like earlier Marvel events. i love Immonen's art (with longtime inking partner Wade Von Grawbadger) in NextWave, and here he's kind of switched up to serious mode. 5 issues to go, and hopefully, there's more meat and potatoes next ish.

you know who's going to save the day, right? right??

The Man Without Fear. Hal Jordan.

Peter and Tony, sitting on a couch

and with this, we say Amen to the Pandora's Box opened by Civil War (God bless its soul).

frosty secrets

drive-by readings

Uncanny X-Men #527 (Marvel) "The Five Lights Part Two: Velocidad" Matt Fraction Whilce Portacio Leonard Kirk Ed Tadeo Jay Leisten Brian Reber Joe Caramagna Terry Dodson/Rachel Dodson (cover)

what we learned: a breather issue, as Emma goes on a couple of dates, acts as go-between between Piotr and Kitty, and visits her secret prisoner, Namor has a human sushi chef, Scott knocks back a couple with Logan, the second Light is found (and his name isn't Barry Allen), and oh, welcome back to full-time X-Men adventuring, Cecilia Reyes.
oh shit moment: second Light looks like Michael J. Fox circa Teen Wolf, after a long run (so that's how werewolves got hairy!).
what's next: third Light?


you. kiss. my. phased. ass.

start engine

drive-by readings

Iron Man #29 (Marvel) "Stark Resilient Part 5: Predators and Prey In Their Natural Environments" Matt Fraction Salvador Larocca Frank D'Armata Joe Caramagna

what we learned: Stark begins his Hail Mary play of getting investors onboard his scheme to save the world. also, Pepper Potts may be back as Rescue but she may need another knight to rescue her, because Tony just blew her off to sleep with the enemy. kidding! of course, he knows there's only one way to find out if the Hammers had anything to do with Ezekiel Stane, and that way is to sleep with Sasha Hammer. oopps.
oh shit moment: nothing much, except if your name is Pepper Potts.
what's next: Hammer Time!


hey, Tones, does she remind you of Rumiko? (k-ching!)

seeds of hope

drive-by readings

Uncanny X-Men #526 (Marvel) "The Five Lights Part One: Freak Like Me"/"Rebuilding" Matt Fraction Allan Heinberg Whilce Portacio Olivier Coipel Ed Tadeo Mark Morales Brian Reber Justin Ponsor Joe Caramagna Terry Dodson/Rachel Dodson (cover)

what we learned: Hope finds her family (or the backstory of it anyway) in Alaska, and its good enough to trust her new one going forward. What happens when Bishop comes back? also, grandpa Magneto learns of his possible grandkids Wiccan and Speed (in a prequel to Avengers: The Children's Crusade), but Wolverine warns him off. and nothing happens. ah, those halcyon days of 1993.
oh shit moment: apparently, there is hope of Kitty Pryde, whose diagnosis seems to be, she just forgot how to unphase. hey, Hank, care to come back for a second opinion?
what's next: this issue, Emma goes out to meet Tony Stark. next up, she's going for some raw sushi.


wait ... what? after all that shepherding and leading and banging one of the hottest chicks in the world, he's still an emotional cripple?

full circle, part 2

drive-by readings

The Heroic Age: Uncanny X-Men one-shot (Marvel) Matt Fraction Whilce Portacio Ed Tadeo Brian Reber Steve Sanders Jaime Mendoza Ian Hannin Jamie McKelvie Chris Sotomayor Joe Caramagna Mark Brooks (cover)

i see this one-shot as something akin to a look at the past, present and future for our merry band of mutants. with the onset of the Heroic Age, the defeat of one of their most dangerous enemies, and the possible rebooting of their race, the X-Men stand once again at the crossroads, free to rewrite the next chapter of their destiny.

the X-Men's present is Cyclops, who has made steely yet carefully weighed decisions that may have cost him his friends and reputation, that have saved his race from extinction. imagine if he quit after Jeannie's death (and she didn't go back and prod him to marry Emma and continue with the school)? there's no better leader suited to shepherd the X-Men than him, but that's for this moment. Professor X and Magneto have bowed to his wishes, not always freely, but have also made sacrifices to somehow earn his trust. Scott was angry at Charles once for not treating the sentient Danger as an equal, and for living fast and loose with their lives with his decisions. somehow, he hasn't gotten the same vitriol from Charles or Magneto (who likely understands making the hard choice even better), their former mentors. i would say its Scott's age, which is closer to majority of the adults of the X-Men (and the younger generation), that makes them a lot more receptive to his decisions, compared to the father figures Charles and Magneto once were, even bordering on the tyrannical.

but he has not been spared that disapproval from Hank McCoy, longtime friend and comrade in the trenches (and to a degree, Storm). Hank does represent the old school, and not a few us remember when he wasn't blue and furry. his own decision to leave the fold makes him representative of the past, because he didn't want to be part of the new X world order, which he says is more militaristic. wait till he gets a load of the new X-Force - it'll make the last X-Force iteration look like the cute animals from Pet Avengers. and considering his parting words "make love, not war, Scott" (Matt Fraction, you is a hippie!), this seems disingenuous as he is waging war as a member of the Secret Avengers. in keeping with his scientific beliefs, he no longer has faith that the mutant race will blossom like it used to, despite urging from the cute-as-a-button Molly Hayes.

the future, meanwhile, belongs to the appropriately-named Hope (now i don't remember who named her? was it Cyclops or Cable?). here we see here being tested by Reed Richards as a time-transplant, though she was born in this time anyway. lacking the normal experience of a child growing up, its fun to see her awkwardly interact with her peers, like Franklin Richards, who, frankly, with all his powers, should also be in the frontline for mutant rights and defense. maybe the powers-that-be just don't want to remember Heroes Reborn. anyway, Hope, a fine doppelganger of Jeannie (imagine the torment Emma would be going thru everyday as a reminder), wants to find her birth parents in Alaska (Sarah Palin?). this is a good start and Cyclops, realizing that he may be making the mistake of putting the weight of expectations on people, gives her his blessings and a chaperone squad.

its been a long, long time since House of M/Decimation. i hope the next storylines do not involve the exhausting theme of mutant extermination, because am goddamned tired, despite the real-world analogy of the subject.

full circle, part 1

drive-by readings

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.

snaps: Iron Man #28

... where we find Tony and Rhodey get shown up in Tokyo by the Hammer women. luckily, Tony kind of remembers who Sasha Hammer might be. unluckily, he still can't remember who Maria Hill might be in his deleted history file. and yes, he's building a repulsor-powered car. watch yo' back, Elon Musk!!


oh, and you can't text or tweet him a.s.a.p., to salvage a little bit of the situation?


erhm ... is that a videocam or the top view of a DSLR with its LCD screen on it?


forget about the camera ... to quote Jack Nicholson circa Batman ... "who is that??"


what? Rhodey is Tony and Maria's lovechild from the future? get out!!!


yeah! speak up, former bitch of S.H.I.E.L.D.!


Stark Resilient hires Tim Cababa, purportedly the tech builder of the short-lived amusingly funny Triumph Division. he looks suspiciously like my countryman Leinil Francis Yu (hey man!). yeah, he's what the hip Filipino looks like nowadays. him and Francis Manapul. now, "Cababa". in the local language, it could mean something like "that low", as in "the tide wouldn't even cover the top of your toes, its that low." or "your dollars can practically buy the whole country; the exchange rate is that low." get my drift? so i think Tony is scrimping for talent, because his financial reserves are that low. naaah, just kidding. Filipinos are hardworking bootstrappers! go, Team Cababa!!

tweets after the fact

will be hitting Midtown Comics later for @brianmbendis, @mattfraction, @edbrubaker & @christosgage signing. #heavybackpack

OH SHIT!! @Agent_M Photo: Tonight’s event at @MidtownComics. I hear tell that lines are already forming.

thanks to @edbrubaker @brianmbendis and @mattfraction for the signings. props to @midtowncomics but book limit sucks.

i brought a lot of Bru books but only managed to get my Death of Capt America trade signed (special bec it already had Epting's & Perkin's).

i should've wangled Incognito as an additional book to be signed. didn't even get to joke about @edbrubaker's hat and Eisners. #grumpy

i should've wangled UXM Sisterhood trade as an additional book 2 be signed for @mattfraction. didn't even get 2 say congrats 4 his new baby.

but i got all my @brianmbendis books signed, God bless the man. but didn't even get to ask about the Marvel Avengers retreat.

come to think of it, i didn't get to yell "don't kill Bucky!!!" at @edbrubaker.

growing pains

drive-by readings

Invincible Iron Man #27 (Marvel) "Stark Resilient, Part 3: This is What We Do" Matt Fraction Salvador Larroca Frank D'Armata Joe Caramagna Ronnie Del Carmen (variant cover)

more of a layer-building issue, as Tony wrestles with Pepper regarding the resurrection of Rescue. yes, she got the taste of it, and she wants more. rebooted Tony, of course, is much more apprehensive using his tech (surprisingly, he's not like this when he's in the Avengers, right Bendis?). but Pepper is adamant, and Tony has a very precarious bargaining position, considering Pepper saved his ass, and so much more, and he doesn't remember much of it.

hello, Amy Adams.

you can almost taste the flash of the bitterness in her mouth when she says Tony has nothing left to lose, implying that he already lost her too, in a way. i wonder if she has an ulterior motive for being powered up again, as it puts her on not-exactly-equal footing-but-enough to Tony, should she start going nuts (hey, if Marvel wants someone to write that, they will) and exact revenge on him for Happy's death.

but hold that thought. hold the fact that some Comic-Con crazies have perpetrated a massacre in Tokyo subways and only Detroit Steel came to the rescue (why the hell is he even there? you'd think the Japs would be disgusted this reminder of the American car industry would be around them after what happened to Toyota last year). hold the fact that the American military are now impressed by Hammer Industries (you'd think the Americans would be disgusted with anything branded as H.A.M.M.E.R. - oh wait, those are modified Stark-era equipment). hold the fact that Rhodey had a brief crisis of conscience of laying down the War Machine armor once and for all.


no ... we need to give it up for the one ... the only ...



man, for years i wondered what happened to her. now we know. she did a lot better than Tony. bring back the '80s!!!

this is my favorite revival by Matt Fraction, after Iron Fist.

snaps: Iron Man/Thor - FCBD

... where we find the two reconciled friends bonding, just like the old days. some rich folks want to be literally be above you peons, so they just upped and built McMansions on the moon, which of course runs counter to Thor's motto and Stark's new mantra. yep, that country mile is technically no longer a mile. just stop being a jerk once in a while, Tones.

hey, is that a dig on Obama? he's not socializing moon residency, ok?


i wonder if Amadeus Cho will be content with being #7.


oh, you're quoting your Asgardian pal now, are you? (as for me, i am intellectually embarrassed ...)


since when did Pepper get Pym Particle-d?


this is the only solution for fat cats and pigs in our society - send them away.


don't knock it. it comes in mead flavor as well as Asgardian beef.


of course you're not. you're from Oklahoma.

seriously, why would Tony be surprised Thor's talking through the vacuum of space? haven't been they around too long already?

also: how does Tony have the time to build these things?

call it a comeback

drive-by readings

Invincible Iron Man #25 (Marvel) "Hammer Girls" Matt Fraction Salvador Larroca Frank D'Armata Joe Caramagna Larroca/Rian Hughes/Tetsuya Aoki/Ryan Meinerding/Herb Trimpe (variant covers)

and the blackest night is over. Tony Stark has regained control of his brain and bodily functions, and its much better than ever. recovering his Extremis backup from that hard drive that was a focal point of World's Most Wanted and Disassembled, Stark is now a true Iron Man, powered by the infinite juice of the repulsor battery in his chest, replacing his organs and making him the best fighting machine ever. truly gone are the days of the suitcase armor (although it has its purposes, as Jarvis demonstrated in Siege).

about the fighting part ... well, apparently, Stark wants to do a 180 and make love this time around. he doesn't have anything left, so Stark Resilient, his new (broke) company as it is, plans to license his repulsor tech to global industries to reduce dependence on current energy sources and use the free alternative. to this end, the military industrial complex may have to turn to Hammer Industries, who's trying to fill in Stark's shoes. i suspect this shift has a lot to do with writer Matt Fraction's personal (hippie?) beliefs, and it does make sense, in the light of world events. he's been doing a bang-up job overall and we're drinking the Kool Aid.

with his Extremis recovery though, there's that caveat of not remembering anything through Civil War, Secret Invasion, World War Hulk, and Dark Reign. pretty convenient way out, i'd say (better than making a deal with the devil and dissolving your marriage, or going back in time and plucking out your teenage self). it'll make for some interesting conversations with his peers, and that's the part i'm really anticipating. speaking of which ...

my favorite part of this whole deal is his eventual reconciliation with Thor, of which his pwning by the latter was a source then of national glee. Thor himself makes the first step, and for once (and i hope for the long term), we get a humble Stark still speaking about himself and his convictions (though he can't remember what he did), but building enough of a bridge from his end. i thought the offer of (and eventual rejection by Stark) financial resources by the Thunder God was a nice touch, and that sealed the deal for reconciliation.

i know the movie's coming out (why else are we dusting off Justin Hammer's legacy?), but it still makes sense in the scheme of things (and in the new Heroic Age theme). if you're not onboard with this new Stark direction, you're missing out a lot.

but what are these Hammer Girls that you speak of?

via Marvel.com and @mattfraction

Tony Stark is back, bigger, bolder, better and shinier than ever in Iron Man: Resilient.

aaaaaaaaaaand ... she's back.

what i want to know is, how long was she out there without any food or water.





'nuff said!

-----
Uncanny X-Men #521

all you need to know about Iron Man #23

let's see Rogers or Barnes or Blake pull that off. you da man, Tones!!!

snaps: X-Men #520

... where three non-American X-Men are sent to New York to watch Mamma Mia or The Loki Puppet Show on Broadway, and track those nanites sent via Predator X-press - it's those bunch of superpowered X-Men wannabes introduced back in issue five hundred-whatever. also, Magneto tries to make himself useful by propping up the sinking Utopia, but is rebuffed by Cyclops. consequently, he goes off to either find his center or go back to being a goddamned supervillain. i hope its the former, because i'm goddamned sick of the 'X-Men vs Magneto' cliche.

it's 2010 and they're still using the Blackbird like its 1999. ohh, they call it X-Jet now?


big talk, fish man. you like attending meetings when you can huff and puff (see Illuminati, Cabal).


Logan, you're all rich ... pay the frog! or promise him some escargot!


the X-Men are back in New York and no one raises a fuss? not even one calls H.A.M.M.E.R.?


hey, are you really Prometheus?


Fantomex casually regale strangers of his adventures. in a diner.


not after killing his wife, you don't. oh wait, that wasn't you?! well, why dintcha say so?! c'mere, big guy. bring it in! group hug, everybody!!

eat that, Iron Patriot!

Tony Stark heads into 2010 with new threads. snazzy! (via Marvel.com)

snaps: Uncanny X-Men #518

... where another psychic surgery session takes place (happens less these days only because Jean Grey's not around anymore - maybe), Magneto goes retro-'80s and makes himself useful (maybe), and Hank McCoy goes emo on us. Hank McCoy!

1) the day it's the happy-go-lucky Bobby Drake dispensing this kind of advice - to Hank, no less - is the day that you know you should stop yearning for Danger Rooms and stupid villains. wait, who's yearning?


2) and Hank tries to deflect and parry, but he's dating an alien ... ok, half-alien.


3) he's a lover, not a fighter. one of Scott's fantasies just came true.


4) Betsy: "my past history with Scott notwithstanding, Professor - don't look at me, i didn't do anyth - oh, you weren't referring to that ..."


5) oh, am sure he had no problems "blasting Emma in the face", if you know what i mean. and i'm not talking about his optic beams either. (hey, kid, stop reading this and go to Disney.com or something.)


6) well, we'll just have Logan cut off your head right here and now then. huh? what do you mean he's on Avengers business? get him here right now before Mags goes nuts again!!!