the new Easy Rider

is there anything cooler than this?



Nick Fury (or Jake or Nick 2.0, whatever) in a shootout on a Vespa.

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image courtesy of CBR/@davaja)

war is a many-tentacled thing

drive-by readings

Secret Warriors #12 (Marvel) "Wake The Beast" Jonathan Hickman Stefano Caselli Sunny Gho Dave Lanphear Jimmy Cheung/Mark Morales/Justin Ponsor (cover) i don't know if other readers of this book kind of feels it like it ran out of steam in its last few issues. i like that Nick Fury took it upon himself to try and save the world on his own terms, recruiting his Secret Warriors and reforming the Howling Commandos. but there's too much going on, and this title is no longer "just" the Secret Warriors anymore. it was manageable when it was just Fury and his kids. now they're taking on Hydra, Leviathan and good knows who else, and with it the inevitable bureaucracy that running an organization entails. it doesn't help that Nick Fury sits there, lectures and he has like 46 scenarios running through his brain and you know he'll win eventually. for someone who went underground, his presence is practically everywhere - he recently helped Bucky Barnes get a new hand but hasn't renewed ties with Steve Rogers yet. i await the eventual sitdown between Fury, the resurrected Tony Stark, the two Captain Americas, Thor, and the rest of the Avengers. if this doesn't happen, i will protest in front of the Marvel offices until they do. oh wait, what happens in this issue? Leviathan captures Viper in search of the "Box" (maybe they should go to Utopia and look up Madison Jeffries?), and Hydra thinks there's a traitor in their midst, which would work well for Fury. both also have secret weapons to be unveiled. there's also a sidestory with Stonewall and Yo-Yo visiting Stonewall's Supermax-resident dad - Crusher Creel, presumably which happens after he got his ass kicked in Mighty Avengers #33. but again this thread is overshadowed by everything else that's going on.

cue in Guns N' Roses: "i used to love her ... but i had to kill her ..."


Gorgon wassn't too enthusiastic about this new acupuncture technique.

drive-by readings: Thunderbolts #134

Thunderbolts #134 (Marvel) "Songbird vs The Thunderbolts" Andy Diggle Miguel Sepulveda Frank Martin Albert Deschesne Francisco Mattina (cover)

if you think about it, the Thunderbolts concept germinated this Dark Reign thing. villains masquerading as heroes - Kurt Busiek's fantastic first issue reveal is still one of the best thing of '90s comics. things have come full circle as you got Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers enjoying the spotlight and popularity ratings, and the rest of the criminal horde do as they please in the background. it does seem quite ironic now that the original T-Bolts (less Zemo, less Moonstone, who's still on the bad side) look to be the good guys (must be all that Hawkeye training huh?). now Songbird is on the run from the psychos of the new team, but fear not, kiddies, Uncle Nicky has something up his sleeve, ain't that right, 'Tasha?

oh and maybe, its just the coloring and all - but isn't Norbert Ebersol a WHITE NERD DUDE??? so how come he's looking like a leaner Luke Cage eh?

no foul-mouthed Nicky?

someone's had enough of these m-fuckin' snakes in this m-fuckin' negotiations!

who said what?

coordination can be a bitch.

just ask Tom Breevort, Bill Rosemann, or Brian Michael Bendis.

so what really happens when ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury (preparing an underground secret strike force against the Skrull invasion for years now) and Thunderbolts head Norman Osborn (otherwise known as the psychotic Green Goblin and chief of America's super secret police) bump into each other during the final battle between Earth's heroes/villains and the Skrulls?

unless they repeated this scene a second time, with Osborn holding a different gun each time. anybody angling for a No-Prize? what, they don't give those out anymore??


yeah, Osborn's going to be the next major crossover villain after next summer's War of Kings.
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Secret Invasion #7, Thunderbolts #125

promise?

unless it flew over your head, you are seeing the Big Three (with Uncle Nicky) challenging 'em dirty Skrulls for a throwdown.

if this battle isn't a twist and turn classic, i'll be the first to boo.

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Secret Invasion #6