tempest in a kettle

drive-by readings

Thor: For Asgard #1 (Marvel) "Asgard Part One" Robert Rodi Simone Bianchi Simone Peruzzi Cory Petit

what we learned: in what seems to be an alternate reality (or a footnote in long immortal Asgardian history), Thor has been left in charge of Asgard after Balder's murder (instigated by Loki, who has since fled - sound familiar?) and finds himself presiding over territorial wars without, and petty bickering within. much worse ...
oh shit moment: ... he can't lift his goddamned hammer.
what's next: Rodi returns to familiar territory (after 2004's Loki) and is ably supported by some of Bianchi's best work. why does it look like Odin is just hanging around Asgard secretly? and why has Thor lost his mojo? (well, not in the bedroom, if you ask Sif)


"Dulcolax!! verily, i have need of Dulcolax, miscreants!!"

Peter and the Chicken, Marvel style

drive-by readings

Dark Wolverine #89 (Marvel) "Punishment Chapter 3" Daniel Way/Marjorie Liu Stephen Segovia/Paco Diaz Craig Yeung/Guillermo Ortega Antonio Fabela Cory Petit Simone Bianchi/Simone Peruzzi (cover)

what we learned: continuing the battle between the Wolverine brood versus Franken-Castle, Logan protects Daken due to a warped sense of honor and fatherhood for a jackass who wants his head on a stake anyway.
oh shit moment: you can feel the palpable glee of each character as they individually one up the other. but it feels like a parody because no one will really die. i mean, there shouldn't even be a Franken-Castle.
what's next: Daken gets the Bloodstone, Frank probably dies and gets reborn (yet again) and Logan wins Father of The Year.


Wolverine's the best at what he does - slicing fingers off.

pulped fiction

drive-by readings

Franken-Castle #19 (Marvel) "Punishment Chapter 2" Rick Remender Tony Moore Dan Brown Joe Caramagna Simone Bianchi/Simone Peruzzi (cover)

what we learned: Frank Castle and Daken - the rematch! Remender goes full circle after having Daken make sushi out of Frank, and this time, Wolverine's badass kid gets the short end of the stick ... until Papa shows up.
oh shit moment: i think Frank took a lot more punishment back in the The List, but there's still a bunch of cringe-inducing moments here that runs like a "Can You Top This?" contest and fanboys going "whoooaaaaa!" on every turn.
what's next: father and son versus a Frankencastle monstaaaa!!


aw, Logan, you spoilsport. booooooooo.

when like Romulus ...

drive-by readings

Wolverine Origins #40 (Marvel) Daniel Way Scot Eaton Andrew Hennessy Andy Troy Cory Petit Doug Braithwaite/Art Lyon (cover) Simone Bianchi/Simone Peruzzi (variant cover)

so, how does this compare to the now-classic Wolverine #90?

the answer is ... ummm, no.

i was expecting a much bloodier and gorier affair. you have an angry Wolverine on one hand, and on the other, his longtime under-the-radar "mentor"/nemesis whom he's meeting for the very first time. suddenly Logan loses all of his strategic fighting skills? his bull-in-the-china-shop approach plays right into Romulus' hands and he gets slapped around for the effort. eventually Wolverine fights smarter and gets the upper hand, de-pantsing Romulus as a big-muscled jerk who uses fake claws.

then before you start cheering, Romulus conks Logan out with the Muramasa sword handle. all these talk about Weapon X alumni as indestructible weapons and Logan being the best at what he does and he gets taken out by a sword handle. WTF, Daniel Way. this is a Wolverine book. not Power Pack. was the original script of this fight spiked by Disney????

so in the end, Romulus is still out there, waiting for the eventual winner between Logan and Daken. the winner will be the one "closest to what Romulus is". all this philosophical sissy shit is making my head ache. bring back Larry Hama, goddammit!!!

drive-by readings: Astonishing X-Men #30

Astonishing X-Men #30 (Marvel) Warren Ellis Simone Bianchi Andrea Silvestri Simone Peruzzi Morry Hollowell Chris Eliopoulos

so this is all what it comes down to? a crazy Forge wanting to take a war to aliens in another universe? if you ask me, it was Warren Ellis himself trying to expand on his scientific ideas after spending too many hours in the pub. thank goodness for Twitter and Hank McCoy's badass half-alien girlfriend in space. speaking of "Hank", the characterization of Scott "Don't Call Me Slim" Summers from leader-with-a-crutch to a-real-leader-period is complete, as he makes it quite clear that he doesn't have much use for looking back to the past as much as he has towards the future (well, let's see how he deals with the Dark Reign). its Scott Shady now, and you know that man makes Emma Frost tingle all over (despite those girly lips on the cover). yeah, baby!

well, damn, they're are uglier than Sam and 'Berto!

let us pause for a moment in memory of Forge. until they bring him back in X-Men vs. Transformers. or something.

who can haz girly lips?

Scott Summers can haz!

methinks Bianchi should just stick to drawing Wolverine. or X-Women: The Series.

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Astonishing X-Men #29

Queen Ororo visits Beijing

and look what she found?


well, say no more, my Queen. here's the finest in the land!



now i know why Xorn ran away to America.