Captain Marvel #1 Review

The cover is pretty cool, too.

Following the death of Mar-Vell, the original Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers has shed the name Ms. Marvel to take on her namesake's mantle and a less overtly sexy outfit. Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, and drawn by Dexter Soy, this seems to be a part of a significant push to make Carol Danvers an A-list female character, which Marvel sorely lacks currently.

Despite opening with a fight in which Carol and Captain America take down the Absorbing Man, the issue is primarily focused on Carol's reluctance to take on Mar-Vell's mantle. After a conversation about it with Captain America, and a somewhat flirty sparring match with Spider-Man, Carol goes to visit a sick friend and recalls the first time she met on of her idols: Helen Cobb, a pioneer in female aviation. As the title to this comic should make clear, Carol eventually decides to stop being a Ms. and become a Captain after spending some time high (in terms of elevation) in the atmosphere.

This first issue is short on action, but long on character development and world-building, which is arguably more important at the beginning of a new ongoing series. Kelly Sue DeConnick has a good grasp on the character of Carol Danvers and what makes her tick, especially the disappointment she has at not being able to truly live up to her potential as a pilot, due to her lack of any actual need for a plane. The moments between the Captains America and Marvel are well written, if a bit by-the-numbers for inspirational pep-talks. I liked the continuation of the friendship/flirtation between Carol and Peter Parker (who is drawn to look a lot like Andrew Garfield), though I worry about the prospect of him potentially overshadowing her in her own book.

The art by Dexter Soy is interesting, and certainly well-drawn, though I am not yet sold on it for this book. The dark hues are intriguing, but every image seems like it needs to be a little bit lighter. Carol certainly has her demons, but she isn't like dark like Daredevil or the Punisher, there needs to be a certain vibrancy in her world. Soy has a good grasp of the human anatomy, though his faces seem a little bit off, though it is nothing I can pinpoint and is hardly noticeable. I also liked the frantic feel his action sequences had, though there really wasn't much action in this first issue.

Captain Marvel by Kelly Sue DeConnick has a decent first issue, though I am wary of the art not really fitting the material on hand, and should do well if it stays interesting (which it should). I am a fan of the character (and glad she got a less ridiculously revealing outfit) and certainly look forward to what comes next, though hopefully there will be some more action next time.

7/10

Avenging Spider-Man #14 Review

Avenging Spider-Man is essentially, a re-titled new volume of Marvel Team-Up, so it is nice to finally see a good, old-fashioned team-up between superheroes in the mighty marvel manner, and by that I mean, it starts with them trying to beat each other senseless. Written by current Venom scribe, Cullen Bunn, and drawn by artist Gabriele Dell'Otto, this issue is the start of two-part story teaming Spider-Man with Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy in the Savage Land.

Spider-Man is fighting dinosaurs in the Savage Land while on work trip for Horizon Labs (just another day at the office), when he is attacked by a group of mutated fire-breathing pterodactyls trying to harvest his genetic material. He then runs into Devil Dinosaur (a red Tyrannosaurus Rex) and Moon Boy (an intelligent, ape-like humanoid) who, despite earlier friendly meetings, see him as an enemy and proceed to attack him. After realizing they are on the same side, Spider-Man attempts, and fails, to communicate with the prehistoric duo due to Moon Boy only speaking lizard, and Spider-Man's drawings in the dirt being indecipherable. They then proceed to attack those mutating the dinosaurs (and those who have kidnapped Peter's Horizon Labs coworkers) with all the subtlety a T. Rex and two friends can muster.

The story is simple, but the dialogue is sharp and Spider-Man's jokes are genuinely funny, so there is nothing really to complain about. Certain scenes, like those of Peter Parker being the only one of his think-tank coworkers not in awe of the Savage Land (he's been there at least a few times by now) are quite funny. It is interesting seeing Cullen Bunn take on lighter fair than that found in his current Venom run, but he handles it well and produces a genuinely fun comic. 

The art is, in a word, beautiful. Gabriele Dell'Otto might just be my favorite artist in comics, and he reaffirms the reasoning behind my admiration here. Everything visual in this comic, from the Savage Land setting to Spider-Man and Devil Dinosaur, works superbly. I would have bought this comic even if there was only the art, and no writing, assuming it was Gabriel Dell'Otto drawing it.

This issue is just a fun romp in the jungle, with some good humor and some truly amazing art, if you like the character of Spider-Man (or Devil Dinosaur or Moon-Boy) it is well worth picking up, though expecting anything substantial will certainly leave you disappointed. 

8/10

Daredevil: End of Days #1 (of 8) Review

In the long awaited Daredevil: End of Days, Brian Michael Bendis returns to his roots, in writing the man without fear, in an alternate future tale focusing on Matt Murdock's last battle. Bendis is joined in writing duties by David W. Mack, with the artwork done by Klaus Janson and Bill Sienkiewicz and a cover by Alex Maleev. This issue is the first of eight promised in the series.

The first issue of this limited series features the death of Daredevil at the hands of Bullseye after a particularly brutal fight and flashback to another particularly brutal fight between the Kingpin and Murdock. Seen through the eyes of Ben Urich, still working for J. Jonah Jameson at the soon to be defunct Daily Bugle, Matt Murdock's last moments have been captured in vivid detail for the whole world to see and Urich is struggling to cope with the loss and is essentially unable to write about both the man and his legacy but one last mystery surrounding Daredevil sucks him back in.

As written by Bendis and Mack, this first issue is not exactly a cheerful affair: it is dark and it is brutal. Daredevil is a character that has always lent himself to an interpretation that ends with tragedy for the hero, and whether it's written by Frank Miller or Brian Bendis or someone else: Daredevil does not have it easy. This particular take is unique in that it focuses on what happens after the man without fear fights his final bout while the whole world watches, and does nothing. The writing is solid, with most of it being comprised of Ben Urich's inner monologue, which ably supplies all of the information regarding the character needed to be known to the reader in order to fully appreciate this series. There is also a bit of a twist ending that establishes sufficient forward momentum in what is shaping up to be something more meditative, though there are still seven issues to go.

The art, drawn by Janson and inked by Sienkiewicz, is stunning. Switching between grittiness and psychadelis, and complexity and sparseness, the two artists have churned out a unique and effective visual look to what should be an interesting limited series. Additionally,  the cover, done by Alex Maleev, is understated yet striking. The paneling is interesting and daring as well, for example, there is a two-page spread comprised of thirty-two separate panels focusing on thirty-two separate characters that efficiently and effectively drives home the overwhelming reaction to Murdock's death by the city he protected with his life and why it infuriates Ben Urich so much.

Daredevil: End of Days is already shaping up to be a worthy addition to the wealth of quality material already available about the character, and Bendis is in top form with Janson and Sienkiewicz going above and beyond in creating a stunning, and visceral visual experience. 

9/10

Wolverine Max #1 Review

Cover by Jock

If one were to think of characters in the Marvel  Comics stable in need of a new solo title, the odds favor Wolverine being absolutely nowhere on that list. Yet, here we are with a brand new MAX adaptation of the character written by Jason Starr with art by Roland Boschi and Connor Willumsen.

At first glance, this seems to be like any old Wolverine comic, and except for a lack of X-Men references, that first glance would be pretty spot on. The general plot is pretty basic: Wolverine wakes up without memories, is intrigued by a mysterious Japanese woman, gets thrown around by Sabretooth (or "Victor"), and has vague memories about killing things. There is a twist near the end that I did not anticipate, but in general the first issue is a pretty by-the-numbers take on the clawed Canadian.

The writing is nothing special, but it isn't exactly bad either. Certain choices, like the decision to have Wolverine's internal monologue have a more stream-of-consciousness-like feel with sparse sentence fragments to describe his current mental state (he mainly talks about killing and curses at himself) are good, even if that monologue can be a touch cloying at times. In general, I disliked the book starting off with such well worn territory (Wolverine goes to Japan), though I can definitely see the logic behind starting off with a such an iconic part of the character's back-story.

In general, the art in this book did not appeal to me. The art of the scenes taking place in the present day are rather well done, it just never was able to grab me or felt like it fit the subject matter at hand. The main issue I had with the present-day scenes, drawn by Roland Boschi, is that Wolverine doesn't really look like himself. Logan is a character with a very iconic look, and I never truly got the impression I was looking at Wolverine in this issue (though this is not set the primary 616 universe). The flashback sequences drawn by Connor Willumsen are too stylized for the subject matter, in my opinion, and, while not exactly cartoony, takes away from the serious tone present in the rest of the volume. One aspect of this issue's art that I found to be routinely excellent is the coloring done by Dan Brown.

The only new element I can think of is this shark attack.

Wolverine Max is, at least for the first issue, just a mediocre read. The character is definitely suited for the MAX imprint (more so than anyone not named the Punisher), but it is difficult to justify this book's existence when so many current titles already feature the character and nothing new is really being done. Though, for a fan of the character, and, especially, his gruff loner roots, it may be worth picking up.

5/10

Additional Notes:

• The cover is a beautiful work of art, it's a shame the interior artwork doesn't match it.
• It seems strange that this book is $3.99, when it doesn't come with the code for the digital copy.