Goblin's books ...

Thunderbolts #120

And here I just fell in love with the Thunderbolts all over again. I'd sort of fallen out of their groove for a while since the publishing schedule had been erratic of late, but with last month's one-shot focusing on Venom and Norman Osborn kicking as much ass as it did and this month's #120 continuing to bring the awesome, I'm as in love as a high school kid following the captain of the football team. This issue focuses on Norman as a certain green skinned personality comes knocking. As there is a fair amount of pay off and, at the same time, building to the final issues of the arc, I won't go into too much detail. Suffice it to say that Norman tears through Thunderbolts Mountain as the heroes locked in their cells begin to see their plan come to fruition. The Swordsman comes to a rather untimely fate (though his story is not yet done), but he had it coming given the past few issues. Songbird and Radioactive Man may be the key to solving their immediate problem, but should they? Pennance does some more stuff no one cares about as even Warren Ellis has seemed to give up on him. Rightly so, I'd say.

Big stuff coming up next issue as Norman goes full-on crazy. Moonstone, already close to full-on crazy herself, has been dispatched to take care of Samson and Pennance. Radioactive Man is down for the count (but that's what you get when you threaten to give everyone cancer). Venom and Swordsman are barely alive. The only non-crazy and not about to die member left is Songbird. Well, I guess that means she's about to die.

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Captain Britain and MI13 #1

As anyone who bought last year's "Wisdom" book knows, Paul Cornell is a fantastic writer. "Wisdom" was everything from crime noir, to magic, to espionage, to fantasy to superhero and back again. He blended it all seamlessly and wrote a rollicking good tale in the process. It was a MAX title with a then unkown writer and even with Trevor Hairsine providing the art, the book tanked big time. It's a shame and I recommend you get the trade when possible. I am apparently not the only one to feel Cornell's previous books deserved more credit than it recieved as he's been given new book to write featuring his old pal Pete Wisdom, Captain Britain, Black KNight, Spitfire and John (as in the Skrull Beatle of John Lennon). It's a motley crew to be sure, but they work well together givn the circumstances. I'm not wild about the book launching as a part of Secret Invasion, but if it gets people to read it and let it live then I'm happy.

Since this is the first issue (and dealing with several characters that are not very well known - especially to U.S. audiences where their popularity has always been less on this side of the pond) there is a fair amount of set-up involved. It's all done through the story, so it works. Surprisingly, the characters are never given explanations as to their powers. Even more shockingly, the Skrull John Lennon is never truly explained. It's a weird concept to begin with, but the few sentences he has in the opening scene are really not enough to give him a proper backstory (if you can call his backstory proper).

As for the plot itself, the Skrulls are out to take away the main advantage Great Britain has over the rest of the world - magic. By destroying the Siege Perilous, the Skrulls cut Britain off from Otherworld and Avalon. Since Britain doesn't have as many superheroes they rely on magic to get the job done. If the Skrulls can take that away from them, uh-oh. So we have a nice reason for these separate heroes to come together during the invasion and I'm hoping they'll stay together afterwards. Leonard Kirk's art is a perfect match for the book as it's slightly low-key, but still dynamic enough to keep the action moving. He makes some great shots of the Black Knight o the streets of London.

This looks like it'll be a great book, especially when the deus ex machine of the invasion is complete. Not hat Cornell doesn't use the story well, it's just that it's a mistress that must be served at the expense of some of th character development and dialogue that made Wisdom's previous book so good. This book could and should very well jump to the top of Marvel's list very soon. I suggest starting early and picking up the first issue.

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Guardians of the Galaxy #1

Now that Annhilation and Anhilation: Conquest are done, Marvel's cosmic heroes actually have fans again. Who saw that coming? Along side the Nova spin-off, we now get another ongoing in the form of a new Guardians series. It certainly makes sense as they're trying to prevent another Negative Zone or Phalanx-sized invasion from occurring again. They're going to be proactive and take the threats out before they become too big to handle. Quit frankly, I don't think I've heard of a more plausible and realistic premise for a superhero team book in some years.

The roster for the GotG is comprised of Star Lord, Drax, Gamora, Adam Warlock, Quasar (Phylla-Vell), Mantis and Rocket Raccoon (with Groot, of course). I'm a little saddened to see that Bug did not pop up in the book even in the flashbacks, but it's a full roster so I can't really blame them. While you don't have to have read either of the Annhilation books to understand this, it does help. You'd understand their motivation better, though it makes sense just listening to them tal about it. Their headquarters is Knowhere, the floating Celestial's head at the edge of the universe seen in Nova's series. The flashbacks do help to flesh out the time between Conquest and this book, but so much happened in the last two invasions that it would be impossible to fit it all in. To their credit, Abnett and Lanning cram a lot of information into this first issue without making it seem forced or skimping on the action.

The big bad of the series (or at least the foreseeable future) seems to be the Universal Church of Truth. Allegories aside, it's a great villain for the Guardians as they're massive, touch on countless worlds and are ruthless enough to pose a real threat. An excellent choice and I hope they're the villains of the book for some time, operating in the background even if the Guardians are off on another mission. I'm not a huge fan of Pelletier's artwork but I don't have many complaints here. He handles the action very well, which isn't easy to do given some of the massive landscapes he has to draw. He also doesn't make space clean. it's old and dirty and looks lived in, which I absolutely love. My only suggestion is that he work on making his facial expressions a little less exaggerated. Of course, if that's my biggest problem with his art that say something.

All due praise given, there is still a roadblock to this book: It's about the Marvel universe. What I mean i that Marvel's cosmic heroes interest a select group of readers. If you're not into that whole scene, this book will do nothing for you. There is a lot - a LOT - of history behind these characters. You can't possibly hope to know it all (or if you do you already bought this book) but that's okay. If the cosmic pantheon interests you, you will definitely dig this book. If the idea of interstellar churches, space police and a talking raccoon weapons specialist doesn't get your gears grinding, move along. If you fantasize about your partnet calling you Star Lord in bed, then you, sir, have found your new favorite book.

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newuniversal: SHOCKFRONT #1

If you had told me that I would enjoy a re-imagining of the New Universe I would have called you a filthy liar and spit in your face for such an affront. But when you told me it would be written by Warren Ellis I would have cleaned you up and apologized. I have a temper, what can I say? After recreating the world of the New Universe as newuniversal, Ellis has taken the playground and is now moving the pieces around. The players are the as Jim Shooter's pet project, but everything is slightly different. Starbrand is hiding out with Nightmask since everyone still thinks he killed his girlfriend. Justice s still on his rampage through New York as he believes he is in Hell. Not accounted for? Jennifer Swan, which is worrisome since she's trying to kill the other three superhumans created by the White Event.

In SHOCKFRONT #1, there seems to be a new superhuman in town. He actually destroys a mall minutes after Nightmask leaves. But if Nightmask wasn't the target, who was? And for that matter, is there a target? Given that this poor schlub ended up teleporting to Vancouver, could the damage he had done simply been an after effect of his teleportation? He does seem mighty happy to be in Canada (which is odd enough as it is!). We also see the hunt for the Justice Killer begin as the NYPD realie that the serial killer is one of their own. Other than a football player running through the offensive line (and I mean running through literally, mind you), not too much happened. This issue was a little exposition heavy since the last issue of newuniversal was so long ago.

While I'm still loving this book, it's something that not everyone will get into. If you didn't like the first book, you won't like SHOCKFRONT either as it's really more of the same. I don't know why they didn't just continue with the main newuniversal book, but they may want to do a series of limited series to keep the numbering low. Either way I'm sticking around for more as Warren Ellis does his thing with the New Universe. This is not a superhero book by any stretch. It's a superhuman book, looking at the real world if they had this White Event. The book is not for everyone, but of you like Transmetropolitan or Doktor Sleepless, give this a try.

Also, points to Ellis for slipping in Marvel characters in this outside-the-Marvel universe book. I loved 'em.

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Jonostarsmore's books ...

Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1

I excitedly grabbed this issue in order to find out what happened to the FF team after their building seemingly exploded into the negative zone. My reaction? What a dud. It's the first weak link in this entire Secret Invasion storyline and it does not bode well for this 3-issue mini. We find out what happens to the Baxter Building after the events of Secret Invasion #1, and Sue's true Skrull identity is revealed to be--yes I'm going to spoil it; it will save you about $3--none other than Johnny Storm's erstwhile wife, Lyja. That's about the only interesting thing that happens in this. Generic dialogue, so-so art, and an overall feeling that this three issue event could have been told in just a single issue makes sure that this title stays well below mediocrity. Save your money and read about what happens in this mini-series on Wikipedia.

Skip It.

Batman #676

The reason why I bought this issue is because it introduces the first chapter of the Batman R.I.P. storyline and I thought that it would be a perfect starting point for a new reader. Well, I was incredibly wrong. This is a direct continuation of Morrison's story that he has been setting up and it's not exactly friendly to new readers: there are certain plot points that read like a jumbled mess. As much as DC is pushing this as "THE BATMAN EVENT", I don't think new readers will be able to find anything tangible to grasp on to.

Browse It (If you're planning on jumping on board for the RIP storyline)

X-Men Origins: Colossus #1 (one shot)

Coming to us 33 years (!) after Colossus' debut, we finally get a proper origin story for him. Is it worth it? Well, a lot of what we already know is covered (growing up on a farm, using his powers to save his sister, etc), but we do get some insight as to his motivations for leaving his family. Professor X factors into this equation as he shows up to recruit our protagonist. It's a decent read, but I think only the most die-hard Colossus fans would really appreciate it.

Read It.

Sky Doll #1

The debut of Marvel and French publisher Soleil's collaboration is an interesting creature. It certainly isn't a miss, and it is definitely above average in terms of quality. The main plot is bizarre, yet, it works: a futuristic Barbarella discovers that she may or may not be the long lost religious leader of an alien religious sect. Yeah, I know, slightly on the bizarre side. The art is fantastic and vividly colored and the religious scenes are harrowingly intense. The dialogue suffers from a few strange translations (the comic was originally published in French) but the biggest shocker is that the book itself costs $5.99. No wonder my weekly receipt was higher than usual! $6 for the first part of a three part story is a hefty investment when you're on a budget and that is where I am having difficulty rating this book. If the price were lower, I would easily recommend buying it, but because of the price, I have no choice but to recommend reading it (maybe borrowing from a friend).

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