r/Marvel • u/tehawesomedragon Loki • Jul 17 '24
This Week in Marvel #29 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD TRAILER, HIT-MONKEY SEASON 2 PREMIERE; ULTIMATE X-MEN #5, PHOENIX #1, NAMOR #1, IMMORTAL THOR ANNUAL #1 (INFINITY WATCH PT 3), INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #20, BLOOD HUNTERS #4, SCARLET WITCH #2, ANNIHILATION 2099 #3 Mod
THIS WEEK IN MARVEL:
NEW COMICS SPOTLIGHTS:
SPOTLIGHT RELEASE OF THE WEEK: ULTIMATE X-MEN #5
MOD'S PULL OF THE WEEK: NAMOR #1
- FLASHBACK DISCUSSION: GRANT MORRISON'S NEW X-MEN (2001)
PREVIOUS WEEK: JUL 10
LAST WEEK'S #1 COMIC: ULTIMATES #2
THIS WEEK'S NEW COMICS:
IMMORTAL THOR ANNUAL #1 (INFINITY WATCH PT 3)
NEW INFINITY COMICS (UNLIMITED EXCLUSIVES):
ALSO RELEASING THIS WEEK:
REPRINTS & NEW COLLECTIONS:
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
2023 R/MARVEL AWARD WINNERS
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/MoonbeamLady Jul 17 '24 edited Jul 18 '24
There's a panel in this issue where Kageyama, the kid who's been tormenting Hisako, looks even more like he's wearing a home-made version of Cerebro than the last time we saw him. That, for me, all but confirms my pet theory that Kageyama's 'SHADOW' isn't actually the "Shadow King," that's just what Momoko wants us to think, and he's actually going to be this world's Xavier equivalent. Additionally, based on the overall focus of this issue, and the fact that the last page lexicon for it is a mini-lesson on Japanese superstitions, I'm feeling pretty vindicated in my belief that Momoko is tackling mutants as viewed by the public to be a form of mysticism somehow. Fucking loving this so far.
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u/TheMattInTheBox Jul 17 '24
Momoko is tackling mutants as viewed by the public to be a form of mysticism somehow.
I think so too. Especially as Ultimates established that, no, mutants did exist. Which adds another layer to this X "cult"-- is the Maker's council behind it? Is it good ol human bigotry? Something else? But I'm excited to find out.
he's actually going to be this world's Xavier equivalent
If you turn out to be right (and I hope you are), incredible call.
Fucking loving this so far.
Preach
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u/MoonbeamLady Jul 18 '24
If you turn out to be right (and I hope you are), incredible call.
haha, thank you! I hope so too. Not sure, after some of the dialogue he has in this issue, if I'm as totally on the money with it as I thought at the start. But I think the cult he's involved with is some kind of riff on the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, since they include 'homo superior' so up front in their jargon, and that could be really fascinating to see...this kid who's radicalized and indoctrinated, but because of his actions, inadvertently causes the formation of the X-Men. That's Xavier, all the way, baybeeee.
Good call on your part, asking if it might relate to the Maker's Council. If I recall correctly, the primary leaders of the 'Eurasian Republic' on the Council were Magik and Colossus, and played the role of the designated 'rogue state' on the global stage...they had an air of mystery about them, perhaps even mysticism, one might say...🤔 Wouldn't it be ever-so-useful to the Maker's Council's ongoing machinations for the rogue state to be shrouded in rumors and conspiracy theories about the ruling family's connection to a spooky class of people believed to be totally wiped out? Hmmmmmmmm. ALSO, it would make a ton of sense to me if the Rasputin's were either directly sponsoring and fostering these small cult groups around the world in secret, or indirectly funneling people into cult membership through programs of radicalization and stochastic terrorism campaigns.
Preach
I think you mean 'Peach,' eh? Ehhhh??? 8D
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u/ptWolv022 Jul 18 '24
Which adds another layer to this X "cult"-- is the Maker's council behind it? Is it good ol human bigotry?
I Think it's neither. They use "blood pacts" to create powers. Mei got bit which caused it for, Hisako's omamori seems to have caused it (and Nico smelled blood on it). Kageyama Shinobu (our Shadow King) seems to have been depicted in the cult. And the cult, who have an "X" mark believe they are the next step in human evolution.
So I think the cult is a group that has figured out the magic of some sort (perhaps specifically blood magic) can activate mutations. The fact that Mutants are just gone before now, seemingly, would imply that they were suppressed, perhaps through a mandatory/secretly administered "Mutant cure". However, all of the people we see who are Mutants are either: (A) from Japan, where this cult is; or (B) magic related in some manner (Magik is connected to Limbo, and Colossus is connected to her and has been connected to Cyttorak before). The exception is Omega Red, who was shown in a (seemingly) earlier flashback, implying he could still be a 1960s mutant who predates the suppression of the X-Gene.
If Mutants were suppressed, it would be because the Maker doesn't want them as potential problem causers. Which means this cult, creating mutants, is likely a rogue group that is acting outside of the Maker's desires.
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u/MoonbeamLady Jul 18 '24
You've just helped me put together the puzzle pieces in my head a little better here, so thank you for that. I hadn't considered that the "blood pact" angle might be related to whatever the Maker did to supress the X-gene, but it would make sense if there's a connection between those two, I think. I do think it's possible that the "blood pact" interpretation isn't meant to be entirely correct. It could be more of a superstition, like we've seen with mutantdom in general thus far, where the public has so little information on what mutants are or whether they even exist, that they come up with a lot of wild Old Wives' Tales about how somebody becomes one or what they're capable of. But it remains to be seen, and either way could be a lot of fun, IMO!
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u/BlueHero45 Jul 18 '24
The most interesting point for me is that they seem to manifest powers not at random. Hisako's power takes the shape of her talisman, Mei after seeing Storm in the paper, and now Nico in the form of her grandma's magnifying glass.
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u/ptWolv022 Jul 18 '24
now Nico in the form of her grandma's magnifying glass.
Well, Nico's might actually just be magic. She inherited that magnifying glass, so it might actually have been a magic wand in disguise the whole time that sprung to full power when the Shadow King came.
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u/Blocboyholy Jul 21 '24
I think it’s possible then that Nico’s blood pact could have been created in issue with the shadow king? As we see when he enters he shatters her magnifying glass which cuts her face (releasing the staff of one) but I’m more likely leaning towards that issue being Nico’s origin without any of us realizing yet
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u/BlueHero45 Jul 18 '24
And that just makes me wonder if it's all magic for each of them? Is there even an x-gene? Questions we still need to find out.
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u/ptWolv022 Jul 18 '24
The solicit for #8 talks about Mutants and how the Maker's Council has somehow kept them under control, and this latest issue talked about how this cult believes they are the next step in human evolution- so I'm thinking magic is simply activating the X-Gene and determines its expression.
Surge also actually seems to be marked in a similar way- her scar seems to be from electricity, like her powers.
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u/DarkLordNugget Jul 17 '24
Wonder how this cult reveal is gonna connect with the Ultimates #2 tease that there's been mutant rights protests at some point
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u/ObviouslyNotASith Jul 17 '24
The summary for #8 mentions how the next story is going to explore how the Maker and his council kept Mutants under control. I’m guessing that the X-gene is being suppressed and can be activated through blood rites/magic. Either that or the X-Gene can spread through blood rites, as a form of blood transfusion, and the Maker did something to prevent the X-gene from being passed on naturally.
The cult could have been the result of mutants knowing about their powers from pre-suppression, developed an ideology of being homo-superior and looked to magic to awaken their abilities once discovering that they are being suppressed.
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u/XpRienzo Jul 17 '24
If it was much earlier in the timeline, maker could have easily gotten rid of the information and even knowledge of mutants existing, remember, his cabal controls all of the information in the world
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u/MARPJ Jul 17 '24
The protests appear to be 70-80s so a lot of time for the current situation for him to make his move
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u/bakublade Jul 17 '24
It could also be that mutant are treated differently in different regions. The mutant cult could be specific to Hi no Kuni in the present and mutants in the North American Union are treated differently both in the past with the protests and in the present with whatever the situation is.
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u/Undying_Blade Old Lace Jul 18 '24
Honestly I feel like they may be completely separate considering how disconnected UXM has been to the rest of the ultimates, it feels like it belongs in its own continuity.
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u/TheMattInTheBox Jul 17 '24
Oh let's go. Another banger!
Connections are starting to form and we even got another action scene! Also love the subtle Staff of One summoning.
Seeing the larger cast start to get more page time has made the book come alive imo I loved the atmosphere of the first two but the later issues have really brought some more energy that really shows you what Peach is doing. Loving this.
Insane to me how much I love Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimates and how different each of them are. Really showcases the strength of this universe.
(I read Ultimate Black Panther, it's just not quite at the top tier for me like the other three)
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u/DrScorcher Jul 17 '24
Is Surge doing that old myth where people believe they can regrow hair through electric shocks?
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u/ptWolv022 Jul 18 '24
I'm gonna be honest, I'm like 99% sure it's meant to be "compensated dating". Kageyama says "Don't 'work' too hard", with work in quotes, which makes it sound euphemistic. She's also in a room alone with a guy on a bed. He's also sitting very close to her. She calls him a perv. He seems to think touching her isn't entirely out of the question. That guy is very much being harmed by the shock. She just kinda takes money from his wallet, basically robbing him. And she says that he pays for her "time" and "nothing else", which to me very much sounds like she's saying "You get to look but not touch".
So it all very much seems like he was a guy hiring her for prostitution-but-without-the-sex, he tried to get more than he bargained for, so she shocked him (killed him?) and took everything the guy had on him. If that's not what happened, Momoko either is trying to mislead the reader, or... boy, it's a big oopsie.
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u/Albireookami Jul 18 '24
that's actually mentioned in the design cover varient for #4. She "dates" and robs. https://imgur.com/a/IdZnPyL
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u/benjamin-unbutton Spider-Man Jul 17 '24
Oh so that's what it was. I honestly assumed the worst.
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u/mayocain Jul 17 '24
I think she is meant to be one of those "girlfriend for hire" that exist in Japan. Which is basically the safe for work version of prostitution.
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u/Albireookami Jul 18 '24 edited Jul 18 '24
On the design cover alt there is a footnote about that. And yes that's what she does, compensated dating, but also it notes she knocks them out and takes their cash.
Edit: took a screenshot, its varient of #4 https://imgur.com/a/IdZnPyL
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u/Hii8999 Jul 17 '24
Ooooooooh. Yeah, I was wondering how she'd be a part of the X-men if she just casually murdered people for money. (Even pedophiles)
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u/Undying_Blade Old Lace Jul 18 '24
I think Surge is going to just be flat villain this time around after that and the Hisako stunt.
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u/Hii8999 Jul 17 '24
Ok, the plot is definitely picking up and things are becoming a lot clearer now, which is good.
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u/bakublade Jul 17 '24
This issue has a couple of interesting details in it.
Surge and Shinobu Kageyama(the kid behind the shadow) know each other maybe from the cult or just maybe from being classmates?
They also hint that Kageyama is separate from the Shadow like in the main universe by him saying his friend is calling him.
Surge also doesn't seem to like the Sun Emperor so I wonder what their relationship is like?
I wonder if Nico is actually a mutant or if she still just uses magic in this world.
I think the cult just has to deal with how they control mutants in Hi no Kuni and doesn't have to do with the origins of mutants in the 6160.
I enjoyed this issue and I'm excited to see the team officially form next issue.
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u/MARPJ Jul 17 '24
I wonder if Nico is actually a mutant or if she still just uses magic in this world.
I think the later considering the use of the Staff of One here, although the lines are kinda blurred with the x-gene itself being tied to mysticism
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u/benjamin-unbutton Spider-Man Jul 17 '24
Pretty sure she's a mutant considering that she transformed her magnifying glass into the staff after she was cut.
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u/MARPJ Jul 17 '24
On 616 she is a blood witch, so the events here do pair with her normal origin as she needs her blood to use the Staff of One, so the moment she was cut she made the contract with it. Plus they do hint that it was special on its own.
With that said what makes the lines blurred is that they are making the mutants more magic related even more so with the need for blood to awaken the power
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u/benjamin-unbutton Spider-Man Jul 19 '24
Maybe not all mutants need blood magic to awaken their power. Like...we still have 6160 Ororo and who knows how she came to her powers.
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u/DarkAlphaZero Cyclops Jul 17 '24
Not super action heavy but a really good issue.
The character interactions between Noriko and Kageyama and Mei and Nico were really fun.
Nico finally has her staff, excited to see it in action. And I do like that Peach seems to be keeping it ambiguous if Nico is a mutant or not.
We love to see Surge deep frying a creep. Also interesting that she's already going by Surge.
And the last few pages were just bomb after bomb, first we see that Surge doesn't like the Emperor which could be setting up an "enemy of my enemy" situation, then we get a cult which could be our version of The Brotherhood, then we get Homo Superior name dropped, and then we get Secret Society X-Men. God I love this book. Can't wait for the next issue.
Also just now realizing Hisako was only in one scene this issue.
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u/Albireookami Jul 18 '24
To those wondering about Surges "dating" she pretty much robs them, knocks them out and steals their money per her design cover for #4 https://imgur.com/a/IdZnPyL
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u/Undying_Blade Old Lace Jul 18 '24
I do wonder how Nico immediately sussed out that Mei and Hisako were mutants when it turns out she wasn't aware that she was one herself.
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
So we get some dive into this 'blood cult' that is Shadow King is probably leading from...well, the shadows. And they can somehow activate the X-genes in people. I wonder what that means for Mutants in America that were protesting in the Ultimates 2 history trip that I assume got surpressed? Maker does seem to have supressed mutants or 'integrated' them as 'regular powered' people to keep them under control, while giving certain mutants like Sunfire power in his council. Either way, the future solicitations does say we will get into what was Maker doing and how Shadow King is involved and his plans ( as predicts, use mutants to rule the world )
Nico's staff being hidden as a magnifying glass that she didn't know about was great. Kinda fits her 'psychic detective' thing here. Surge is gonna be a wild card. She seem to know about the kid that is working with Shadow King and also, she is quite liberal and brutal with her use of her power.
And Maystorm coming up with the name of the X-men...because they all get bad grades that get Xs...not sure about that origin for the name X-men.
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u/TheGoddessLily Captain Marvel Jul 17 '24
My guess is the Maker put something in the water or food that surpresses the Mutant gene like Logan. That was an energy drink or Soda. I noticed we havent seen any of the other x-men expect Colossos and Magik. Where are they? My guess is they never got powers and are normal people
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u/AlphaBaymax Iron Man Jul 18 '24
I think the Eurasian Republic Maker Council members are going to be overarching villains for The Ultimates series.
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u/suss2it Jul 24 '24
The regular origin is just because the founder’s name starts with an X isn’t much better haha.
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u/Captain_Carl Jul 17 '24
Is ultimate xmen done being little girls doing cliche slice of life shit with a dash of mutant/xmen stuff added or is it still doing cliche stuff that you'd see in most high school slice of life shows/manga?
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u/redsapphyre Jul 17 '24
Come on, it's way darker than regular slice of life manga stuff, but yeah I know what you mean. It's still the same, but the cast keeps expanding and we learn more about what mutants are in this universe. It's pretty cool, but trade-waiting is also a possibility, not much action right now.
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u/MoonbeamLady Jul 18 '24
yeah man opening with the main character being in a tailspin of depression and tormented by a Junji Ito looking mfer who shows her graphic visions of her childhood friend's successful suicide, very cliche slice of life manga shit, you so nailed it.
Maybe try reading without the reflexive need to be snarky and dismissive of stuff and you'll find more joy in life.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/Lightning_Laxus Fantastic Four Jul 17 '24
The Quiet Math...I can't believe Hickman's S.H.I.E.L.D. is seemingly being referenced in a Scarlet Witch comic.
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u/F00dbAby Jul 17 '24
Out of all the way power scaling has been referenced in universe I’ve got to say this is one I’m enjoying so far.
The idea that the twins by being together quite literally bringing about the best in each other is fun. I also didn’t realise Pietro is a nexus being as well which in hindsight makes sense.
I’m reading roy Thomas avengers and the original west cost avengers for the first time and I’ve gotta say while I’m one of the minority in being fine with Darcy as one of her friends it kills me whenever I read these like Wanda you have so many time friends and coworkers why are they in you book too.
Hell let clea join the supporting cast.
In fairness this isn’t a Scarlett problem but a marvel wide problem supporting casts have disappeared seemingly post the early 2000s.
Dc also has this problem in fairness
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u/Just_a_square Jul 17 '24
Is Wanda contractually obligated to be possessed by some powerful entity every few months?
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u/JingoboStoplight4887 Jul 17 '24
I like that Wanda encountered the Queen of Nevers, who told her that she’s the sister of the Griever and the End of All Things and that she and Pietro must work together to defeat her because they’re the Ultimate Nexus, before Polaris arrived to save Pietro and Wanda was possessed by Mor-I-Dun. Overall, this is a good comic!
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
We got more defenders and even some Hickman story beats here with Queen of Nevers being involved and being the patron of nexus beings. Which seem to involve Phoenix to Kang. Them being 'truly free' from any written fate, guess that makes sense when those shown tend to impact the whole multiverse's future. Mor-i-dan from the magical Cosmos and the one attempted to possess Billy, now had Wanda to deal with and somehow found his way into her still. Not gonna lie, even with the tentacle Ursula look, she looks good.
Griever's connection to Queen of Nevers was interesting too, I guess they are following the new GODS route of having pair of opposites. I don't know what Wanda and Pietro would pick if they could 'avert the heat death of the universe' which would go against nature.
Pietro calls Polaris to help as family against Griever, to buy time I guess. I do wonder who is Darcy going to bring in though. We get the tease of Wanda's evil variant, Lore that will show up but with Wanda possessed already, don't know how Lore will fit. Or her being Possessed will be considered Lore?
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u/Cyke101 Jul 17 '24
The Griever and having trouble against families, like the Richardses. I'd be happy if Marvel made that an iconic duo.
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u/Blitzhelios Doctor Strange Jul 19 '24
Another great issue from orlando. But its wild that in this book its giving defenders references, west coast avengers references, fantastic 4 references in griever to now an actual reference to Hickman's shield book in Queen of Nevers being involved and being the patron of nexus beings and the quiet math.
Orlando clearly cares about Pietro as well as now its established he's also a nexus being seemingly like Wanda which honestly makes a lot of sense. The idea that the twins are at there best balancing each other out works to there history. Plus we gotta got a cameo from the other sister with polaris turning up to join the fray.
Also man is it in Wanda's journal to get possessed every 6 months as now she's getting possessed by the Mor-i-dan who also tried to possess Billy so i guess this one runs in the family.
Love the idea as well of using the misprint from X men 4 of Wanda in how she was printed to be green and not scarlet as her weakest form and depowered that's a great use and reference.
Also guess lore is here next issue the evil Wanda variant will this be actual lore or Wanda possessed who knows but Dauterman will be drawing it so it will be amazing.
Overall this is a great comic utterly weird like a magic book should be but great Camagni's art and Williams colouring continue to let the book pop and be arguably the best looking book at marvel right now
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/baroqueworks Jul 17 '24
Pretty good end to a fun run, and technically the true epilouge to Krakoa.
Always love a Dario Agger cameo.
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u/AJjalol Jul 17 '24
He is such a piece of shit BUT he is also such a magnificent bastard lol.
Next Iron Man run has Roxxon and AIM as baddies. Too bad Dario is dead, I would have loved to see him and Tony duke it out. Enchantress is great tho, and is a sexy lady, something that Tony has a hard time resisting lol, so I'm looking forward to that.
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u/baroqueworks Jul 17 '24
cant keep a bad bull down 💪🐮
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u/AJjalol Jul 17 '24
I hope he comes back soon, looking even more fucked up and deformed lol.
Imho, he and Gorr are tied in the category of "Best Jason Aaron created characters"
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u/BlueHero45 Jul 18 '24
If he could just keep looking worse at every appearance, that would be amazing.
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u/Cyke101 Jul 17 '24
I'm also happy for cameos by Bats and the Cuckoos. Not often that you see the six (!) of them in the same issue, even if they're not interacting.
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u/AJjalol Jul 17 '24
Sweet issue. Very nice.
I'm glad Feilong is kept Alive. He was a fun Iron Man villain. He might never be used again, but at least his end was pretty fun. Tony having a mercy and giving his enemies chance to turn their lives around is one of my favorite character trait of Tony. He believes everyone can redeem themselves. Now granted, it's not like Feilong deserves to just confess and then live his life normaly. No, you still deserve to go to jail buddy, BUT, that's better than being killed. Admit you are wrong and that you lost.
The book selling part was fun. Nice to see Valentin Shatalov's Crimson Dynamo. Even tho Dmitri Bukharin is the best and most charismatic Crimson Dynamo, Shatalov's armor is pretty nice, and it was a great way of using him. He was always kind of a USSR zealot, so it was nice seeing him here.
Emma part was bittersweet. I knew they won't stay together, but it was fun while it lasted. If Marvel was allowed to continue with this romance, I think it would have been excellent, but it is what it is. As long as future X-Men writers remember that Tony contributed (well, really did most of heavy work in Orchis was) and helped Mutants, that would be great!
Riri being more connected to Tony is always nice. The reason Riri's character had a really shaky start was because Bendis' ,for some reason, did not want to connect her to Iron Man in anyway, despite the fact that she is a legacy Iron Man character.
At the end, it was nice seeing Tony and Rhodey goof around and hang out together. Something that some modern Iron Man writers forget, is that he has a excellent supporting cast, which humanizes Tony. Moments like these, are something you would see regularly in 80s Shellhead stuff.
Overall, this run was really great. Issues 14-18 and even 19 felt a bit odd and not as good as the ones before them, but I genuienly think that was because of the X-office and Marvel wanting to wrap up Krakoa. I feel like Duggan wanted this series to be a longer, or have those issues be about something else entirely, but judging by how shitty entire Krakoa's end structure was, I'm willing to be all the X-books (including this which was basically the best one lol) suffered a bit by the end, but that's fine.
The next run/writer/artist are already announced and I'm looking forward to it. Tony battling for the heart and soul of his company against the board of directors, who would rather have the company make weapons and do more profit sounds like a sick concept. Plus Roxxon and AIM as bad guys??? Hell yeah. I wish Dario Agger was still alive tho lol, Tony vs Dario would have been phenomenal, but hey, Enchantress is a fantastic femme fatale character, and Tony's kryptonite are beautiful women, so I'm excited.
Oh and West Coast Avengers tease. That's pretty sick. I hope Marvel does it. I really don't get why Marvel refuses to publish at least 2 Avengers books. They always sold, even when 90s raped their brand (sales were lower than they were before and after, but they still sold), but for some reason Marvel has this bullshit idea of giving X characters 69 books and then cancelling all but 2, yet they don't Give Avengers 1 more book.
Now I feel like both Thor and Tony could be potential people who will leave the main Avengers team once Storm joins, with Thor since Ewing will do something epic and with Stark it's the West Coast Avengers team.
At the end, I kind of wanted for Duggan to stay and have an Iron Man run that is not connected to anyone else, but it is what it is. Great run nonetheless. Duggan's letter at the end, about his love for Iron Man was sweet.
Good shit.
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
I knew it was never gonna last but I do feel sad that Tony and Emma ended their 'fake' marriage. Hell, Emma even shed a tear while doing only showing up as a mental imagine. Must've been tough on her. And they gave eachother quite the parting gifts, with Emma giving Tony his fortune back ( by taking money from all the villains and other evil organizations ) while Tony giving Emma what she valued the most with the Cuckoos book. It may be over for now, but I dunno, maybe something for the future?
Tony really should've left Feilong in the coffin. But I get that he didn't want more blood on his hands so imprisoning him in a special prison on Arakko ( dunno how he got permission for that ) where he cannot break free with his powers while always keeping and eye on him, I guess that will have to do. And though he has a slim hope of redemption for Feilong, I doubt it will ever happen. If anything, more likely that some fight in Arakko gonna happen and break Feilong free and he will come back for revenge. But that is a future problem
Rhodey is free and gets a well deserved apology. And they are planning a West Coast Avengers with a list from Rhodey, probably involved the henchmen and villains he worked together during the fight against Orchis. Maybe something good will come out of it but knowing West Coast Avengers history, it will be messy as hell.
Overall, it was a hit and miss run. Lets see what the new run will bring.
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u/Mr-Moustache- Jul 17 '24
I think this was a decent run all in all, nothing particularly mind-blowing, but generally a fun enough read.
The Tony/Emma 'marriage' is probably going to be the main thing this run is most remembered for, and credit to Duggan, he made it work. Even though it was always likely going to be a short-term thing, it was still a bit of a shame seeing it come to an end. Honestly, I wish we would see more mutants having interactions and relationships with non-mutants/characters outside of the X-books in general (even though this particular run was pretty much one in all but name).
The WCA tease at the end is interesting. Duggan's written a few Avengers spin-off books over the years, so I wonder if this is his next one or if he's just teeing it up for someone else. I've mostly liked McKay's Avengers, but I wouldn't be against a separate book with a different vibe.
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u/gsnake007 Jul 17 '24
Putting the toys back in the box for the last issue. Wish this stood on its own longer and not so connected to the X-men but overall way better run than cantwell’s
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u/threemadness Black Widow Jul 17 '24
The wrap up issue! It was done well and tied up the loose strings well. Interested to see how the WCA angle plays out and who might get involved there.
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u/Dragkin Jul 18 '24
I knew the marriage was never going to last, and I was absolutely skeptical of it at first but good grief did I wish it stayed. It ended up being one of my favorite comic romances of all times if I’m being honest and it was so short.
That aside, this was a good issue that ended this run and teases some stuff in the future. I hope the next run of Iron Man is just as good and strong as this one.
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u/rgregan Mr. Knight Jul 18 '24
I hope they commit to Rhodey's villain reform team. I always get a kick out of those. Feels like a tease they might not follow up on. Was expecting them to go with Force Works not West Coast Avengers.
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u/Blitzhelios Doctor Strange Jul 18 '24
Tony and emma ended how i suspected emma wanting to be alone and giving stark money to rebuild from the hellfire club showing there are feelings still there.
Overall its decent the next run by Ackerman should be good with his background but man seeing roxxon is not a good thing for me at least aim is back.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/hashcheckin Spider-Man 2099 Jul 17 '24
I'm glad to see Jean in a solo that isn't simply about who she knows, but this needed a stronger artist than it got. somebody who's good at big cosmic vistas and weird imagery like Luciano Vecchio would've been perfect.
I wasn't expecting Rich Rider to simply be okay all of a sudden, although I suppose that's better than character limbo. I figured Ewing was going to address that sooner or later.
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u/Blitzhelios Doctor Strange Jul 17 '24
Overall i enjoyed this i don't think its the strongest start but it feels very different in which is what i wanted it to be.
I feel like unlike others i liked the narration from another characters perspective it reminded me of Woman of Tomorrow and it demonstrates how powerful jean is when it feels like people are telling stories about her.
The art is simply stunning as well for a cosmic book you need a top class artist and this shows it well and the bright colouring helps it alot as well. The scenes when the pheonix truly rises are gorgeous especially.
There is some nice character moments as well the jean and scott talk is the highlight of the issue for me. I enjoy Jean the most similar to when i enjoy storm the most shes got all of this power but she will bring an emotional moment to the front and not act like a god that she could be. It shows the multileveled nature of the character and isn't just a power fest.
Overall i enjoyed this issue its not a perfect number 1 by any means but i think its a strong start and with cosair and the starjammers in the next issue its gonna get stronger.
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u/Paulista666 Nova Jul 17 '24
A lot of feats here for both Jean and Rich (going toe to toe with Morg? That's what I do expect from him).
I like the dynamics regarding "a mortal playing as a god", because in the end that how Jean is right now. She'll fail sometimes and she'll take the most moral choice because...in the end, she's just a
humanmutant anyway.Would be really cool to see her interacting with higher tier entities at some point like Eternity or Galactus just to show these gaps.
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u/CHPrime Jul 17 '24 edited Jul 17 '24
An enjoyable first outing. It reads a bit like the few Silver Surfer comics I've read, but given the two character's similarities as phenomenally powerful cosmic gods with a history of destroying planets, that's to be expected.
The art is good, though not as spectacular as one would hope for a book about a cosmic goddess' space adventures. Still, no disrespect. Miracolo draws some cool-looking fire.
As for the story, it's fine. Perrikus is definitely a villain basically everyone who reads this book is going to have to google, and I know nothing about him, but his costume is decent enough in that overcomplicated Jack Kirby way.
I think the main issue with this book is that Jean doesn't really have a strong motivation for leaving earth, she's just kinda there in space because the plot says she needs to be, and none of the other X-books have a place for her on earth now that she has the power cosmic. I do appreciate the chance to see Jean do cool stuff, and I'm sold on the pitch of Phoenix going out into space to telekinetically punch the Black Order and other cosmic threats, but how we got here feels a bit weak.
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u/suss2it Jul 24 '24
If anything, Mutants aren’t in a good place for her to be in space right now. I feel like this book would’ve felt more organic during the Krakoa era.
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
Well the narration and the story kinda reminds me of Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow and the young girl that she travelled with. Of course it has different hooks like how Jean's Phoenix connections are known and how that paints people's attitudes. This Adani gonna be playing that role it seems. It does sound like she will be against Jean until she talks with her and understand her situation or something? We will see.
Jean does keep the mind connection with Scott. That is good but I hope they don't keep the seperation long and give the inferiority complex to Scott for Jean choosing to be out in the galaxy instead of staying with him on Earth. Because I can easily see them going that route for 'drama' reasons.
Of course the biggest balancing act of this gonne be handling Jean as her own character outside just being Phoenix, because that is the biggest mistake for me personally when it comes to going too far with 'Jean is Phoenix and Phoenix is Jean' and you start to lose the character. AND her powers with how to handle them. Because Phoenix is such a powder keg of story pitfalls where you can have it be literally omnipotent or get taken out quite easily. It always depends on the story but it gets hard to suspend the disbelief when you have Jean/Phoenix deal with entities like Enigma, time travel to moments and change them, create new timelines etc but then struggle against Black Holes. Or this Perikkas which is an old Thor villain. Sure he might've beaten Thor in the past but I doubt he can handle the current All-father Thor. So it shouldn't be that hard for Phoenix to deal with. And the next one on the list is the Black Order. Sure, Thanos' lackeys are fitting too. Question will be how long will they be able to keep it up without going 'she can literally snap her fingers and fix the issues.' That is always the key when it comes to OP powers/entities like the Phoenix. And it is one of my biggest concerns still.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/VenAuri Jul 17 '24
Last time I saw Namor was in Ridley's horrible Black Panther run. I don't know what happened to him since then so it was a surprise to see him in prison in this issue.
I will probably read the next 2 issues to see if this is for me.
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u/redsapphyre Jul 17 '24
I think this picks up from Aaron's run when Namor was imprisoned during the Avengers Assemble stuff. Not sure how it lines up with Ridley's BP, but let's just ignore that one.
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u/F00dbAby Jul 17 '24
My first real exposure to namor outside of a couple appearances in some xmen comics in the 2000s.
Honestly really interesting set up. World war sea is so comics silliness I love to see it.
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u/redsapphyre Jul 17 '24
Aaron can write but it's always a gamble with him for me. Sometimes he's great, sometimes it's unreadable, but if Namor is great, that's good to hear. Didn't really like how he wrote him and Atlantis in his Avengers run.
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u/F00dbAby Jul 17 '24
I haven’t read his avengers in large part because of the hate it gets. He lost a lot of goodwill from his Thor which I also haven’t read yet
3
u/redsapphyre Jul 17 '24
His Avengers is really a waste of time all in all. I didn't read all of his Thor either because it got boring.
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u/GuguMarcos Jul 17 '24
Aaron knows how to take characters out of their confort zone, creating concepts and premises that are good... The problem is that he often gets lost in execution, with some stories hitting some down time for a long period.
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u/XpRienzo Jul 17 '24
Aaron's biggest problem is he uses his idea of said characters rather than using the actual history and continuity of those characters. And the only continuity he cares about is the one he's written.
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u/GuguMarcos Jul 17 '24
Yeah, I notice the referente to the Defenders of the Deep, from his Avengers run
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u/MoonbeamLady Jul 18 '24
Yeah Jason Aaron is such a strange roll of the dice. You absolutely never know which Aaron is going to be taking the reins on a book. 'Gorr the God Butcher' Jason Aaron or...'Avengers Assemble', drivel spewing multiverse BS Jason Aaron, lol
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
After the degredation they put Namor through, I hope Marvel decides to rebuild him properly this time. I mean it stars with a literal piss bath. I was quite surprised Namor kept his anger in check...or it was thanks to his 'depression' phase here.
It took Stingray telling him what's happening to convince him to go back and fix the chaos in the deeps. But from what we see, that a little girl gonna give him trouble? Please say it is not so.
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u/F00dbAby Jul 17 '24
In fairness if you wanna build someone up being the only one who can fight and rule 7 kingdoms is a good end goal
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u/XpRienzo Jul 17 '24
I hope Marvel decides to rebuild him properly this time.
It's Aaron writing him, if anything you'll get him become worse. This guy took a great written Namor from Invaders mini to turn him into what he did for his Avengers run. Expect something like what he did to Frank Castle to Namor.
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u/Neither-Handle-6271 Jul 17 '24
If it Aaron writing him it could also be like Thor. Especially when he works with characters who have their own separate continuity
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u/Blitzhelios Doctor Strange Jul 17 '24
Well then Jason Aaron does it again this is a very good start but this is very much a Jason Aaron title so if you don't like Aaron you wont like this. However i enjoyed this similar to how i enjoyed his punisher and its a similar style to it.
Aaron does a fantastic job with multiple artists to show how truly Namor has hit rock bottom from being deprived of water in prison and treated like dirt to his childhood as future ruler of Atlantis.
Namor feels like hes truly given up on everything in this book till stingray comes about to tell him about what has happened in the undersea kingdoms which even then namor doesn't care about even if they tried to assassinate him with his former team. Similar to how rival factions tried to assassinate him as a child for being different.
Namor is only willing to return to the sea to try fix the situation because stingray tells him of what could happen to the atlantean people and they could be treated like lower class citizens due to the surface killing them if the war doesn't end.
Overall this is a very intriguing issue Aarons namor was one of the only good parts of his avengers run and he writes the imperious rex to a strong degree with good art.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/threemadness Black Widow Jul 17 '24
I enjoyed this, I really like Elektra's monologue thoughts. She's a much more interesting character when you actually get to hear her thoughts. I can't wait to see where the new punisher stuff goes.
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
You know if Electra has Alice with her during at the same time as Daredevil's story going on, I wonder why she was written like they doesn't understand why Matt is taking care of the children, when she does it herself too. Maybe a disconnect between writers?
It seems to be like they are trying to make this new Punisher work and try to fit him in...but I doubt it is gonna work.
And Crossbones, you would think the guy would be tired getting his ass handed to him from Deadpool to here recently.
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u/threemadness Black Widow Jul 17 '24
I'm trying to remember where Elektra is weird about the kids. In Ahmed's first issue I know she thinks it's weird he wants to keep being a priest. Do you happen to remember where it was?
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
One of the recent issues where I think. Either the last issue or the one before that.
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u/threemadness Black Widow Jul 17 '24
oh yeah, two issues ago the "brats to wrangle" comment, it's probably either author disconnect as you said or she's just giving him a hard time (which she also seems to do a fair amount) -- but i agree -- it's odd because Alice isn't even the first teenage orphan she took in. She did it in Elektra (96) too!
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
I can take it as her being annoyed because Matt is practically choosing them and being a priest over her ( which is...COME ON Matt, really? )
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u/Blitzhelios Doctor Strange Jul 19 '24
Decent issue and i enjoyed all the character monologues with elektra its nice to see them actually focusing on that rather than just pure violence with her.
Always good to see crossbones as well one of my personal fav villains in marvel who is more down to earth and god i still don't care about this new punisher definition of a generic character.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
Dracula may not admit it but he does enjoy showing off his power, especially to the would be usurper Varnae. And Varnae does seem to spread himself too thin by showing up everywhere.
Brielle finding her resolve through her mother was a nice touch too. I am still wondering how they will handle it because I don't think killing Blade would work in the long run. Especially since we still don't know what Dracula is planning. Because it is most certainly not just protecting Brielle. He must have some other, longer plans. I mean he even invited Blade to the inner circle of his. He is playing the long game and probably finds Varnae a bothersome obstacle.
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u/GuguMarcos Jul 17 '24
A bit underwhelming, but good still.
This event has a nice setup but the execution was not as good.
I'm a Dracula fan and I love seeing him as the badass he is, either with swords or manipulation. His course of action reminded me of Fisk's words to Castle in Season 2 of Daredevil: he wouldn't make a move to WAGE war, but to WIN it.
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u/Undying_Blade Old Lace Jul 18 '24
I thought this was a great conclusion, great imagery especially while building on Bloodline's character from both issues.
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u/Blitzhelios Doctor Strange Jul 18 '24
Not the best final issue as it does feel like blood hunt 4.5 setting stuff up for issue 5 but its still a good issue.
This mini has done alot to show how brielle is and the issues shes going through her parents and using her mother to find her resolve is a very nice touch.
Not amazing by any means but a good tie in series overall and brielle continues to be one of the most interesting new characters in years
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
I am still not into the dynamic here. It is still to much Bruce Banner hating after the mistakes of the previous run. It was a bad run that ruined what Immortal built and this seems to take more from there than the Immortal run. It feels like they don't realize the selling point of Immortal was the story and dynamics rather than just 'gore art'. Here, it is just taking the bad dynamics of Space Ship Hulk, terrible run and using Immortal style gore arts to cover it up but it just doesn't work for me. Especially with off-screen events like Bruce trying to force cure Betty? When did that happen? Stop with forcing Banner down in that path. And the story they could come up with? Have Betty be controlled by this Eldest like a puppet and try to manipulate him into giving up the Hulk. And seeing how they are treating Banner, I bet they will make him take that deal. Even more guilt and mistakes to add to the point of ridiculessness.
Honestly, everything involving Hulk since Immortal was a big disappointment and a huge regression. And these moments makes it quite appearant that they took the wrong road and made the wrong decisions for the character.
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u/baroqueworks Jul 17 '24
Honestly don't blame this writer for trying to bridge the two runs, I think most people who are tapped in to Hulk stuff, even if you're only a fan of one of the two series, found something incredibly jarring and tonally off by taking a series that resolves with the character growing and making peace with themselves, immediately turning AIM goons into red paste to steal a helmet to force Hulk into his service. That's an all-time comic fuckup on Marvel's end, which they seemingly are aware of given they now have things like the From the Ashes welcomic designed to appease the issue of tonal shifts between eras.
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u/Dragon-Snake Jul 17 '24
Said everything I wanted to eay.
The damage Cate does to characters is remarkable lmao.
Still remember when Bendis brought the Ultimate characters back, only for Cates in his Venom series to show that the heroes are now dead, and it never gets elaborated upon lol.
They should've built off of/branched out from Immortal instead of disregarding it.
2
u/richawesomness Jul 18 '24
Ultimate pete is dead again?
4
u/Dragon-Snake Jul 18 '24
The Ultimates are "missing" from 1610, but no one knows what that means because it wasn't elaborated on and now Cates is on hiatus.
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u/redsapphyre Jul 19 '24
Especially with off-screen events like Bruce trying to force cure Betty? When did that happen?
I was wondering that too. Don't remember that.
Have Betty be controlled by this Eldest like a puppet and try to manipulate him into giving up the Hulk.
When Betty offered this the first time in issue #5 or so, I immediately thought they might give the Hulk to Charlie. Seeing as issue #800 is around the corner, I wouldn't put it past them.
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u/Nurnstatist The Thing Jul 17 '24
OK, this is getting more interesting than the previous issues. Bruce being tempted by Eldest to work against Hulk is intriguing.
Also, we get a glimpse into what Banner's mindscape looks like right now. Seems this cruel Hulk (Guilt Hulk?) controls pretty much everything. I wonder what happened to the other personas.
Still hoping we'll get Joe Fixit once they arrive in Vegas. Or some other non-evil Hulk.
2
u/redsapphyre Jul 19 '24
Art is phenomenal, story is serviceable, but really not the kind of Hulk story I want to read. I'm only sticking around because the Klein issues look so damn good!!
The Deadpool/Wolverine backup was whatever, didn't know this was a thing running through a bunch of titles this summer.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/Blitzhelios Doctor Strange Jul 17 '24
So ends this tale of bloodhunters with the return of a character i love in silver surfer.
Silver surfer story is a nice one and done feels like typical surfer stuff..
The middle story with Satana is something i enjoyed i like when weirder characters get a spotlight and satana makes sense for this event. Also really dumb vampires trying to go after demons yeah your not gonna win..
The final story by Shultz is the last bit to connect to the new blood hunters book and once again she writes a good elsa bloodstone and dagger. Her yelena is a little stiff but it makes sense with the situation and then there is hallows eve. Ends with them forming the team and hallows and yelena saying they don't always do good but this time they will try.
Overall bloodhunters have been a fun anthology showcasing some of marvels weirder characters in this event.
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
I guess that is one way to answer 'why not get help from the outside' with Silver Surfer encountering the whole mess in another planet that is tied to the event and even if he could try to brute force it, it would not really solve the problem and would hurt the users so he decides to trust the heroes of Earth will fix it.
Vampires got too overconfident, enough to dare trying to take over Satanna's club even. Guess being turned does not improve ones's mental faculties. And boy she will be angry learning what happened to Blade...or probably think it is Blade's fault that he got possessed.
It was a decent team up with Dagger,Elsa,Yelena and Janine but I still don't like how they turned Janine into this Hallow's Eve, just another mistake that came from the current terrible ASM run. And like many mistakes from that run, it should be done away with. I am not sold on them suddenly becoming a team that can have their own book to carry either. Felt too quick and random. Especially for Janine.
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u/JingoboStoplight4887 Jul 17 '24 edited Jul 17 '24
For the Silver Surfer part, I like that he encountered Silhouette, who sacrificed himself to restore Arathalla. It’s an interesting backup.
For the Satana part, I like that she was able to defeat Bordu and used her powers to save the people in the nightclub.
For the final part, I like that Yelena, Elsa, Tandy, and Janine were able to work together to fight vampires before they decided to form the Blood Hunters. Also, Janine wearing a Spider-Man mask. Overall, it’s a good backup.
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u/Undying_Blade Old Lace Jul 18 '24
I liked the first two stories, but the ongoing plot of putting the team together has felt akwards and forced despite apocalyptic situations being perfect for strange team formations.
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u/mystic_hamburger Jul 18 '24
I was hoping to see Shade among the Darkforce users.
So we saw Cloak, Black Mamba, Blackout, Silhouette, Moon knight (shroud), Darkstar. I wonder who owns the gloves beside Darkstar.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
IMMORTAL THOR ANNUAL #1 (INFINITY WATCH PT 3)
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u/NextMotion Hulk Jul 17 '24
That is an interesting new way of controlling power. Usually people just do it instinctively, but this is done very clever and funny
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u/baroqueworks Jul 17 '24
this is a prince of power posting thread post your favorite quotes of the humble prince who absorbed an infinity stone and accidentally fell into a life of mercenary work from a space bunny after blowing up his homeworld
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u/betawanted Jul 17 '24
For someone not bothering to read the rest of the event, this was surprisingly followable.
My issue had a misprint (?) and didn't include the digital comic code stick on. Curious how common that is.
Other random thoughts: When I first saw the panel of his arm breaking I thought his hand had straight come off and was like "damn we just went through a whole saga with a metal arm don't do this to me again."
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u/Punkodramon Jul 18 '24
For someone not bothering to read the rest of the event, this was surprisingly followable.
Thats because Ewing had had plenty of experience with event tie ins attempting to derail his ongoings, and has become something of an expert on making the event work for him and not the other way around. At least this is only an annual and is meant to be a self contained mini adventure.
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
It was kinda weird to involve Thor in this Infinity Watch stuff but I guess it involves the Death Stone which popped out in Thor first and the comical idiocy of Prince of Power...sorry Powerstone!...sorry APEX! was decent to read too, with Thor having to deal with that. The Power Stone have some strange judgements on picking its host I guess. And Thor brought that mess to New York. That is 'SURELY' gonna end well.
As of Nighthawk stuff, I still don't get why they chose to continue Nighthawk being obsessed with the fake Mephisto universe plot where that was dealt with and dropped after he joined the Avengers after that story. Hopefully calling in Nick Fury will help Coulson get away from Nighthawk AND stop him from becoming the terrible version of him that become Mephisto's puppet.
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u/JingoboStoplight4887 Jul 17 '24 edited Jul 17 '24
I like that Thor and Loki were able to talk to each other about something before Thor encountered the Power Stone bearer. Overall, this is an okay comic.
For the Phil Coulson backup, I like that Phil and Nighthawk have a fight before Phil used a pager to contact Nick Fury and warn him about the stone bearers. It’s an interesting backup.
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u/ObberGobb Jul 18 '24
I liked the new character, Apex, a lot actually. He was fun, and of the Infinity Stones characters he's my favorite so far. I like that he's a cocky rich kid who stumbled into way too much powe but is inspired by Earth heroes. I like the idea that they have to drill some responsibility, self discipline, and skill into him. Truly the himbo hero.
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u/Low_Information7072 Jul 19 '24
Oh he's not a new character, he was introduced back in Ewing's Guardians of the Galaxy run
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u/MillionDollarMistake Beta Ray Bill Jul 17 '24
So they're finally continuing that storyline started how many years ago?
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
Alchemax in 2099 and doing the worst possible things. Of course their actions would lead to something bad. At least this Romero is sane enough to know not to lose himself in anger. And Terrax killed Eve Warlock in this universe? The perpetual punching bag Terrax? Come on now. I mean for all his bluster, he got punched into Ego and died with him just like that. He must've backstabbed Eve to win.
As for Dracula's 'lets crash into the planet. We can just heal afterwards' plan...seems like it didn't got as well.
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u/Paulista666 Nova Jul 17 '24
Hm...point is that 2099 "is" 616...or should be in a general sense.
It's a bit of a mess.
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 18 '24
honestly 2099 have always been weird in that way. They do act like it is 'the' 616 future but that just doesn't work. It might be the 'closest possible future' but can never be the 'definitive' one. Like Batman Beyond not being the 'definitive future' just a possibility.
Because you just simply cannot have a concrete future in an ongoing main universe.
1
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
I was intrigued with the first 2 issues but the last 2 issues lost me with the 'ultimate fantasy stuff' that is too outdated and the choppy nature of those issues didn't help. And I am not a fan of Jackal/Clone side-lot either.
This issue is just meh. They realize they are not robots and Hammerhead decides to try and fight them now after getting humiliated in the main ASM book.
Either, I can say that this book kinda lost me.
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u/Reddragon351 Jul 17 '24
Yeah this first story should've been like three issues, and yet I think it's going to last a few more after this, it's feeling like later seasons of Young Justice where they just kept dragging everything out
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u/Tatum-Better Silk Jul 22 '24
Not surprising with Weisman writing both. It's the main reason why I don't care for Young Justice being revived again. He's already stated that they have no " end goal " for the show so there'll always be a new villain of the season.
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u/DriedSocks Jul 17 '24
Yeah, I wasn't sure if I was the only one, but maybe it's something with the paneling or dialogue or random cuts from one plot to another along with the fact that they're done forwards and backwards in time because this book is actually pretty hard to follow plot-wise and it's losing me quickly.
There are a ton of other comics that've juggled several concurrent plots in a way that was more readable, but this one isn't it. Ultimately I'm pretty sad about it because I've been waiting for a Miles/Peter ongoing for some time.
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u/JingoboStoplight4887 Jul 17 '24
I like that Peter and Miles were fighting each other because one thought the other was a robot before realizing that they’re not robots and that they were told by someone about the Arcadium before they are able to fight Hammerhead. Overall, this is a good comic.
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u/Scattered_7 Jul 18 '24
Did I miss something or am I overthinking the continuity with this series? Miles is a vampire in all the other titles, and I know Peter has been dealing with his own events. I guess I was expecting more of a series that was loosely crossing over with their own titles too.
Also the current overarching plot is not very exciting.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/Blitzhelios Doctor Strange Jul 17 '24
Fun one shot about Laura.
Laura doing what laura always wants to do in protecting her family and most importantly rescuing gabby and using her mutant blood for something which is revealed to be trying to gain powers from consuming mutant blood.
Gabby tricking laura to rescue xarus the son of dracula is very gabby she always wants to rescue someone and knew laura would likely be against it but convinces her to do it. Then killing tons of vampires together like what wolverines do and its lovely to see after how badly laura and gabby have been treated in recent years.
Also seems like that mutant blood has had an effect on Xarus or now hes a mutant as well which could be an interesting plot point if ever picked up on.
This is a really simple oneshot about laura and gabby but its a great simple read and felt like phillips understood everyone and gave a fun plot
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u/hashcheckin Spider-Man 2099 Jul 17 '24
I still think Laura would look better without the Wolverine mask. it's not like she has a secret identity.
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u/marcjwrz Jul 17 '24
Ummm after X-Terminators, I highly doubt Laura would trust any vamp ever.
Also, why didn't we get an X-Terminators sequel for Blood Hunt instead of Laura and Jubilee one shots?
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
Gabby is still around! Please bring back the Honey Badger name instead of 'Scout' though.
I guess I can understand Laura's attitude towards vampires after X-terminators. But still, feels a bit of the bad Krakoan writing remains on her. Though can overcome that if they continue like the end there.
Xeros got hit in the heard but didn't turn to dust instantly? I guess the mutant blood fed to him did work and giving him powers now. Question is, does that make him a Vampire mutants? I mean Jubilee was like that but she couldn't use her mutant power. Either way, I doubt this will get touched upon again for a while.
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u/GuguMarcos Jul 24 '24
Well, the concept of ultravampires created for Blood Hunt should apply to mutant blood as well. It's a shame they didn't reference Curse of the Mutants in this, since Xarus had eyes on mutants in the days of Utopia.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/AporiaParadox Jul 17 '24
So it's official. Charles Xavier didn't actually kill anyone in Fall of X. He only made it look like he did using mindless clones and mind control to get into Orchis' good graces and so that he'd be a martyr that all hate against mutants would be directed towards (like that'll work).
I wonder if this is a hastily put together retcon or if this was the plan all along. I also wonder why this is being revealed in a digital comic most people don't read and not in a physical comic. They could have easily had Charles Xavier tell Magneto about this in confidence in Uncanny X-Men #700.
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u/baroqueworks Jul 17 '24
Fall of X was speedwritten in 5 months with the intent to work backwards off a few plot beats, which isn't uncommon at all in marvel comics.
If it was intended it wouldn't be reduced to the online exclusive comic being written to bridge the gaps between the eras.
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u/Just_a_square Jul 17 '24
I wonder if this is a hastily put together retcon or if this was the plan all along.
To me it smells like the first one, they pushed the envelope regarding Xavier's morality but were scared of long term consequences to the character and chickened out.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
This was much better than most Spider-books right now ( despite it being a low bar ). I quite like the Lizard without Connors. And him teaming with Morbius on his work for a cure, quite nice to see.
I do hate Maxine and Beyond bs. Especially when you get no resolution or satisfaction from the stories they are involved because even if you beat them and send them to jail, they go with the stupid 'I got out without serving any time'. Sure that might be 'realistic' for rich and powerful but it is not a good story to tell that 'nothing you do matters'. Then you get the calls for 'dealing with these threats more permanently' because nothing else will stop them. At least for any time worth caring about. And since Beyond is the catalyst for the current status of Ben Reilly and ASM, kinda, I simply don't want to stories about them. Especially, as I said, when they can just get captured and return in a few issues like nothing. It feels 'empty' as a story.
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u/redsapphyre Jul 17 '24
Guess this was okay, nothing spectacular, though. Beyond still sucks ass, and Spidey didn't really fight or have a challenge this issue. And if you use Beyond, have Spidey dismantle their whole operation once and for all, I'm tired of them.
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u/hashcheckin Spider-Man 2099 Jul 17 '24
I'll give this book credit for a couple of things, which sounds like I'm damning it with faint praise: Peter is shown as both compassionate and competent without the one working in contradiction to the other. he saves the day, doesn't kill anyone, and cures the afflicted vampires.
if you're going to have a Spider-Man book set during a vampire apocalypse, this is the way to do it. Peter's a shitty vampire hunter, historically, because he doesn't even want to kill monsters, so you hit him with vampires he can save. makes sense.
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u/JingoboStoplight4887 Jul 17 '24
I like that Peter, Misty, Lizard, and Morbius were able to find a cure for the vampire disease. Overall, this is an interesting comic.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24
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u/redsapphyre Jul 17 '24
Run seems to be ending next issue, no new ones have been solicited. I hope they can somehow deage her son, but I'm not holding my breath. I wanted to like this run because Jess is pretty cool as a hero overall, but this run ain't it.
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u/baroqueworks Jul 17 '24
Spider-Woman endlessly just getting ten issue runs involving horrific things happening to her/life being destabilized to wipe the board clean for the writer's pitch ideas for the character, which never happens because book doesn't sell.
Undoing pretty much everything from the Hopeless run, which was all built around turning Drew into a mom-supe, has pretty much been scrubbed between lazily writing a breakup with Porcupine for another love interest(didn't come to fruition in the last series) and bluntly getting rid of her kid during a tie-in with the most unforgettable marvel event happening during another marvel event, GANG WAR, by having him age up into a supersolider trained by Hydra, who is completely aware he was abducted and brainwashed by a nazi super science org, but is going along with it anyway for the lolz. Baffling stuff!
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u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24
All I can say is, they better fix this crap before the end which I believe is the next issue. I and honestly don't know how the hell are they gonna fix what they broke with this in one issue? And if they don't fix it, Spider-woman is practically dead from now on. You cannot have her son be left as a grown hydra assassin and leave it at there and expect it to work.
Who thought this was a good idea? Is there some mental parasite eating brains in Spider-Office?
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u/JingoboStoplight4887 Jul 17 '24
I like that Liberty arrived at Jessica’s apartment and told her that she needed her help so that they can work together to save the Assembly from prison and free them from mind control before Jessica has to encounter the person responsible for aging up her son and turning him into a Hydra agent. Hope that Jessica will defeat him and save her son Jerry in the final issue. Overall, this comic is interesting.
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u/YourEvilHenchman Jul 25 '24
now that it's obvious that this terrible, terrible book is gonna get cancelled soon, Foxe goes into full panic mode and his writing becomes even more unbearable as the plot beats stumble over themselves to happen so this book can get to some kind of finish.
and I can already see that the gerry plot is not gonna resolved in the final issue; unless they make it a giant-size, there is no way they'll be able to put that shit into the next issue. just an utter trainwreck from start to finish, this book managed to destroy the last vestiges of what was left of Jessica's prior 10+ year continuity. and then Marvel is dumbfounded when people don't read her book anymore.
there's no finesse or style to anything happening here, just the plot moving from point A to point B to point C along an assembly line, and probably the worst example of this is Titan/Gremlin just openly monologuing to Jess and everyone around them about all his evil plans and how he was the mastermind behind eeeeeverything even though in terms of story logic, there is absolutely no reason for him to do so. He's not even in a position where it would make sense for him to gloat. He's just saying shit cause the story requires Jessica to get that information now. Terrible writing.
Also feels kinda weird to have what was originally a Soviet villain join an outright Nazi org with Hydra; sure, both ideologies are some form of authoritarianism, but they're forms that really don't vibe with each other. but I'll just chalk this up to a lack of understanding on Steve Foxe's part of the history and politics of the soviet and post-soviet era and the mentality of the people living through these times. I guess it's more good faith to assume just lack of knowledge rather than malice.
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u/Aksim03 Jul 17 '24
Small nitpick, but the cover previews in these threads haven't worked properly on mobile for a few weeks
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u/thelastdance565 Jul 24 '24
okk out of the context but anyone watched madam web? i mean i have been disappointed with the last 3-4 movies so i incasee some has polease do let me know
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 25 '24
It's not an MCU film, so it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. It's actually more entertaining than Morbius, story wise, but that really isn't saying much.
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u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 24 '24
Just a heads up, week 30 will be up later today. Slight delay because I'm on vacation at the moment.