Book Review: The Avengers Vol. 2 by B. M. Bendis et al.

The Avengers Volume 2 written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by John Romita Jr. and Bryan Hitch

Formerly defeated villain the Hood (aka Parker Robbins) has escaped jail and decided to restore his power by collecting all of the Infinity Stones. A secret cabal made up of Iron Man, Reed Richards, Charles Xavier, Prince Namor, Stephen Strange, and Black Bolt thought they had securely hidden the stones on Earth, each member in charge of one stone. Robbins collects two of them and has a run in with the Red Hulk (aka General Thunderbolt Ross), who goes to the Avengers and alerts them of the situation (Stark's stone hasn't been stolen (yet)). The Avengers begin to investigate and Steve Rogers gets mad at Tony Stark for hiding the information about the stones from him. Joining up with the Secret Avengers and the New Avengers, the three groups go after the other stones before Robbins can reach them.

The final story has Spider-Woman investigating a strange occurrence for S.W.O.R.D., the Sentient World Observation and Response Department. They deal with extraterrestrial problems and also have been off Steve Rogers's radar. Spider-Woman disappears during the mission, so a group of Avengers goes to rescue her, only to stumble on a secret cabal of super-intelligent villains who unwittingly bring a new problem back to Earth.

While the main story has an interesting premise, the execution was just mediocre. There were no clever strategies or "wow" moments. The story is so overstuffed with heroes that no one really shines out other than Red Hulk who is clearly looking for some redemption from whatever bad stuff he did before. The Steve Rogers/Tony Stark conflict reads like a re-run of previous conflicts between them.

Mildly recommended--I think I might be done with this run...there's too many other books out there that are more interesting to me.

Book Review: The Avengers Vol. 1 by B. M. Bendis et al.

The Avengers Volume 1 written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by John Romita, Jr.

Steve Rogers re-assembles a team of Avengers in the aftermath of the Civil War and Secret Invasion storylines. He's passed the Captain America shield on to Bucky Barnes, so Tony Stark as Iron Man has an easier time joining the team (considering the bad blood between Tony and Steve after Civil War). Thor is on board, as is Spider-man, Spider-Woman, Wolverine, and Hawkeye. They aren't together for long before time traveler Kang the Conqueror comes with a dire threat--the children of the Avengers have teamed up with a future iteration of Ultron and turned the Earth into a wasteland. If that wasn't bad enough, the space-time continuum has been disrupted and different villains from different periods keep showing up for short periods of intense battle with the current day Avengers. A small group of the Avengers travel to the future to set things right.

As with most time travel stories, the plot is a little more convoluted and unbelievable than it needs to be. The frequent random battles are a nice distraction as is Bendis's knack for good dialogue. Romita's art has a nice, classical feel that doesn't look dated and captures the action well. I'm not entirely sold on the series but will try another volume.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Spider-Men by B. M. Bendis and S. Pichelli

Spider-Men written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrations by Sara Pichelli

Classic Spider-man villain Mysterio develops an interdimensional portal to dump his nemesis into another universe. His plan works well. He gets Peter Parker from the regular Marvel universe into the Ultimate universe. The Ultimate universe's Peter Parker has died and Miles Morales has risen as the new Spider-Man. Peter and Miles run into each other quickly, though Peter still thinks he's under some hypnotic trick by Mysterio. They have a fun initial fight and ongoing dialog. Miles takes Peter to S.H.I.E.L.D. where Nick Fury buys the alternate universe interpretation of the situation. Can they get Peter back to his own dimension?

The story is clearly the inspiration for Into the Spider-Verse and is a lot fun. The script is witty. Mysterio is a bit of a minor character but is used really well, as is Nick Fury. Usually, crossover stories like this don't work and feel like a cash-in. This one hits all the right notes.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Miles Morales: Spider-Man by B. M. Bendis et al.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Sara Pichelli, Chris Samnee, and David Marquez

Norman Osborne makes another spider like the one that bit Peter Parker. The new spider winds up biting Miles Morales through a bit of contrived circumstances. Miles develops Spider-powers just in time because Peter Parker is shot and killed. The city loses Spider-Man just in time to get a new one. But Miles has family problems. Uncle Aaron is estranged from Miles's dad because he's a criminal, though Miles doesn't know. Miles still goes to hang out with Aaron (where he's bit by the spider that Aaron brought home as he robbed Oscorp). Miles's dad hates superheroes which obviously becomes a problem for the new Spider-Man. Miles starts a new boarding school and has to deal with roommates and a new routine. And now he has to figure out his superpowers, hide his identity (especially from his father), and deal with people thinking he's a poser and not the real Spider-Man.

The story has enough new wrinkles and changes to make it entertaining. It is very intelligently written and also has lots of action, which is often a hard combination to pull off. The only big misstep (besides killing Peter Parker) is a reimagining of Scorpion as a Mexican crime boss with some limited superpowers--he's both one-dimensional and a negative stereotype. Otherwise the story is good and well worth reading.

Recommended.

Book Review: Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1 by B. M. Bendis et al.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Mark Bagley

In this modernized retelling of Spider-Man's origin story, not much is changed. The story arc is the same: Peter is bitten by the spider, gets strange powers, tries to cash in on them, and fails to stop a petty crime. His uncle is killed by the criminal and Peter decides to become a hero. He's still a high school student with all the problems that come with being a nerd in high school. Mary Jane Watson hangs out with him a lot and has a crush on him, though Peter is a bit clueless.

The big difference here is Norman Osborn. Head of a scientific corporation named after himself, Norman does all kinds of cutting edge research in technology and biology. His experimental spider is the one that bit Peter during a class trip, though one of the other classmates kills the spider. At first, Osborn is worried about being sued. When Peter recovers and has some changes, Osborn is more interested in getting a hold of Peter for experimentation which doesn't work out. Doctor Otto Octavius works at the company and helps build a new machine to recreate the spider's enhancement. Osborn want to experiment on another human test subject and skip the spider step of the process. Osborn uses his own DNA for enhancement. As the process starts, a horrible explosion happens. Osborn winds up as the Green Goblin, a green-faced muscle man who is mistaken by students as the Hulk when the Goblin goes after Peter at school.

Another notable difference is Peter. He's a lot more bratty than in previous versions of the origin. He's picked on at school but uses his abilities to become a star athlete, which causes more trouble than he wants. I suppose the idea is to make him more like an average teenager with typical overreactions, though I found the depiction jarring and less sympathetic.

The book goes for a weird balance of being more over the top and more grounded. For me, neither effort was as successful as it could have been. Still, Spider-Man's origin story is great (probably the greatest comic hero origin) and the book really doesn't go wrong, it just doesn't do anything particularly new or fascinating. Osborn is interesting at first but after the transformation he's nothing more than a brute.

Recommended because it's Spider-Man.

Book Review: The Man of Steel by Brian Michael Bendis et al.

The Man of Steel written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Jim Lee and a dozen other creators

In my review of Superman for All Seasons, I said that new writers of classic comic book heroes either have gone epic or gone back to origin stories to come up with a new and/or different story. In this book, Brian Michael Bendis has done both. The book introduces a new and powerful villain who is enough of a match for both Superman and Supergirl. Rogol Zaar is a semi-deformed monster whose mission is to "cleanse" the universe of the Kryptonians. Readers find out pretty quickly that the destruction of Superman's home world, Krypton, was not a natural disaster. And now the disaster-making Zaar has come to Earth to finish his work.

Meanwhile, Clark Kent is dealing with issues. His wife Lois Lane and son Jonathan are missing. That story is told very slowly with many repetitive flashbacks (this story did come out in monthly comics, so I guess that's the excuse). The ultimate revelation of what has happened to his wife and son is very unsatisfying and implausible on many levels and in many ways. Also, there seems to be some hostile takeover coming for The Daily Planet (where Clark and Lois work), which is also underdeveloped by the end of the book (this story continues in monthly comics, so I guess that's the excuse).

I enjoyed the epic and personal conflict with Rogol Zaar and how the two Supers dealt with him and his actions. That part of the story brought up some new ideas and interesting twists. The Lois/Jonathan drama also had some interesting ideas in it (the kid is really worried about alternate universe versions of himself where he's super-bad) but the resolution is flat and unconvincing.

Mildly recommended--it's both really good and really bad. At least Bendis threw in a good amount of humor.

Book Review: Avengers vs. X-Men by J. Aaron et al.

Avengers vs. X-Men written by Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction, and others; art by John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel, Adam Kubert, and others

The comics industry is always looking for two things--a big epic storyline and an excuse for the heroes to fight each other. Fans are always debating who could beat whom if the heroes ever faced off against each other. Companies want a hook that keeps readers coming back for more. Have they pulled it off with this storyline?

The story starts with the discovery that the Phoenix entity (the one that drove Jean Grey crazy and to eventual death way back in the day) is coming to Earth. Presumably the entity is coming for Hope Summers (who apparently is no relations to Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclopes). She's a mutant whose destiny for greatness has been predicted since her discovery. She was the first mutant born after Scarlet Witch did something to reduce the number of mutants on Earth below 200. The X-Men and a bunch of the mutants (including Hope) live on an island called Utopia off the United States west coast. Once everyone knows about the Phoenix entity, Captain America and the Avengers want to take Hope into protective custody; Scott Summers and his X-Men want hope to embrace the Phoenix entity in the hopes that she will bring back the mutants. As the entity approaches, battle lines are drawn and the mayhem begins.

So the set-up is a little convoluted but this book contains enough explanation that it works as a stand-alone story. Back story is explained to get readers ready for the epic battle of epic epicness that ensues. The writers shoe-horn in a lot of characters (clearly hoping to please the fans) and have lots of battles all over the globe with all sorts of match-ups that are interesting and handled well. The main story keeps moving forward at a good pace and comes to a satisfying conclusion.

The book also contains six issues of a companion series to the A vs. X main storyline. In the companion, various battles between individuals are given in detail, though with a lot of humor thrown in for good measure. The companion stories are clearly fan service, the more outlandish being the more fun (like the Cyclopes vs. Captain America verbal abuse battle where they argue about who is a lamer character, or the Toad vs. Jarvis battle where Toad (who acts as a butler in one of the mutant schools) comes into conflict with the Avengers' master butler). Unfortunately there is a "Spider-woman vs. X-Women" that confirms a sexist attitude toward the female characters. Deliberate pandering to adolescent male attitudes is not good.

Recommended, except for that one page.

Book Review: Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot by B. Bendis et al.

Invincible Iron Man Volume 1: Reboot written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by David Marquez, and colors by Justin Ponsor

Tony Stark goes back to the drawing board to redesign his Iron Man armor, incorporating the best of all the other suits into one. The suit comes just in time to fight an old enemy, Madame Masque. She's crazy and also has previous romantic history with Tony. Now, she's running around stealing magical items and being pursued by what appear to be ninjas with light sabers. She robs Doctor Doom's castle in Latveria which brings Tony in touch with a seemingly reformed Victor von Doom. Doom promises to help Tony take down Madame Masque. Can Tony trust Doom? Can he keep up a new relationship with intriguing scientist Amara Perera? Will Madame Masque get in the way by renewing their relationship or (more likely) killing Tony?

The story does a good job dealing with the issue of power creep. If his suits get more and more powerful, won't he eventually become literally invincible? Magic plays a big part in balancing the scales, giving Iron Man an Achilles' Heel and forcing him to accept help from Doctor Doom. Doctor Strange shows up too (probably part of the marketing campaign for the movie) and has some good comedy moments. The art is pretty good but not stupendous. Overall, it's a fun adventure.

Book Review: Jessica Jones Alias Vol. 4 by Brian Michael Bendis et al.

Jessica Jones Alias Volume 4 written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Michael Gados, and coloring by Matt Hollingsworth

In this final volume in the Alias series (see reviews of One, Two, and Three), Jessica Jones's origin story is detailed along with a story involving Killgrave, the villain from the TV show.

Jessica's origin story is fun though sad, as are most superhero origin stories. The art is a throwback to the vintage comic book styles from different eras, so it gives a nice old-timey flavor. The language is still the Jessica Jones language, so f-bombs drop all over the place. Jessica goes to the same high school as Peter Parker, whom she has a crush on but he's also clueless about her. When they do meet, he doesn't appreciate her language! Her story arc follows mostly what is seen in the TV show, though her adopted family isn't as prominent here as on TV (they fill in a bit for Peter Parker who isn't in the show). She has more interactions with the Avengers and becomes pals with Captain Marvel.

The second story explains why she's no longer a costumed superhero. She has a dark past when she was under mind control by Killgrave, who is popularly know as the Purple Man (the accident that gave him his powers also gave him a purple skin tone). He did some unspeakable things to her (though different from what's seen in the TV version) and she is very afraid to confront him again. The psychological torment is detailed and harrowing reading. Through a plot contrivance she is forced to confront him in a special maximum security jail. After she leaves, there's a jailbreak and Killgrave is back on the street, a daunting prospect for Jessica Jones. She has to help hunt him down even though her fear is debilitating.

The book has very interesting (though very adult) stories. I found it very satisfying and fascinating as a companion piece to the television show. I'm not sure I will continue reading Jessica Jones stories but I am glad for what I have read.

Book Review: Jessica Jones: Alias Vol. 3 by Brian Michael Bendis et al.

Jessica Jones: Alias Volume 3 written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Michael Gados, and coloring by Matt Hollingsworth

In the first story, J. Jonah Jameson hires Jessica to find out the identity of Spider-man. Being J. Jonah Jameson, he is very caustic and unpleasant to Jessica, who reluctantly takes the job. She turns the tables on him in a fun and unexpected way. I found the story  interesting. The storytelling style was different. Instead of the usual comic panels, the issue has larger images in an artsy watercolor style, much like the cover above. The text is all dialogue in a script format with the character's name in capital letters, like this:

    J. JONAH JAMESON
I have to be honest with you. I haven't found many people in your line of work that I would say were of strong moral character.
    JESSICA JONES
I'm sorry?
    J. JONAH JAMESON
I've worked with some investigators -- hired some. Haven't found one I would let babysit my grandson.

While different and distinct, I didn't find this style of storytelling particularly satisfying reading.

The main story in this book has the third Spider-Woman, Mattie Franklin, showing up at Jessica's office asking for help. She's a huge mess (seems like drugs) and winds up web-slinging her way off into the night, but leaving Jessica with enough questions that she follows up. Mattie is the adopted teen-age daughter of J. Jonah Jameson, so you can imagine how it goes with him. This story is back to a regular comic book style and it continues the Scott Lang (aka Ant-man) dating sub-plot, making a more interesting read.

Overall, this issue is fairly standard and interesting more as part of the series than as a stand-alone story (unless you are a big J. Jonah Jameson fan). Since it's Marvel Max, it has lots of swearing; since it's Jessica Jones, it has a couple of awkward sex scenes (without nudity but with frank dialogue).

Book Review: Jessica Jones: Alias Vol. 2 by Brian Michael Bendis et al.

Jessica Jones: Alias Volume 2 written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Michael Gados, and coloring by Matt Hollingsworth

Two more adventures for Jessica Jones. First, she is drawn to a small town in upstate New York where a missing teenager case needs her assistance because the missing girl is rumored to be a mutant. After that story is resolved, she returns to New York City goes on a blind date with Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man.

I found the mystery in the missing persons case very interesting and well plotted. But I found the tone of it ham-fisted and hypocritical. When Jones talks to some locals, one of the girls says that it would be awful to be a mutant, "just like being gay or...Jewish." Later, Jones goes to the local church where the pastor is practicing his Sunday sermon about how mutants are unnatural and caused by human greed, not by the good Lord above. She castigates him for inciting bigotry and goes on to tell him she doesn't know much about religion or organized religion, but she believes the purpose of religion is to make people nice, not mean. So in the name of fighting against bigotry and small-mindness, she makes a stereotypical blanket statement that underlines her ignorance about the diversity of religions and what they themselves say their purpose is. What should be a subtle but powerful point about bigotry comes off like a lecture about how terrible small town small-mindedness is. I kept rolling my eyes in disappointment. Especially since the actual mystery is interesting.

On the other hand, the blind date with another superhero was interesting and a lot of fun. They have a shared background (they both have connections to the Avengers) and have a great conversation over an al fresco dinner. The dialogue is witty in both senses of the term--intelligent and hilarious. This story went a long way toward restoring my faith in Bendis as a storyteller. So I will continue on to Volume 3. Maybe Kilgrave will finally show up?

Book Review: Jessica Jones: Alias Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis et al.

Jessica Jones: Alias Volume 1 written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Michael Gados, and coloring by Matt Hollingsworth

After seeing the television show, I was curious to read the Jessica Jones comics. The comics are part of the Marvel Max line, which are intended for seventeen-year olds and up (i.e. R-rated content). There's a little bit of violence and blood, one sex scene without nudity, and a lot of swearing. A lot of swearing. And conversations about adult topics. So the content is there, mostly in support of making it a modern-day noir.

Jessica Jones is a former superhero who's hung up her cape and working as a private eye in New York City. In the comic, her cases gravitate toward superhero involvement. For example, a woman comes to the office worried about her sister who is seeing a new guy and things are moving too fast. The sister has been out of touch for too long. The woman wants Jessica to investigate. She finds the woman and things get blown way out of proportion. It turns into a grand conspiracy in the best of noir storytelling. Jessica does a lot of the hard work on her own, with occasional help from other Marvel heroes.

Jessica is an interesting character here. She implies that her powers weren't special enough to be a major superhero (and that she outgrew wearing costumes). She isn't quite smart enough to be a great private investigator either. She knows her limitations so when things get out of hand she gets a little paranoid and the story gets more exciting. She's more likable and a better person than in the TV show.

The art is an interesting blend of Mike Mignola's Hellboy and Guy Davis's B.P.R.D. So the book has a good noir vibe visually. I'm not sure the language was really necessary to sell it as noir though the book would just barely be R-rated otherwise. The stories have a lot to do with the psychology of the characters which probably is less interesting to younger readers. I found them fascinating and the twists were enjoyable. I will read more.

Book Review: Age of Ultron by Brian Michael Bendis et al.

Age of Ultron written by Brian Michael Bendis with various artists

The Avengers track down a brain trust of villains hiding in a jungle. They break up the villains' work but not before Ultron becomes reactivated (one of their projects). Ultron escapes and wreaks havoc, basically creating a post-apocalyptic world. His drones patrol everywhere, wiping out humanity and heroes as they go. A handful of Avengers are left and regroup in the Savage Land. They find some time-travel equipment that Nick Fury had hidden away. Wolverine wants to go into the past and kill Hank Pym before he can invent Ultron, everyone else wants to go to the future (from whence Ultron has been wreaking his havoc, though there is no clear explanation of how or why he went to the future) to take on Ultron. Mayhem ensues.

The book's story is rather convoluted. Individual parts of the story make sense on their own but they don't fit together when looked at as a whole. The time travel component of the story covers the same old ground that every other time travel story covers (though Wolverine meeting another Wolverine is fun). No great insights or interesting twists happen during the story. It was surprisingly bland overall.

Not recommended.