Iron Man #1 (2020)

“Rest Your Brains”

Writer:  Christopher Cantwell

Artist:  Cafu

Cover Art:  Alex Ross

After the run of Iron Man 2020, I was ready to see Tony Stark’s return to prominence in the Marvel Universe.  I feel as if Tony has been crushed too much and his character was messed up.  That was why I was so pleased with the new Iron Man series from Christopher Cantwell.  It feels like a great new start for the iconic character.

I really enjoyed the new direction and the arrival of Tony Stark.  I also thought the use of Patsy Walker’s Hellcat was an interesting choice.  I guess Tony Stark has to have a redhead hanging around.  It was also intriguing how they ended the Janet Van Dyne/Stark relationship in like two panels.  It made me think about JJ Abrams’ Rise of Skywalker  just wiping out some of the materials from the Last Jedi.  

I found the framing technique of the “Tweets” really funny and engaging. It worked well for me.

The art in here from Cafu was gorgeous. I did not know much about Cafu, though I remember some wonderful work in Jane Foster: Valkyrie. There is a new suit of armor for Iron Man designed by Alex Ross and it is a wonder.

This is a great start and I enjoyed this more than I have for quite a long time.

The Amazing Spider-Man: The Sins of Norman Osborn #1

 Writer:  Nick Spencer

Artist:  Federico Vicentini

Cover Art:  Ryan Ottley & Nathan Fairbairn

I have to say that I typically dislike this kind of promotion.  There is no reason this issue had to be a number 1.  It could just be part of the Amazing Spider-Man series since it basically takes the storyline of the Sin Eater and continues it.  Marvel does this a lot with their event runs and it is very annoying.  Add to the fact that a lot of these types of issues feel disposable and unimportant to the storyline makes it even worse.

However…

This was just tremendous.

I loved this issue.  There was so much going on and it certainly brings the story to a new level.  The interactions between Spidey and Osborn are amazing and the formation of the group of Spider-people who plan on helping Peter out is special.  

This book continues the build of the Sin Eater (with a mouth dropping moment inside Ravencroft) and the mystery of Kindred.  And Norman Osborn is easily heading back for big things.

The Amazing Spider-Man series has been building this story for awhile now and this book was one of my favorites this week.  Nick Spencer has been knocking it out of the park lately and I am excited to see where this goes from here.

Stillwater #1

“Chapter One: I Can’t Protect No One Can”

Writer:  Chip Zdarsky

Artist:  Ramon L. Perez

Cover Art:  Ramon K. Perez

The highly anticipated new series from writer Chip Zdarsky and the collaboration between Image and Skybound was released today and the anticipation was well worth it.

Two men head to a mysterious town called Stillwater to claim a supposed estate left to one of them, Daniel, from a deceased relative. Once they arrived in Stillwater, the locals are not friendly and the weirdness kicked into high gear.

I enjoyed the mysteriousness of the story. You had no idea what was happening and that feel of uncertainty had me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.

Chip Zdarsky’s recent work on Daredevil has been so stellar that I have become a huge fan. There are a handful of writers these days that I am willing to pick up a non-Marvel title just because of name value, and Zdarsky is one of them. He spends a good chunk of the early part of the book developing Daniel and his friend and it pays off big time in the end.

As a fan of the small town weirdness such as Twin Peaks, Eerie, Indiana and Deery, Maine, Stillwater feels as if it could become as loved as any of these.

Black Widow #1

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist:  Elena Casagrande

Cover Art:  Adam Hughes

We got another Marvel Black Widow series today, a book that apparently was ready to go back in March but got messed with in the COVID-19 quarantine.  Written by Kelly Thompson, this book is unexpected and filled with some great mysterious events.

I really enjoyed this first issue.  This seems to be the week for spy comics and this is another wonderful one. 

The art is so very beautiful and the colors set the mood throughout the entire book.  The story was shocking and entirely unexpected.  I loved the twist about half of the way into the book and the final page was exceptional and extremely welcome.  

I also enjoyed the specific cameos of other Marvel heroes appearing in the book who normally circulate in the Black Widow orbit.  

Kelly Thompson has had some great stories over the last few years and this feels as if it could be really special leading up to the Black Widow MCU movie in November.

We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #1

Writer:  Al Ewing

Artist:  Simone Di Meo

Cover Art:  Simone Di Meo

Al Ewing has been on a roll for awhile now.  His work on The Immortal Hulk has been some of the best comic book work for years.  His name alone has drawn me to this book.

I was at my comic book shop months ago and I had them add this comic to my pull list.   I remember them surprised at the length and strangeness of the title.  No one knew about it.  Neither did I.  The only reason I added this title from Boom! Studios was because of Al Ewing.

As I walked in today to my comic shop, the owner was raving about this book and said how lucky I was being one of the few people at the shop that had a copy of this book pulled for them.  He said that he had not read anything this brilliant, had a feeling reading like this since he read Someone is Killing the Children.  That is high praise indeed.

He is right.  This was an amazing book.

We Only Find Them When They’re Dead is really hot and you can see why.  There are few books more beautifully drawn and designed.  The brightness and the color are stunning.  And it features some themes that are unique in the world of comic books.

The sci-fi thriller feels like a massive epic, but also is able to feel like a smaller story.  A story of a group of “Autopsy Ships” that are salvaging parts of the deceased bodies of celestial gods that float in space after they die.  Meanwhile, there are interaction between characters in the book that are engaging and fascinating.  

There are some unbelievable concepts here and I am very excited to see where Al Ewing takes this book from here.  

Spy Island #1

Writer:  Chelsea Cain

Artist:  Elise McCall & Lia Miternique

Cover Art:  Lia Miternique

I put this comic on my pull list awhile back.  Seeing it today with the rest of the issues, I was not sure why.  I mean, it had an amazing cover, but I was uncertain why it attracted me.  I am more of a Marvel guy than anything else and, even though I have read more independent comics over the last year and a half, it is not like I have a large number.  I had a fleeting memory of liking the synopsis that I had read in the Previews, but it still did not compute.  

Then I saw it.

Chelsea Cain was the writer and was the co-creator.

That is why I wanted it.  

Chelsea Cain wrote one of my favorite runs of any comic book ever.  Mockingbird #1-8 (which we inducted into this year’s EYG Hall of Fame) was some of my favorite comic books ever written.  I absolutely loved that.  Seeing her return to comics with a spy story set in the Bermuda Triangle… well, to say the least, I’m in!

Cain was treated horribly by the internet during her run, with some of the anti-women rhetoric spewers becoming butt-hurt with the strength and feminism of Bobbi Morse, aka Mockingbird.  I never understand what is wrong with people.  Why couldn’t they just enjoy the brilliantly comedic and amazingly plotted Mockingbird series.

Honestly, I was downright angry when it ended.  I still have negative feelings surrounding that cancellation.

Maybe I can get over it now, because Spy Island #1 has that same tone, feel  and humor of those wondrous Mockingbird issues and I really loved it.  This was so entertaining and it scratched that itch I had been missing.

Nora Freud is the main character in this issue and she is on an island on the cusp of the Bermuda Triangle.  She is a spy, but there seems to be plenty of others here as well.  She is meant to keep an eye on the place, but how do you keep an eye open on so many possible problems?

I totally trust Chelsea Cain to entertain me and, if this issue is any indication, I have not misplaced that trust.  I thoroughly enjoyed this debut issue and the worst part is that it is only a four-issue limited series.  

I would be remiss if I did not mention the beautiful artwork in the book by Elise McCall and the absolutely stunning cover by co-creator, Lia Miternique.  

Ghost Spider #10

“When the Chips are Down”

Writer: Seanan McGuire

Artist:  Ig Guara

Cover Art:  Takeshi Miyazawa & Ian Herring

One of the collateral damages coming from the pandemic has been how several of the Marvel titles have been mucked up.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not comparing the horrors of COVID-19 and the loss of so many lives to the cancellation of a comic book.  But facts are fact.  Ghost Spider #10 is the final book of the current series run and you can tell that the creative team behind it had not intended to wrap their story up so quickly.

Truly, Ghost Spider’s story arc was scheduled for 12 issues, not ten.  And this issue showed that because it felt crammed with story and it felt rushed in the reveals.  The confrontation between Gwen and the Storm siblings came out of nowhere and it felt that way.  Heck, even Gwen Stacy was feeling that confusion.

Having said that, the story was really great and was taking the character in a fantastic (pardon that pun, it was unintentional) direction.  I would have loved to have seen this over two more issues.

Unfortunately, Ghost Spider fell victim to a series of cancellations that ended several very solid books.  I am going to miss Ghost Spider as I had been enjoying the story being told by Seanan McGuire.  Ghost Spider is one of the most original creations of the last few years and the new use of Johnny and Susan Storm in Gwen’s dimension was very creative.  Heroes more concerned with their social media accounts and their image, which brought them into conflict with Gwen is a solid story.  I wish it had time to develop more than what we got.

I am sure that Ghost Spider will return in the Marvel Universe and I hope she will continue to grow as a character.

Thor #6

“The Devourer King Part Six:  Herald of None”

Writer: Donny Cates

Artist:  Nic Klein

Cover Art: Olivier Coipel & Laura Martin

Good lord.

This was amazing.  The finale of the arc that saw Thor and Galactus interacting, with Thor starting off as the new herald has been utterly fantastic.  And this ending is shocking and unbelievable.

The art is breath-taking.  The story is brutal and takes no prisoners.

And the ending is universe shaking.

Go read this.  In fact, read Thor #1-6 because this whole story arc is one of a kind.

I don’t have anything but the highest regard for this series and this issue.

Maestro #1

“Symphony in a Gamma Key Part One: Overture”

Writer:  Peter David

Artist:  German Peralta

Cover Art:  Dale Keown & Jason Keith

One of my all-time favorite mini-series was Future Imperfect with the Hulk.  It was an alternate future story of a world without the heroes and ruled by a monstrous villain known as Maestro.  It turned out that Maestro was actually Dr. Bruce Banner himself and the Hulk from the past had to face off with the Hulk of the future.

It was a great two-issue series.  You always wondered what lead to Bruce Banner becoming this villain.

Finally, the original writer of Future Imperfect has returned to give us the origin story of Maestro, and if issue #1 is any example, we have a wild ride ahead of us.

Peter David is one of the great writers in comic books and he has had an epic run with the Incredible Hulk.  He kicks off this book with some misdirection and immediately hooks you into the hero of the book, Bruce Banner.   You can already see some of the cracks forming in the character of the Hulk and I anticipate the fallout to be glorious.

The Amazing Spider-Man #46

“Sins Rising Part Two”

Writer:  Nick Spencer

Artist:  Marcelo Ferreira

Cover Art:  Casanovas

This is the second part of a huge Spider-Man story that sees the return of the Sin-Eater!

The Sin-Eater was the murderous villain years ago in one of the greatest Spidey arcs, “The Death of Jean DeWolff?”by Peter David and Rich Buckler.  This story included Daredevil and pushed Spidey to the precipice of his emotional brink.

We have already seen Sin-Eater return from the dead in Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Rising Prelude #1, which dove deep into the character of Stan Carter, the disgraced cop who became Sin-Eater, but showed us that there was more to him than what we remembered.

This new storyline has been fire so far as we look closely at one of the darkest periods in the life of the Web-Head.  The Sin-Eater is a moment where Spidey almost lost himself to his anger and thirst for vengeance and this continues exploring that.

However, there is a mystery to this story as well as Sin-Eater’s victims are not necessarily being killed.  Here, the Lethal Legion are used to show what happens after they are “cleansed” by the Sin-Eater.

Also, the comic is looking at the idea of mob mentality and the worship of someone who may not deserve your praise.  Sin-Eater is not being seen as a murderous vigilante by the public at large, with Spencer going as far as having bystanders applaud the apparent murders being committed by Sin-Eater.  There feels to be something deeper under the surface going down here as well.  The ending sequence brings some major doubt into the motives of Sin-Eater.

So far this has been a tremendous story with emotion and a true uncertainty about what is happening.  The art from Marcelo Ferreira creates a great darkness, a specific tone that works well with the tale being weaved.

As a huge Spider-Man fan, I am excited to see where this goes.

Fantastic Four #22

“You Had One Job”

Writer:  Dan Slott

Artist:  Paco Medina & Sean Izaakse

Cover Art:  Nick Bradshaw & John Rauch

An Empyre tie in sees the story of Franklin and Valeria Richards continuing on Yancy Street with Spider-Man and Wolverine.  Franklin and Valeria are meant to protect the two children, one Skrull, one Kree, that the team had rescued last issue.

Unfortunately, Wolverine got a little stabby last issue, and N’Kalla the Skrull was injured.  Spidey’s spider-sense is going off, but he is more interested in meeting Sky, Johnny Storm’s soulmate.

It seems great that Dan Slott has a chance to write Spider-Man once again.  You can tell he slips right back into a regular feel with the Wall-Crawler.

I enjoyed this issue very much and I am looking forward to the advancement of this storyline.  Spidey and Wolvie are a fun pair to play off and we get to see how Franklin and Valeria continue to progress.

X-Factor #1

“Suite No. 1″ Prelude: Aurora Moratorium”

Writer:  Leah Williams

Artist:  David Baldeon

Cover Art:  Ivan Shavrin

I have not been a huge fan of the rebooted X-Men series.  I have only continued buying the main X-Men title since coming out of Powers of X/House of X series by Hickman.  So I did not have a lot of hope when I found X-Factor #1 in my pull box today.

Yet, I really enjoyed this book.

Northstar senses that his twin sister Aurora has died and he goes to demand that the resurrection process in Krakoa get started.   However, Hope demands proof of death before they start on the process.

Northstar and Polaris team up and recruit a group to help investigate what happened to her.

Joining Northstar and Polaris is Daken, Prodigy, Eye-Boy, and Rachel and they called themselves X-Factor.

I enjoyed the character interactions in the book.  I must say that the story of Aurora’s death was really underplayed.  I would not have minded if that had been spread out and made a little more substantial than what we got.  It felt like it was tossed in just to justify the creation of X-Factor.

However, the characterization was so good that I can excuse the lack of the plot with the hope that the story improves as the book continues.  The idea that X-Factor will be an investigative team looking for missing mutants and determining if a mutant has died is a solid hook for this comic.

I wonder if this book is just going to blend in with the other X-books and lose its identity.  That is one of the current strengths of this book so far.

It is an interesting and hopeful start at this point.