It is late and I have only a few minutes before midnight but here are a few thoughts on Captain America: Civil War:
1) Overall, the movie was great! Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, and the Russo brothers did an incredible job with the movie. It was filled with action, it was fun, and most importantly to me, it was definitely worth the price of admission.
2) Black Panther, Spider-Man, and Aunt May (as portrayed by Marisa Tomei) are great new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Chadwick Boseman was dignified yet raw as the Black Panther while Tom Holland portrayed Spider-Man in a manner that has been lacking in previous portrayals of the beloved hero: as an immature, wise-cracking high schooler. As for Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, let's just say that she has a lot going on for her.
NOTE: For a better and more articulate explanation of Free Comic Book Day, be sure and visit www.freecomicbookday.com.
What is Free Comic Book Day (FCBD)?
Well, FCBD is only one of the best days of the year. In my opinion, FCBD is right up there with your birthday, Christmas (or Hanukah or Kwanzaa or Festivus or whatever specially named day you use to celebrate the winter solstice). It's the one day of the year where people are encouraged to go to local (participating) comic book shops and pick up issues of comics for FREE! Of course, only certain books are free but the books that are available are still pretty awesome. For instance, you can pick up the prequel to Marvel's newest, universe-altering crossover event, Civil War II, or you can pick up a special FCBD Suicide Squad book to get you ready for this summer's Suicide Squad movie from Warner Bros./DC Comics. This year's FCBD will see FIFTY special edition books created primarily for FCBD that will be free on a first come, first serve basis.
So what's the holdup? Go to the site linked above, find out where your nearest participating comic book shop is located, and get yourself some free comics (and if you are so inclined, purchase a few books as well because most participating shops will also be offering tremendous deals on books that are on sale).
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The preceding was a public service announcement from a simple comic book fan wishing to share his love for comic books with others. The writer has no connection to any comic publishing company, comic book distributor, or comic book shop (but if you are interested in hiring such a guy, then maybe we can talk). Anyways, go out and support your local comic book shop!
The volume contains Issues 30-35 of Wonder Woman (Volume IV)
I was going to act as though I knew what I was talking about by name-dropping Azzarello and Chiang and mentioning the fact that this volume was the finale of their run on Wonder Woman but I who would I be fooling? I will say that this volume did conclude the "First Born" story arc (that is what I am calling the arc). So, how was the finale of my first-ever Wonder Woman story? To be frank, it was good. Apparently, the arch ret-conned Wonder Woman's origin and turned the princess of the Amazons of Paradise Island into the God of War but I can live with it. Having never read a Wonder Woman book prior to picking up this run, I have little to no standing to make any argument in opposition to the direction Azzarello took with Wonder Woman. All I know is the following: Wonder Woman and the Gods of Olympus were portrayed in an unfamiliar manner that managed to capture my attention and entertain me and isn't that all one can ask of a comic book series?
As for this volume, in particular, I will say that some time has passed since I read the previous volumes of the series so I cannot make any direct comparisons to those volumes but I will say that this volume was a good read in that it wrapped an overall solid story arc. Yes, it had its weak moments (e.g. the First Born seeking to make Wonder Woman his own and sharing the world with her) but its strong moments (e.g. the remaining Gods of Olympus coming together to defend Themyscira from the forces of the First Born) definitely outweighed its weaknesses. Of course, I cannot recommend this volume alone because you will need to story arc in its entirety to understand what is occurring (which is often the case for most finales) but I do recommend picking up this run of the Wonder Woman series.
I am not a devout Prince fanatic—I never attended a live show, I only know his most popular songs, the only Prince album I own is Musicology, and my fondest memory of Prince comes from Dave Chappelle—but this does not mean that I do not understand his contributions to the world. Prince was a truly unique and incredible individual with a talent that appeared to be far too much for a mere man to possess and yet, he not only possessed the talent; he mastered it and shared it with the world. My first experience with Prince came from a compilation CD of popular hits of the day and his contribution to the album was “1999”. For me, “1999” represented a far-off period of time in which people would celebrate with great exuberance and joy—a time in which we would party. Of course, I was only 16 years old in 1999 and my introverted, socially awkward personality meant that I spent the turn of the century alone wondering if the Y2K bug would bring about the doomsday scenario predicted by the media. Fortunately, I did become familiar with more songs from Prince: “Raspberry Beret”, “Purple Rain”, “When Doves Cry”, “Diamonds and Pearls”, “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World”, “Let’s Go Crazy”, “Kiss”, “Batdance”, and so many more.
It is somewhat humorous that as I draft this post, I find myself awestruck at the number of songs I can recall and the fact that I am able to recall of these songs stands as an example of the immense reach his music possessed. To be honest, I am uncertain of how many other artists I could repeat this feat with. Undoubtedly, Prince’s longevity plays a significant role in why I am able to recollect so many incredible tracks but it also speaks to his transcendent nature that throughout the course of his career; he was still able to produce music that could resonate with the ever-changing faces of music fans. Anyways, I think I will leave here and end this post by saying: RIP Prince.
In this edition of Anime Queue Crush, I discuss the third most popular anime series on Crunchyroll: The Asterisk War.
To be honest, the basic premise of The Asterisk War feel too familiar but this is not a condemnation of the series. If anything, it is a statement about the difficulties of developing an original or unique idea within the entertainment industry. As for The Asterisk War, it is series set in a rebuilt post-apocalyptic world in which gifted beings are divided amongst various academies and then encouraged to participate in battles amongst themselves in an exercise devised to exhibit superiority of a particular academy/multinational government conglomerate. Of course, the school-based drama features many of the common tropes associated with the genre: a new and mysterious transfer with an untapped source of power and skill, a potential harem composed of the mischievous and unabashed pursuer, the childhood friend, and the aloof tsundere that will eventually come to realize her "true" feelings for the male protagonist, gratuitous lingerie scenes, and many more overused tropes. Personally, I am not entirely sure if I will find particular satisfaction from finishing the series but my inability to simply drop a series will keep me watching. I suppose I could stand to find out more about our mysterious male and female leads as well as what the class president is scheming.
After some time, I finally got around to reading Y: The Last Man. And my initial impression is that is a promising book that definitely leaves the reader wanting more. But given the hype around the title (developed primarily by a former coworker during the course of my three years in the library system), I was expecting more from the start of the series (as though the deaths of every man on the planet were not enough). Along with its "slow" start, I was frequently annoyed by the actions and attitude of the book's lead protagonist, Yorick. Of course, I am far from certain about how I would behave and react if I were in his position. Regardless, I am intrigued to learn more about what caused the catastrophe and whether or not Yorick and his cohorts are able to allude those that would prefer to see the last man on Earth dead long enough to restore some semblance of normalcy to the world.
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Black Panther #1 (2016-Present)
Ta'Nehisi Coates
Brian Stelfreeze
I am wholly unfamiliar with the Black Panther of the Marvel Universe aside from the hype surrounding the character's debut within the MCU in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War. In truth, I am more familiar with the writer of the series, Ta'Nehisi Coates. Coates's Between the World and Me is a beautifully written book describing the modern black struggle in the form of a letter written by a concerned father to his teenage son. Anyways, it was Coates's manner of expressing the modern struggle of blacks in America that piqued my curiosity about his take on Marvel Comic's most prominent black character. After reading this initial issue of the series, I am left to wonder about whether or not I should have read more about the Black Panther prior to reading this issue because I felt lost at times while reading the issues. Of course, my inclination towards being confused by comics and graphic novels did not detract from my appreciation of the issue and my anticipation for the next issue of the series.
First, I will admit that there have been far too many days since I last wrote something of "substance" but I aim to rectify this deficiency TONIGHT! In the brief free time during the course of tonight's Sporting Kansas City match and Kobe Bryant's final game, I will be writing and it starts NOW!
Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Could someone turn on the lights? Because it seemed as though the sun never rises in either Metropolis or Gotham City (or the DC Extended Universe) and when it does, it always seems dreary and dull. I get it--I understand that aside from being the sequel to Henry Cavill's first outing as Superman, Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice (because I cannot bring myself to type out Batman "V." Superman) is supposed to set up DC's cinematic universe in the build up to the Justice League film. In this regard, it kind of succeeded though everything felt rushed; Dawn of Justice did "introduce" the members of the cinematic Justice League (kind of). As a standalone film, Dawn of Justice was just not good. Superman bored me, Lex Luthor made me want to punch Jesse Eisenberg in the face more, and Batman was okay but that who sequence in which the focus of the film shifts because he learns that his mother and Clark's mother share the same name was a bit ridiculous. I sincerely wanted Dawn of Justice to be good but the truth is that DC/Warner Bros. still has no clue as to how to make a Superman film enjoyable.
Come on, you had to know that this was going to make it in. I can only assume that from now (or more accurate, last December) until the day I pass on from this world, Decembers will be synonymous with Star Wars. Last year's The Force Awakens kicked off the run of new Star Wars films scheduled to be released every year until 2019 (though we all know that Disney will continue to milk this cash cow until the chickens come home to roost). Regardless, let the hype train for Rogue One leave the station NOW!
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The good people at the isthishowyougoviral YouTube channel are back and this time, Bert and Ernie are here to regulate some fools.
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I'm laying on the Star Wars hype thick in this edition of Drop a Like as the guys over at ScreenJunkies released an Honest Trailer for The Force Awakens and not too surprisingly; it is an awful lot like A New Hope.
And we are back! Anime Queue Crush is back for its second edition and in this edition, I am going to be covering yet another anime series that was not in my original anime queue: Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman (at least, a major media company using the correct abbreviation for "versus"). Prior to watching this three-episode OVA, which is available on Netflix, I had only heard of Cyborg 009 but never Devilman (though if I did, it was only in passing). Regardless, the following are some of my thoughts on the series or special, but first:
After watching the first episode of Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman, the following thoughts or questions lingered in my mind:
(1) Why did the animators feel the need to give special attention to the breast of the female party attendee during her transformation into Lilith?
(2) Did the winged-lion demon attempt to strangle Devilman with penis serpent?
(3) Is Cyborg 009's primary ability only speed and does he normally get his ass handed to him in battles?
Those just a few of the many questions I had after episode one. Aside from these questions, I will say that I enjoyed the classic look of the Cyborgs though the same cannot be said of Devilman's character design. Something about Devilman's looked to similar to many poorly designed characters from the 1980s despite Devilman being from the 1970s. Personally, it appeared as though the animators attempted to update Devilman's appearance but got lazy and stopped in the 1980s.
To be honest, the story felt rather flimsy and hastily put together for the celebration of 50th Anniversary of the Cyborg 009 manga, which is most likely what happened. And honestly, what was the point of the opening battle sequence between the Apollo cyborg and 009? As well as what was the point behind the "high teen" cyborgs, Cyborgs 14-17? My guess is that the writers needed something for the rest of the cyborgs to do during the special so they put together a pointless filler side story. And they did the decision to create the "high teen" side story at the expense of giving any real meaning to the plot revolving around the specials two leads: Cyborg 009 and Devilman.
I am not saying that the legacy of these two characters has been tarnished in any manner though I have not seen anymore from either character prior to this OVA but there is plenty more that could have been done to at least demonstrate that the effort was not some sort of nostalgic money grab. My recommendation is that if you are truly interested in these two series or characters, then you should skip this OVA and dig deeper to locate either of their original series.
In this week's edition of Smash the Stash, it's a Secret Wars (2015-16) blowout as I finally wrap up Marvel's latest universe-altering event and just in time for its next event: Civil War II.
Secret Wars #8 (2015-16)
Jonathan Hickman
Esad Ribic
Alex Ross
The Thing bites the dust to Franklin "Von Doom" via Galactus, Groot is reborn, and Valeria is on the verge of revealing God Doom's secret but not before encountering not one but two versions of Reed Richards. And I have not even mentioned my favorite panel (or page) of the entire book:
If one was doubting the powers of God Doom, then allow this sequence in which God Doom literally rips out Thanos's spine. No major universe-altering should be without its epic battle and with Issue #8, Secret Wars has its epic battle.
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Secret Wars #9 (2015-16)
Jonathan Hickman
Esad Ribic
Ive Svorcina
In a story revolving around Victor Von Doom, it should come as no surprise that its resolution would come at the hands of Reed Richards. These long-time foes have been at the forefront of the Marvel Universe since their inception but given the state of the current Marvel Universe (i.e., the Marvel Cinematic Universe); Secret Wars was a proper send off for the "first family of Marvel Comics". Issue #9 failed to match the levels of epicness displayed in Issue #8 but it did do a few things: (1) Black Panther was put in the forefront of the issue towards its start and within its epilogue, (2) a certain degree of resolution was provided to the readers, and (3) it managed to write off the Fantastic Four as pivotal superhero team within the current Marvel Comics universe. Undoubtedly, fans of the Fantastic Four will see them again as heroes rarely go away for long especially heroes that are not dead. Also, I should mention that despite the claims saying that Secrets Wars would leave behind ONE primary continuity, Marvel sort of leaves the door open to the reintroduction of complicated multiple universes: NOT COOL.
I honestly cannot remember the last film I watched from Walt Disney Animation Studios (I am not counting Disney Pixar films) but I am certain that it was not as good as Zootopia. When I first heard about Zootopia, I brushed it aside as yet another animated feature anthropomorphic animals but this film was seriously good; much better than I could have imagined and far better than it should have been.
The premise of the film is simple: a bunny (voiced by Ginnifer Godwin) achieves her life's dream of becoming a police officer only to be confronted by the realization that her optimistic perception of the world (or more specifically, Zootopia) is flawed by the inherent prejudices that exist within it. I would continue to go further in explaining the plot of the film but I would risk spoiling the film.
With Zootopia, Disney managed to strike a fine balance between an entertaining and fun film for all ages with a message of tolerance and seeing beyond the prejudices that are passed on through the generations. Some will say that such a message does not have a place in a children's film but there is a good chance that the individuals raising such a complaint are close-minded, paranoid individuals with a warped perspective of the world (or Trump supporters).
I would highly encourage parents to take their children to see Zootopia or do like I did and go see it with a friend.
It's time for another edition of "Drop a Like", my bi-weekly look at the YouTube videos I felt the need to share, let's get started:
Our first video is a trip down (a slightly altered) memory lane as Jimmy Fallon and actor, rapper, and voice actor(?) Ice T reflect upon some of Ice T's work as the voice of many of our childhood icons. It goes without saying that things are not as we remember.
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is finally in theaters this weekend and the reviews have not been so kind to the DC Comics/Warner Bros. movie tasked with setting the foundation for the DC Comics cinematic universe. Of course, the poor reviews are not entirely lost on Ben Affleck as demonstrated by his reaction when questioned about the topic. (Almost assuredly, the facial expression is not an actual representation of his feelings about the movie or the reviews. I mean, Affleck did star in Daredevil and directed and star in Gigli--I think he can handle some criticism.) Anyways, cue the Simon and Garfunkle!
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Our final video of the week comes courtesy of Vox and my newest favorite source of news and political commentary, Liz Plank. In the premiere episode of her latest YouTube project, 2016ish, Plank sits down with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada to discuss a number of topics including the potential influx of American immigrants into Canada following the 2016 Presidential Election. Now, I try not to get too political in my entertainment columns but it is a fun, interesting, and informative video involving one of the rising stars in North American (if not, global) politics.
In this issue, Logan finds himself at the sprawled out at the feet of Apocalypse, engaging and eventually being trounced by a Thor, and then cast out of Technopolis by War Machine Thor into the Deadlands where he is left to fend for himself against a surrounding horde of Venom symbiotes and zombies. To be honest, what actually happened in this issue? Logan learns the "truth" about Battleworld and now seeks an audience with Doom but what actually happens? I suppose he exacerbates the festering animosity between Apocalypse and Doom by giving cause for Apocalypse to engage a Thor though Apocalypse's forces are easily repelled by the "goat-headed" Thor. Aside from this moment, it does not seem as though this issue advances the plot in any manner; it is simply filler.
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Ultimate End #5 (Secret Wars 2015)
Brian Michael Bendis, Writer
Mark Bagley, Artist
I have always been a fan of the Miles Morales character despite having little familiarity with the character. I suppose the idea of a young, ethnic individual carrying the mantle of one of the world's most renown superheroes played a significant role in my appreciation for the character. Regardless, Morales takes center stage (kind of) in the final issue of this mini-series as it is up to him to (1) stop the conflict between the heroes of the Marvel-1610 and Marvel-616 universes, (2) convince the heroes that their god, Doom, is not a god at all and simply a villain that managed to garner god-like powers, and (3) lead the heroes into a seemingly impossible conflict in which the fate of all the worlds of Battleworld is unknown. In terms of actual action within the pages of the book, it was all very limited but the manner of which the plot was carried out did manage to elicit a bit of emotion from me. Of course, this book may have further spoiled the Secret Wars finale but we all know that the heroes would triumph; they always do. By the way, I will The Punisher his due as it was he that (1) subdued gray Hulk from crushing Morales as Morales tried to convince the heroes and (2) was left behind by the other heroes and forced to confront the Thors thus perishing.
Welcome to Anime Queue Crush! I have a load of anime to watch from years past and I am bringing you along for the ride!
In this edition of "Anime Queue Crush", I am finally getting around to starting the sequel to 2010's Durarara!! series: Durarara!!x2 Shou. As usual, I will try to not delve too deeply into any of the details of the series because (1) most people hate spoilers and (2) the series is just over a year old and you have probably already seen it already. Regardless, you can think of this column as one of those terrible YouTube reaction videos only worse because it is in TEXT!
DISCLAIMER: I prefer to watch English-dubbed versions of anime (if available) because (1) I do not speak Japanese, (2) if I can avoid reading--even subtitles--while watching a television series I will, and (3) I like to make the die-hard anime otaku cry (^.-) though not really.
Anyways, the first two episodes of the series serve as fast-paced introduction / re-introduction to the characters of the series portrayed in the manner of an out-of-continuity recap episode of a long-running anime series except it is not a recap episode. To be honest, the manner in which the episodes, particularly the second episode, cut back-and-forth between the present which features a "fourth wall" breaking Shinra Kishitani that is trapped within a shadow sphere and the significant events leading towards the present happenings can be confusing though not really. In truth, my primary handicap heading into the series is the fact that it has been a half-decade since I watched the original Durarara!! series.
Regardless, the series quickly hits on many of the key traits that intrigued the audience of the original series though it does feel too rushed at certain points. One specific instance of this being the seemingly out of place sequence with Shizuo Heiwajima and the "petty thieves" in the park, but I am certain more about that particularly situation will be explained in later episodes. Overall, I will say that I will try to work through this series quickly though I will probably discuss another series in the next edition of this column. My advice in regards to Durarara!!x2 Shou is to give it shot but only after watching (or re-watching, if it has been some time since your last viewing) Durarara!!.
So join me next time as work through yet another one of my ridiculously backlogged entertainment media queues. (Honestly, for an unemployed individual, one would think that all I have is time to watch anime, read comics, and play video games.)
Damn Johnny, back at it again with...the next issue of Marvel's Secret Wars. The final battle of Battleworld has begun and the competing forces are starting to take their shape as we witness multiple betrayals of Doom (Sinister, Thors, Hulks, and Zombies[?]). Meanwhile, Reed (616) and The Maker (Reed of 1610) prepare to embark on their mission to obtain the source of Doom's power. To be honest, the issue was not nearly as interesting as the previous issue and that is probably because things moved more straightforward thus causing the issue to become rather predictable and not all that intriguing. Yes, the battle is finally going down and all that remains is for the dust to settle and I am confident the Reeds will finally confront Doom and someone will betray someone else and blah, blah, blah. Of course, maybe I am wrong but things will definitely need to pick up in Issue #8.
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Battleworld: Ultimate End #4
Brian Michael Bendis, Writer
Mark Bagley, Artist
Tony Stark, his doppelganger (you can decide which is which), and Bruce Banner have taken refuge in Avengers Tower from Marvel-1610 Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D., and a small band of Marvel-1610 and Marvel-616 heroes. Fury and his allies are after The Hulk while the Starks and Banner are working on a dimensional rift that could either save the lives of the people in their Battleworld domain of Manhattan or rip apart the existence that Doom has created for them. Meanwhile, the homicidal vigilante, The Punisher continues in a downward spiral that pushes him toward murdering not just criminals but heroes as well. Also, Doom and Valeria make an appearance in this issue where they discuss their course of action in response to the discovery made by the Starks as well as the impending battle that is set to occur between the Marvel-616 and Marvel-1610 heroes. As for the cover of the issue and Miles Morales, he does not even make an appearance until the final panel. In my opinion, this issue was lacking in terms of flow and quality of art.
What is up? Welcome to the debut edition of a new feature on J+30: Drop a Like. I spend a lot of time on YouTube and throughout the course of any week (or two), I come across a number of videos that I genuinely like or are buzzworthy. Anyways, Drop a Like is where a select a handful of videos from the week past (or since the previous edition of Drop a Like since I am considering making this a bi-weekly feature) that enjoyed and share them with you with some commentary on why I felt the need to share it with you.
Alright, the explanation is finished, let's get to the videos!
Personally, the most significant video to drop this week on YouTube was Marvel's latest trailer for Captain America: Civil War. In this latest trailer, viewers saw more Black Panther, more Captain America battling Iron Man, Ant Man being fired from one of Hawkeye's arrow shots, and FINALLY, MOTHERF-CKING SPIDER-MAN! Yes, the wall crawler made his first appearance under the Marvel banner and it was brief but still pretty awesome. In case you were not aware (and you probably were not since I probably have not mentioned it previously), Spider-man is my favorite Marvel superhero (or comic superhero in general--sorry, Batman). But, let's slow our roll here because I feel as though I have too mention that while it was totally awesome to see most everyone's favorite web-slinger; I did have some reservations with his costume; First, the eyes: I am slowly coming around on the eyes--they are animated in similar fashion as Deadpool's eyes in Deadpool--but seeing Spidey's eyes move was still initially offputting and that is possibly the byproduct of my familiarity with the masks of Tobey Maguire's and Andrew Garfield's versions of Spider-man. Second, the black trim on Spidey's arms and legs are awkward to me--stick with the traditional blue and red with minimal black trim color scheme. And third, the CGI costume looks "flat". (I am actually borrowing the term from Nerdist because I could not put my finger on what felt off about the costume until I heard them say it first.) Seriously, where is the texture? The costume looks as though it is some sort of frictionless leotard that if someone were to push Spider-man onto a smooth surface, he glide endlessly until someone stopped him. Anyways, I am incredibly excited about this film and cannot wait to see it when it comes out.
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Unfortunately, I do not watch The Daily Show as much as I would like and it is not as though I dislike Trevor Noah; it is simply a case in which I did not watch the show frequently anyways. I typically consume my late night talk shows in clip form and on YouTube thus explaining the reasoning behind this column. Despite the infrequency of my Daily Show viewings, I am pleased to see that Lewis Black's "Back in Black" has remained following the transition from Jon Stewart to Noah. Personally, "Back in Black" was always one of my favorite recurring segments on the show because it featured Lewis Black in his most comfortable setting: PISSED! This particular segment was no different as he eviscerated FOX News and other media's coverage of the last will and testament of Osama Bin Laden and in particular, the absurd notion that Bin Laden and President Barack Obama were "friends" because of their stances against global warming. I could say something myself about this suggestion from the brain-dead numbskulls at FOX, but I will let the master of comedic outrage take it from here; enjoy.
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One of the best things about viral videos is that a new one can be discovered everyday. I actually had another video queued to share with you and then came the video above. In case you were wondering, I am trying to limit the number of videos I share to three per column. Anyways, who does not love Sesame Street? And as a child of the 90s and a consumer of mainstream rap music, I loved Bone Thugs 'N' Harmony's "Crossroads" despite never being able recite the lyrics in step with the track--they were spitting their rhymes too quick for this plebeian. Regardless, this video, which is brought to us by the same group that brought us other viral video mashups like The Muppets x Biz Markie, is remarkably clever and simply fun to watch.
Greetings True Believers, Excelsior! Actually, let's try again: Hello friends and welcome to the first edition of a new feature that I call: SMASH the Stash! If you did not know, I am a novice collector of comics in digital and physical editions. Unfortunately, I rarely make time to read any of the books I come purchase or come into possession of (thank you Marvel Digital Codes and thank you to my good friend, Billy, for sharing his codes with me), which means the backlog of items I need to read from my comic stash is formidable and long (and somewhat dated). Anyways, with "Smash the Stash!", I am giving myself an excuse or, more accurately, a reason to read the comic books (and graphic novels) in my queue.
Let's get started with a comic book from Marvel's most recent universe-altering event: Secret Wars.
Secret Wars #6
Jonathan Hickman, Writer
Esad Ribic, Artist
Alex Ross, Cover
Before I begin, allow me to say that this will not be review in the traditional sense--I am not going to be breaking down each individual panel or trying to divine hidden meanings from the actions of characters--because most of the books I will be writing about have been out for some period of time and everything has already been spoiled. Okay, now I begin:
Personally, the most interesting thing I took away from this issue was the pairing of the survivors from the Marvel 616 and 1610 universes: Black Panther and Namor, Reed Richards and The Maker (or 1610 Reed Richards), Thanos and The Thing (who is not actually a "survivor" but a pawn in Doom's reality from another universe in which the Fantastic Four featured Johnny's and Sue's father, Franklin Storm, instead of Reed), and Captain Marvel and Mr. Sinister (who already exists within Battleworld). It is also intriguing to see how the eventual conflict that should resolve this event is coming together. Oh, I should mention that Black Panther found a version of a completed Infinity Gauntlet within Stephen Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum. Overall, it was a solid read that definitely advanced the plot though the start of the issue was a bit slower than I prefer. Also, it may be because it has been some time since I read Issue #5, but what is up with Valeria and Black Swan?
Anyways, I am calling it here because this is an introductory column and much of the content was composed of me explaining the column and its purpose. My plan for future columns is to cover at least three issues or one volume of a series. Until then: DFTBA!
