2.315: Smash the Stash! 006

Wonder Woman, Volume 6:  Bones

Brian Azzarello, Writer

Cliff Chiang, Artist

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.

2.294: Smash the Stash! 005

Y: The Last Man Deluxe Edition, Volume I

Brian K. Vaughan

Pia Guerra

Jose Marzan, Jr.

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.

---------- || J+30 || ----------

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.

2.280: Smash the Stash! 004

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.

---------- || J+30 || ----------

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.

2.273B: Smash the Stash 003

Old Man Logan #3 (Secret Wars 2015)

Brian Michael Bendis, Writer

Andrea Sorrentino, Artist

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.

---------- || J+30 || ----------

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.

2.266: Smash the Stash 002

Secret Wars #7

Jonathan Hickman, Writer

Esad Ribic, Artist

Alex Ross, Cover

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.

---------- || J+30 || ----------

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.

2.259: SMASH the Stash! 001

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!