All New X-Men #7 Review

This series has been absolutely fantastic up to now. Admittedly I jumped onto the bandwagon relatively late; but since I caught up with proceedings I have loved the ride it has taken us on so far. Bendis works his magic in this issue as he sets the foundations for future issues. In many titles and issue such as this one may be a little boring for the reader. However, in All New X-Men there is really no such thing as a boring issue.

This issue mainly focuses on young Cyclops and a conversation he is having with Mystique. He is unaware of who she actually is, which makes this conversation even more interesting, as throughout it she constantly puts thoughts into Cyclops head about destroying the X-Men set up at the school.
What makes this so awesome to view is the fact that it is so clear just how much Cyclops wants to put his trust into someone. He is so utterly confused about the situation that he has found himself in, and he is desperate for just a little bit of guidance. He thinks he has found it with Mystique, but unfortunately for him he is very very wrong.

There is a nice little character moment in here with Bobby and Kitty Pryde. I love Kitty so I am very happy to see her come into the forefront in a book such as this. She has so much to offer the Marvel universe and it seems that Bendis feels the same way that I do about her.
It is also going be pretty awesome to see what Mystique is going to be up to in the future. She is clearly laying the foundations for some sort of attack, but her motives are a bit unclear at the minute. It will also be interesting to see who exactly she is working with.

This is a pretty short review for this issue, but if you are reading it then you guys will be picking this one up anyway. It is not very new reader friendly as it seems to rely a bit on the reader knowing what exactly has gone on. Trust me though, pick up some of the back issues and you will not be disappointed in the slightest. If you want some fantastic story by Bendis, as well as some equally awesome  art by  David Marquez, then get involved in this series ASAP.

Rating: 8.25 / 10


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All New X-Men #6 Reivew

I initially missed this series when issues 1-5 came out, but ended up doing everything within my power to purchase those issues when I read just how good this series was. So I got myself up to date and now here we are with #6 in the series. Bendis has been getting plaudits for this book from all corners of the comic book community, and you can really see why. This series has legs to it; so what was firstly considered as probably only running for a few issues, now seems to have the world at its feet. Rightly so in my opinion too.

We see a lot of young Jean Grey in this issue as she is coming to grips with what happens to her in the future, as well as the new powers that she all of a sudden now possesses. What I really liked in this issue was how supporting Kitty Pryde was throughout towards Jean. I am a massive fan of Kitty's, so it is awesome for me to see her role become more important in this series as she has taken it upon herself to look after the younger versions of the X-Men.

The other main story running throughout this book was between young Cyclops and modern day Wolverine. It is clear to see what Logan is finding it hard not to take his anger out on young Scott, even though the events that have recently happened are not his fault at all. However, when he does lower his guard, it doesn't end too well for him.
I really do feel sorry for young Scott as he is coming to grips with just what he is going to do in his future. It must be a big shock for anyone knowing that they will never be what they believe they will become in their future; and it must be even harder knowing that you will be behind the death of someone who was a father like figure to you. It is going to be interesting to see the development of young Scott in particular throughout this series, as well as young Jean.

The art in this series is once again perfect for this book. David Marquez is doing a fine job on this series, and I will even go as far as saying that I think this issue may his best work yet on the title.
As mentioned at the start of this review, many people did not think that this title had the legs; now the potential for some major character development seems pretty much limitless. I really can't wait for the next issue of this to hit the shelves; it may be my favourite Marvel NOW title. February seems so far away.

Rating: 9 / 10

Uncanny Avengers #2 Review

So if you read my review of issue #1 last month then you will know that I was not too impressed with how this series started. I believed it was a very mediocre start and I was close to dropping it due to a total lack of interest in what was happening. In fact, it was only really the very last page of issue #1 that made me want to pick up this issue. However, picking this issue up has turned out to be a very very good decision.

The issue starts with the clean up operation after Avalanche's rampage seen in the last issue. There was a really nice conversation in this between Cap and Wolverine, in which we learned more about why this new team looks how it does. It is all pretty obvious but it was nice for it to be said, as on first look this team really does look a bit random and odd.
Another part of this issue that I really enjoyed was the scene where we saw how some members of the population were being brainwashed into murdering mutants. It was nicely done, and shows the kind of reach that the Red Skull has. Talking of the main man himself, he was really brilliant in this issue. He was written just how he should have been. He seems very villainous indeed, which is exactly what superhero comic books need. Without a worthwhile villain books can really fall flat, but with the Red Skull, you know it is always going to be difficult.
It was also very nice to see his new abilities. In this issue he "convinced" a certain X-Man to join his team and help him exterminate mutants. This ended up being pretty short lived, however it shows once again just how dangerous he is going to be in this story arc.

This was a great issue but it was not without its faults. For example, I am not too sure what to make of the Red Skulls' henchmen. They do not seem very dangerous at all, and have not really had shown why exactly they should be feared. I am hoping in a future issue we learn a bit more about them, and we get to see what they can do. Right now though it looks like these henchmen are going to be the downfall of the Red Skull.

This was an issue that I went in to not too bothered about at all. I was planning on reading it and dropping the series. However, I have now had a massive turnaround of opinion. So much so that I am eagerly anticipating the next issue. I want to see more of the Red Skull for obvious reasons, however I am also wanting to see a lot more of Havoc as well. He was a character that I have not read much about before this series but I was impressed by him in issue #1, so I am hoping he features more in #3. This is turning into a nice little story arc.


Rating: 8.5 / 10

Wolverine and the X-Men #21 Review

* CONTAINS SPOILERS*



This was another great issue in Jason Aarons' run on this title. This issue also saw the return of Nick Bradshaws' art working alongside Laura Martin; who may very well be my favorite colorist in comic.
So lets jump right into it and see what is going on in the start of this new story arc. The first thing we see is Kid Omega; who is late for class, but soon realises that all the teachers are not on school grounds and have in fact gone missing. It turns out that they have been kidnapped and brainwashed by Frankensteins' monster who has set up his circus in town in order to take human souls to give to the devil so he can survive. Or something along those lines anyway.
It is up to the kids of the Jean Grey school to rescue their teachers, however the teachers have been ordered to capture all the children, as there is a child at the circus who is a blood relation to Frankenstein. The monster wants to kill this child as punishment for his bloodline creating him.

This is a fun issue that does not take itself too seriously. It is especially fun to see the X-men as circus acts. Seeing Wolverine as the circus clown was by the far one of the best moments in this issue, a long with Kid Omegas' reaction when he saw what was happening at the circus. The kid is pure evil, but you really cant help but love him.
I also enjoyed Kade Kilgore's brief appearance as we saw him continuing his quest to bring an army of new mutants. He seems just as evil and twisted as ever which is nice to know. I am also quite interested of his plan, as if written write it could be quite a test for the X-men when they are finally confronted with the finished product.
This whole problem will likely be resolved in the next issue, but this is a great way to get new readers into the book. What will also help grab new readers attention is the art on show in this issue. It is great to see Nick Bradshaw back and on top form. The colorist was also firing on all cylinders in this book. I believe the circus setting helped her greatly as she could really show off her full pallet. It was full of colors, but done in a way that was not overpowering.

Once again we have been treated to another great issue in this series. Every review on this series I say how great it is and how everyone needs to get involved with it. This issue has not changed my mind. We are just into the second year of this title being on sale, and it looks like it is going to be a very exciting year for Wolverine and his pupils.

Rating: 8 / 10

Wolverine and the X Men #19 Review

This series has constantly impressed me over the first 18 issues of its run. Some of the tie in issues to AvX did feel a bit forced, and were maybe a little poor, but that was to be expected. Now all that is behind us, here Jason Aaron gives readers a perfect jumping on point to kick on from.

So many different things happened in this issue. Firstly, throughout the issue Kitty was interviewing for the vacant teachers post that Hush left. These frames kept popping up and were absolutely fantastic. Some of the candidates were brilliant (Deadpool, Blade, Spider-Man), and I was very eager to come across more of them as soon as I figured out that it was a continuous theme throughout the issue.

We also saw a character developing moment for Toad the janitor in this issue. In the series so far he has always been in the background, gaining no real interest from myself and possibly others. However, in this issue we see that he may have a nasty side to him which we could be seeing more of in future issues.
The Hellfire club still seem very evil which is to be expected. Their little trick on Wolverine was very low, but shows just how seriously they should be taken.
A new villain was showcased at the end of the issue which could be interesting. It is not made clear what is going on with that just yet, but I expect it to be great like the rest of this current run.

Seeing Hank attend to Broo was one of the more sombre moments of the issue. Broo has been a big favourite of the fans throughout the series, and you can tell that the writers also feel that way. This was shown by the way some Marvel characters have reacted to Broo's current state. I really dont think we have seen the last of Broo, and I am hoping he makes a full recovery. He is one of the many highlights of the book and it would be a shame to have him written out completely.

Nick Bradshaw returned to the series with this issue, and let me tell you his art is worth the price of admission alone. He is back on top form this month and it is truly great to see. His art was just made for this book. It fits it to perfection.

All in all another great issue in this series. We were shown future plot points and they all look to be really interesting. I was worried Aaron was going to lose momentum after the stop start of AvX, but I have been proven wrong here. Eagerly anticipating the next issue, along with the rest in what will be the second year for this title.


Rating: 8.5 / 10

Pull List 10/31

Hey!

     I have ordered my weekly comic books online today. They should get to me on either Saturday or Monday. The reviews that I decide to do for these issues will be published early next week. These comic books are:

Image: Bedlam #1 (I am super excited for this book!)
           Fatale #9
           Happy #2

Marvel: Hit Girl #4

Zenescope: Wonderland #4


Oh I am also purchasing a couple more books this week ( today in fact ). The review for these if I decide to review them will be published in the next couple of days. These are:

Ultimate Spider-Man #16.1
Wolverine and the X-Men #19

I hope you all have a great Halloween! Stay safe.


         

AvX Consequences #2

If you read my  review on the first issue of this series then you will know that I was not really expecting much from this issue. However, I have read it and I am actually pleasantly surprised with it. Most of the issue, save for a couple of pages, took place in one room, and what happened in this room really rocked.

 In this room were Cyclops and Wolverine. The tension was unbearable as Cyclops entered. He took a seat and waited for Logan to address him on why he came to see him. Logan was there to find out the location of Cyclops' extinction team, however that is not what he started the conversation with. He could not help but yell at Scott for carrying on down the path he had chosen with the Phoenix, not turning back once and reconsidering his options. What really surprised me though is that Scott still, yes still, believes he was right to do so. He stated that there would not be any new mutants without him, and that he will go down in history as saving mutantkind. After taunting Logan with the mention of Jean Grey, Scott nearly got killed by him. However, Wolverine saw that this is what he wanted so stopped immediately. After Cyclops attempted to make a deal to give the location of his extinction team Wolverine stormed out. The issues ends with Scott and another mutant inmate on the verge of being attacked by a group of their fellow prisoners.

This was a great issue. Very tense, and also hit the right notes emotionally. Who we saw in this issue were Scott and Logan, not Cyclops and Wolverine. That human element was played excellently. It also never felt like you were drowning in text when reading it either, which is difficult to achieve. However, what helped with that was the great art. It has definitely improved from the last issue in the series which I wasn't sure on at all. Wolverines' facial expressions were spot on and really helped tell the story without excessive amounts of text.

I am also starting to really like where Cyclops is going character wise. Yes, his ego is going more and more through the roof every issue, but I love it. He actually reminds me of CM Punk, the WWE wrestler, and his current character on TV. Very entertaining stuff. Logan was typically Logan in this issue, but was written superbly. He was flipping through all sorts of emotions throughout the issue, and you really felt what he was going through.

All in all I really enjoyed this issue. I have gone from not caring about this series at all, to really looking forward to the next issue. However, that can all change of course, but forget about that for the moment. This issue was terrific, and in this article that is all that matters.


Rating: 8 / 10

Uncanny Avengers #1

So Marvel Now! is here. Well kind of. Most of the new books are not starting until next month. So yeah, its here but not here. I was quite excited for this series, but that was more due to intrigue. Going into this issue I wasn't too sure whether I was going to pick this series up regularly or not. Did this issue convince me one way or the other? Not really unfortunately.

Firstly, the team of the Uncanny Avengers consists of characters that I am not exactly massive fans of. Yeah sure, I love Cap, Thor and of course Wolverine. However, I am not really major fans of the Scarlet Witch or Havok. Saying that, I do think it is great t that Marvel are pushing forward some of their characters forward that are not as well known as others. Seeing the same characters team after team can get pretty boring, so thumbs up to them for trying something new.

Even though lesser known characters are being pushed in this series, Wolverine still had the best moment in the issue. He performed a perfect eulogy at Xavier's funeral, which was actually a very touching moment. Even though you could see it coming it still has the desired effect on you when reading it. Havok seeing his brother in SHIELD base was also pretty intense, and did a great job at making Cyclops come across as a real asshole. I know this is what they have been trying to do in other series during and after AvX, and in my opinion have failed miserably seeing as he is still one of my favourite characters. However, in this book his ideology really does seem flawed. He seems so full of his own importance and is therefore very very un likeable. As hard as that is for me to say. But as I stated, it is something that really need be done well, and they certainly succeeded.

A major turn off in this book for me were the villians used. Avalanche was just fine. His appearance was pretty good, which saw a solid little battle between him and some of the team in the middle of the book. It is the bad guy team that interrupted Scarlet Witch and Rogue that totally sucked. I assume they are new villians, but oh wow did they suck. They just looked terrible. They may be working for one of the most famous villians in the Marvel universe ( at least I think they are working for him ) at the end of the book but I hope that they do not play a big part in this opening arc. Red Skull was awesome to see at the end ( as seen in last sentence ) and his plan of action is pretty interesting and unique. It could be a devlopment to keep your eyes on.

Yeah so I am not totally convinced on this book just yet. Some pretty cool bits which got my attention, but overall it didn't make me desperate for the next issue. Saying that, I will probably purchase it to see more of Red Skull, Havok, Wolverine, and Cyclops. We will see. If I do I may only give it one more issue to really grab me. I really hope Marvel Now! as a whole is better than this.

Rating 6/10