Update 1/15/08.

In Marvel's newest edition of The Pulse, and continuing their "Best of 2007" stories, they linked to an article on their website about The Greatest Fights of 2007. Personally, I read #9: The Mighty Avengers Vs. Ultron and #3: The X-Men Vs. The Marauders, and that sounds about right. The Avengers fight was just ok, but the X-Men fight was pretty good.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I will be buying: Cable & Deadpool #49, New Exiles #1, and New X-Men #46. I have been trying to get a run of Cable & Deadpool off of eBay, but it is pretty expensive. Stupid Civil War jacking up prices. I think #49 is the last or next to last issue of C&D as Cable is getting his own series again at the end of The Messiah Complex. I don't know if I've heard about any plans for how Deadpool will be used after this series is over, which is interesting, because I think he's starred or co-starred in a series for about the last fifteen years, so to not have him in an ongoing series all of the sudden seems a little strange. But what do I know, I'm not an executive over at Marvel, I just read their comics.

To update my post from last week, The Twelve was actually very, very good. I enjoyed it a lot. There's some interesting stuff going on with the story that I liked and I thought it would just be a rehashing of Captain America's story where he was frozen for awhile and had to adjust to his new surroundings. There is a fair amount of that in the first issue, but there's also a lot of other things going on. I liked the characters, one of them is called "The Phantom Reporter" and he has an interesting detective style. Unlike most books, they show what he sees and thinks while it's going on, it's not mysteriously revealed at the end of the book. So I thought he was an interesting character. Speaking of the end of the book, cliffhanger alert! I imagine there will be a cliffhanger at the end of each issue as it's a 12-issue Limited Series and they've got a story to tell and the easiest way to end a short-run series is with cliffhangers, which is fine by me. The first issue was a little wordy, but that's kind of to be expected, there was a lot going on and they had twelve characters to introduce. I actually didn't mind the amount of words, it's really well written, my only mistake was trying to read it when it was late and I was tired. I am very much looking forward to next month's issue. A really well-done, kind of quirky, off the beaten path book. So if you're into that kind of stuff, check it out or pick up the trade when that's released, I think it's worth the money.

January Reads Part II.

Exiles: Days of Then and Now: One-Shot: In contrast to the Exiles #100 issue I bought a few weeks ago, this one was pretty good. It set up the new Exiles series and the new team is a pretty interesting mix. The new team is; Quentin Quire (aka Kid Omega), Luke Cage, Nighthawk, Spitfire and Wild Child. These are all alternate versions of the characters, of course. It is a little hard to keep up with because I am so new to the series and there so many alternate universes that sometimes, having a flowchart of everything would be really handy. I'd like to see where this one goes because I think it's a good place to start with the series because the series itself is kind of starting over. So I'll be hanging around for this one for awhile.

I was disappointed because the comic shop that I go to was sold out of Thunderbolts #118. They said they were shorted last week and would have more this week, but that was not the case. I guess it's a pretty good seller, because they don't have any back issues and they go for a lot of money on eBay. So I'm not really sure what to do here. I guess I'll have to wait until next month.

Hulk #1: For a comic book that stars the Hulk, this one didn't have a whole lot of the Hulk in it. He's basically just in the beginning of the book, which is told in a flashback, where he succeeds in finally killing The Abomination (I'm sure this will be retconned sometime soon or they will introduce a New Abomination at some point). Investigating the scene is She-Hulk, Doc Samson and Iron Man. Great, three of my least favorite characters. And I know that the Iron Man movie is coming out soon and that Iron Man is a pretty big player in the Marvel Universe because he's the head of S.H.I.E.L.D and all, but does he have to be in every comic that Marvel puts out? I'm just sayin'. Also, even though the new red Hulk is featured on the cover, he does not make an appearance in the first issue. WTF, Marvel? It ends with a cliffhanger involving Bruce Banner AND Rick Jones. I am interested to see who is the red Hulk, so I will hang out for another couple of issues to see where it goes.

Mighty Avengers #7: I continue to like a lot of things about this series, and I am going to keep buying it. This was the first issue after the first major story arc so of course they had to add a new team-member (which would always happen in the Avengers, back in the good old days). This time the new/old member is: Spider-Woman? I think the next major crossover in the Marvel Universe is going to involve a Skrull invasion, and I guess that starts here. They are finding out that certain people are actually Skrulls and it is suspected that there is a Skrull on Iron Man's Avenger squad. Interesting. The story ends with a Venom-like creature being released upon the public, which converts people into multiple Venoms. You can see this if you click on the cover to the left. The last panel is an Avengers Assemble! pinup, so I'll have to wait until next month to see what happens. As I've said before, the writing is a little different than the normal stuff Marvel is cranking out right now and there's a lot of humor thrown in, which makes for a good read.

The Twelve #1: I was a little tired and only made it through half this one, but I liked what I was reading. Marvel ran a full-page promo for this series in a couple of comics last month to reintroduce the characters, and it sounded like an interesting idea.. Here's a brief synopsis and character breakdown. Basically, Marvel is revisiting some of their old Timely Comics characters. Like I said, it sounded like an interesting idea and the characters sound like they could be cool. I do see this as kind of being an updated Captain America story only involving twelve people instead of just one (they are cryogenically frozen and then found in the present day). I don't even know how many issues it's limited to, but I'm in. I think one of the reasons I didn't get all the way through was that I was tired and it was a little wordy. There was a lot to set up, so they had to explain a lot and they kind of did a brief explanation of each character. I will read the other half tonight and update this tomorrow. As I said, I like what I've read so far.

Wolverine #61: Yeah, I don't know about this one. I was kind of disappointed by this whole, "Logan Dies" story-arc. Basically the only reason I'm going to keep collecting this series is because I thought I read somewhere that David Finch is going to be part of the next creative team and I am a David Finch fan. There were a lot of panels in Wolverine #61 that looked rushed and to be honest, the story wasn't that great. I am kind of relieved that the "Logan Dies" story is over with so they can get on to the next story. I'll hang out for a couple of issues, but I might pull the plug at some point because I really didn't like the last two or three story arcs. We'll see what happens.

Uncanny X-Men #494: This Messiah Complex story just keeps getting better and better. They're trying to involve every single past and present X-Man too, so that's also why it's pretty cool. Bishop is now fully involved in the story and Cable and Professor X are working together outside of the X-Men, which is very interesting. I am very excited to see how it all shakes out. Apparently Caliban is dead. I was mistaken that he was in the ads for the new X-Force title that debuts in February, unless they took him out of the ads, he's not in them. I liked Caliban a lot. I didn't really agree with everything they had done to him or how he was used and then forgotten so many times, but he definitely was one of my favorite lesser character. Every time he showed up in a story-line, I'd say, "Oh cool, Caliban". I hope his death is retconned at some point, even though I really hate it when they bring someone back after they've died.

X-Factor #27: Again, this one continues the Messiah Complex story and it is very good. They talk to Bishop as a little boy in the future. Layla Miller is trapped in the future because they found out some information about events in the past and she killed the Madrox Multiple she was with so the original Jamie Madrox in the past (I guess they refer to him as Madrox-Prime) would absorb his knowledge. And his tattoo. They realize that Bishop is trying to kill the baby, but he is with X-Force and his ship is shielded. It ends with X-Force searching for the baby and the Marauders ambushing them again, while Gambit and Mystique are apparently in cahoots and have killed Mr. Sinister. I am having a hard time believing that Sinister is truly dead, mainly because I've seen him "die" way too many times in the past. And the teaser for the next issue in the crossover said it would reveal Sinister's fate. So, he's not dead yet. I can't wait for next Wednesday.

January Reads Part I.

These are two issues I got in the mail. Technically, they should be December reads, but since I got them and read them in January, they're January reads. Anyways, here's the scoop.

Moon Knight #14: This one was kind of a disappointment, but I can see where it's going and why this was such a slow issue. It's setting up a lot story lines that will hopefully converge or at least be somewhat related to each other at some point. This was a real character and story driven issue, I just hope it pays off in the next couple of issues because I really liked the first story arc of this series, and it's kind of taken a downward turn lately. I guess I'll see what happens, I've got about six months left on these subscriptions, and I am pretty sure I'm going to let them all run out because they arrive pretty beat up. My X-Men #206 came really beat up and I was not too happy about that. Speaking of X-Men #206...

X-Men #206: Wow. That's pretty much all I can say about this one. Wow. If I had read this before the end of the year, I would have called it Best Comic of 2007. Hands down. This book was awesome. It had an interweaving story line that flow really well. One story is in the current timeline, featuring the X-Men. That other story is 80 years in the future, featuring one of Jamie Madrox's multiples and Layla Miller. The future timeline story has been frustrating because it hasn't revealed a whole lot until this issue's surprise twist cliffhanger ending (there's still a whole lot that needs to be revealed in the future story line, but at least this was a start). Both stories were related to each other nicely and both worked into the surprise ending. I'm really excited to see what happens in Uncanny X-Men #494. I was lukewarm about this crossover to start, but this issue and a couple of the previous issues have been A+. Check it this one out. Five stars, A+, whatever else you give top quality work. Nicely done.

End of 2007.

It's the end of the year and everyone likes "best of" and "top ten" lists, right? Well, Marvel has put up two articles, The Top Ten Villains of 2007 and The Best Moments of 2007. ::UPDATE:: They also added a Top Ten Heroes of 2007.

A couple of days ago, Darkhorse released a trailer for Hellboy II. Here's the link. I liked the first movie a lot so I've been waiting for this to come out. Too bad I have to wait until Summer.

That's all for today. Have a happy New Year!

December Reads Part III.

Thunderbolts One Shot: Breaking Point: I decided to give this one a spin because I want to start collecting The Thunderbolts series, starting with #118, which comes out on Friday. I was pretty impressed with this one-shot though, and I'm excited to start reading the series. This book was really well written, the art was great and it had the perfect balance of fighting, talking and character development. For a first-time reader, I was interested and was left wanting more. So it's a good thing the next issue comes out this week. I am totally psyched. Just about the only bad thing I have to say about this issue is that they used the font Crackhouse for the title of the one-shot. Seriously, Marvel? What is this, 1997? C'mon, either pick a different distressed font, or better yet, make your own. It's really not that hard.

House of M: Avengers #3 This series continues to get better and better with each issue. The Punisher really changed the whole series by switching sides. The story is great, the art is great, I love the cover art (by Mike Perkins) and I like the characters they chose for this version of the Avengers. I'm a Luke Cage fan, and he's front and center in this series.

I did not get Hulk vs. Fing Fang Foom #1 because I forgot about it and then didn't see on the rack when I was at the comic shop. I was thinking about getting Fantastic Four: Isla De La Muerte #1 but then flipped through it and decided to pass. I also didn't get X-Men #206 because that's one of the comics I subscribe to. I won't be renewing any of those subscriptions, mainly because they arrive a little later than the comic stores get them, and they arrive pretty beat up. So I'll just start picking them up at the store when they run out.

On Friday, I am planning to get Thunderbolts #118 and Exiles: Days Of Then And Now #1. At some point, I should be getting Moon Knight #14 and Uncanny X-Men #494 in the mail, even though they come out on Friday.

Also, as I mentioned in the update to the last post, I bought 100 old comics off of eBay for about $20. There is a nice mix of Hulk, Daredevil and Fantastic Four books with some other random stuff thrown in. There are some potentially awesome reviews that could come out of this pile of books, especially the Hulk stuff, because they are funny in a good/bad way.

Comic Book Ads #8 - Charles Atlas.

You know this ad. It's a classic. This one I believe was updated for the '90s because I think I scanned it in when I was doing that X-Force comic review and forgot that I uploaded it. It even has a website address. Things I love about this ad: The Blue Ribbon for "World's Most Perfectly Developed Man", and the check boxes for how to develop different muscle groups, with "Success With Girls" and "Magnetic Personality" thrown in at the end. Does anyone know if Mr. Atlas is still alive?

UPDATE: I just looked him up on wikipedia and he died in the '70s. So all those times I saw that ad in comic books and on TV, it was just a marketing campaign. I am kind of wondering if the "Success With Girls" information is still available because I want to know what kind of advice that a guy born who was born in 1892 and has been dead for 30+ years can give me in regards to attracting women. Charles Atlas might just might end up getting 2 of my hard earned dollars.

UPDATE #2: I bought a random collection of 100 old comics on eBay for like twenty bucks and they came yesterday. So I was reading Marvel Super-Heroes #35 (which I think just reprinted old Hulk and Sub-Mariner comics, but they never list the original comics that they reprinted) and on the very last page, I came across this original Charles Atlas ad, so I thought I'd scan it in and post it. You can see that some of the illustrations were redone in the 90's ad, but overall, it's still the same ad. This ad was published in 1972, presumably right before the real Mr. Atlas died. I thought it was a strange occurrence, that I found this one after writing about it a couple of days ago, and that this one was published right before his death. Pretty trippy.

December Reads Part II.

Mighty Avengers #6: This one finishes up the first story arc of the series. Tony Stark has been "killed", or more accurately, he is absorbed into his armor, which is then taken over by a female version of Ultron. Is it me, or is everyone else tired of Ultron stories? He should be totally unstoppable, yet every time he makes an appearance, he dominates for a comic or two, then is defeated, only to escape annihilation to return in a year or two to cause more havoc. He's basically a less annoying robot version of Arcade (obviously, in my book Ultron is infinitely better than Arcade because he is a super-intelligent robot). Anyways, I hope I'm not spoiling this for anyone, but the Avengers defeat Ultron and are somehow able to revive Tony Stark. Like you couldn't see that coming. I mean, if Stark were to die, it would basically wipe out the Initiative story line, as well as the whole Civil War crossover. So that would have been two years of work down the drain. I mean, you really didn't expect them to kill Iron Man right before the movie comes out, right? Basically, it was a story to showcase the other members of the team, and I actually enjoyed it. It has the right amount of words, comic relief and smashy-smashy that most people are looking for in a comic. I'm in for some more.

Exiles #100: This one was pretty disappointing. I've been out of the game for awhile and I have heard great things about The Exiles series. However, this was the last issue of the series, and it was basically wrapping everything up. So it was kind of a bad place for me to start. The story itself kind of seemed like a back-up story and there were a lot of flashbacks involved. Basically, some people left, the series is going to get rebooted and life goes on. I am interested in the new series and will probably try and pick it up. The other series that I have heard good things about is the Thunderbolts, and I am going to pick up the new issue (#118) next week. I've been looking for back-issues on eBay, but they're pretty expensive. Getting back to the Exiles, I am going to pick up the new series, but it will be on a pretty tight leash. If I'm not knocked-out within the first couple of issues, I'm going to pull the plug.

Fantastic Four #548-550: I went back and bought some back-issues to check the series out because I enjoyed the current story arc (#551-552). I was never a real big fan of the FF, but I'm giving them a chance now. This story arc, well, it's just ok. It features The Wizard as the main bad guy and Storm and The Black Panter as friends/ex-members of the FF (they stepped in after the Civil War crossover when Sue and Reed went on a second honeymoon to "work on their marriage"). The Wizard is kind of a lame villain in my opinion, so maybe that's why I didn't enjoy it as much as the current arc (which features time-travel and Dr. Doom, which are two of my favorite things). I'm still going to give them some more run though, it looks promising.

New X-Men #45: Messiah Complex Chapter 8: The reason I really hate crossovers is that now I have to figure out where to put a couple of issues of New X-Men and X-Factor in my collection. Where do I stash them? I guess with the rest of my X-Book collection. That aside, this was a pretty weird issue. X-Force tracked down Cable and the mutant baby, who was already getting ambushed by Lady Deathstrike and the Purifiers. X-23 and Deathstrike go at it (which was actually pretty cool), Caliban gets shot in the chest protecting Warpath and then Wolverine runs after Cable, who backtracks to steal their Blackbird and is able to escape. You'd think Logan would leave a rear guar. I was a little shocked when Caliban was shot, because he is a favorite of mine, however, Caliban is featured on the cover to the first issue of X-Force, which comes out in February, so you figure that somehow he survives. I would say that not a whole lot happened in this issue and beside the X-23/Deathstrike fight, they probably could have left this out of the Messiah Complex Series and no one would have minded. The part of the story that deals with people in the future is frustrating, because it is taking forever to find out what happened. Of course it's probably the key to the series, so they're going to milk it for all it's worth, but it is still frustratingly slow at this point. Throw us a bone. The good thing is, X-Men and Uncanny X-Men are next up and then there's only one more issue of X-Factor and New X-Men to go before the big finale in X-Men #207.