Mike Cassella Comic Reviews

Like many Bendis books, it's a long-con of chapters vs. issues of the story. It's a tough evaluation to make because he hasn't shown enough of his hand to see what he's holding and until more happens and more is revealed, you have to judge this book on the merits of the team involved which, thankfully, is a very talented duo. Yet another solid result of the Marvel NOW! rebranding with hopefully more to come in the new year.

It's rare for a comic to exist using established superheroes and being unpredictable in terms of possibilities. Characters don't often have consequences befall them like they used to and the rare moment when a book comes along with the promise of that kind of consequence, yields hope for a fun and entertaining time. Because Jeff Parker is a trust name for me in comics, I will continue with this storyline until completion to judge. So far elements are fun and off the wall, but it seems that every third beat falls a little flat and that feels more like the fault of unlikable characters he's mandated to use more than his own flaws moving the pieces around.

I cannot emphasize enough how much Fatale is one of the best series on the stands and if you're a fan of Criminal and Incognito, this is the progression in the repertoire of the best creative team in comics. The first trade is out, the arcs are broken up definitively, and each one offers a story that is a perfect jumping on point so that you can get swept up in the twists of a very mature narrative. You will not be disappointed.

Five Weapons has me intrigued enough to keep following the series for its full five issues. Once again, Image is delivering unique and well-done comics that are the vision of fresh talent out to show the many ways the medium can be used effectively. Robinson has a wealth of talent and a way to balance the morbid with the fun and not sink into the pit of "grim and gritty" that seems permeate the mainstream now.

In the end, I hoped that this title would be a fresh take on classic characters and there wouldn't be the smell of heavy-handed committee-think all over a book that deserved to stand on its own as opposed to set up a summer blockbuster. No such luck.

It's much too soon to declare a title my favorite of the Marvel NOW! brand, I'm at least going to count this as one of my top 5 where I'm sure it will remain without vacillating.

You'll notice I haven't touched too much on specific instances in the last issue of the series that worked/didn't work, and again I'll point out there really isn't much to see here. It's an epilogue with a 22-page count. But again, since the series as a whole has been so satisfying, seeing where everyone lands isn't a poor ending insomuch as it is an ending for the Iron Man we've come to love reading. As well, an ending that we can all walk away from if we choose to. And an ending to a series we can remember as one of the most consistently fascinating, well done, and entertaining Marvel has put out.

I'll read almost anything Todd Nauck draws and I'm a casual fan of the Invincible characters due to a nostalgia for the classic comics of my youth. Throw in the fact that literally anything can happen in these books, I'm fine being a subscriber. I will say that if you're going to start off a new series, no matter what, try to make the first arc accessible.

I find it fitting that the one of the only titles at Marvel and DC to be hitting these triple digits of a 650th issue is a title that meets an ever-increasing demand for engaging female characters shepherded by talented female creators. If you had told me earlier that one of the titles to stay in my pull-list after sampling all of the new Marvel Now! books would be a book starring Lady Sif, I would have chuckled and yet here I am giving it one of my highest recommendations and hoping beyond hope that it continues on into more arcs carrying Journey into Mystery to issue #700 and beyond.

Change is difficult for fans to accept but when you throw your lot in with characters that are not yours to command and dictate the directions of. It's a natural dilemma all of us face but every time a new version is introduced, separating one's self in order to give it a chance is a worthy effort. Loeb succeeds in finding an aspect of this new character that I as a reader was able to relate to and thus let the faults of poor dialogue a pass for now. It helps to have a truly winning art team at his side and I look forward to more adventures of Sam Alexander.

None of these flaws keep me from coming back every month to continue to read the title. I'm on board to see what Parker has in store for X-51 and Betty since they've both become characters I'm invested in thanks to previous appearances. I know Parker is still capable of truly amazing feats of writing because those still pop up issue after issue… I just hope that he's able to put a bow on this opening storyline that shows what he's been able to do in the past effortlessly: Make me care about Red She-Hulk and the all-encompassing adventures she's on.

All in all, Fearless Defenders has been a fun book with a purpose and that is to once again highlight that Marvel has tons of great characters, especially female ones, that deserve some spotlighting and to be handled by a solid creative team. Cullen Bunn is definitely one half of that team and Will Sliney is pretty close to being the other half if he can polish up his pencils. I'm hoping these series gets room to evolve and build an audience.

All in all, I'm sure most of my problems with this title could be resolved with the end of the first storyarc but I think that's where I am most disappointed: They're very small problems that could easily have been handled with clearer plotting, exposition, and shuffling of some of the subplots in order to make for a more clear and concise adventure to introduce and assemble what could have, and could still be, a pretty interesting X-team.

Uncanny X-Men has just gotten started and while I am interested in where it is headed, just as I am with its companion Bendis X-title, I can't help the feeling that the core concept of the book needs to be laid out much clearer from the onset rather than just setting it up in the opening description. Launching into the dire circumstances that only seem to exist in the pages of Uncanny X-Men seems thin. I get the tradition of wanting to build the series up with a slow burn of revelations and small moments to allow for an emotional beginning, but when it's something as convoluted and deep as the X-Men and when it's not in synch with the rather expansive X-verse, clarity and continuity might be a priority along with solid writing and art.

Anyone who claimed to be a fan of the Winter Soldier and dropped the book after Brubaker's departure would be a fool not to continue with Latour and Klein. They're doing more than just trying to keep a title afloat. They're making their mark and reminding us that Marvel always has an eye for new talent on classic characters.

All popular protagonists in media are built up on the bedrock of their solid origin and motivation creating a backlog of reference for the next writer to accept the baton from and continue the legacy. When that character is, at his best, two-dimensional and made to suddenly become three-dimensional by committee, it's now an extremely challenging experience as an analytical reader to not expect more from solid writers picking up classic characters to plot new adventures. Hopefully, this issue will read better in the trade but all it does now is highlight a glaring flaw in modern solo Wolverine adventures no matter who is at the wheel.

If you're looking for a different take on superhero comics, then I highly recommend this comic. It never panders, fires on all cylinders, and continues to impress with every issue without slipping backwards.