9.21.2006

This Week in Comics

Astonishing X-men 17 by Whedon and Cassaday came out this week and what can I say....WOW! It has been a while since a writer and artist have captured my attention. When Astonishing comes out I usually rush to the store to see what is in store for our merry mutants. This latest storyline with the return of the Hellfire Club has been spectucular. Although it's lineage can be traced back to the Phoenix Saga, Whedon pays homage to one of the best serials ever. Each issue has been a cliffhanger with me wanting more. Last issue it was the re-appearance (?) of the original White Queen...this issue...well not to spoil it but my comic hero comes through in a big way. Thank god, the return of the real Scott Summers! Thanks Whedon for making the X-men fun to read! Can't wait for 18!

Overall I think Brian K. Vaughan is the best writer going right now. All of his books are niche books that are tremendously written. The Runaways is the little book that could. Canceled a thousand times, it still plugs along. Just read that Brian is leaving the book with Issue 25 and guess who is taking it over? None other than Mr Whedon! Sweet! As mentioned this book is well written and the character interactions are what make this book special. They really don't fight any A list baddies but they do fight well among themselves. Great characterizations.


I admit I was a late starter on this series. As mentioned in my previous rant, I thought the whole Civil War thing was a gimmick trying to keep up with DC. Pitting Marvel heros against one another is an interesting scheme. Having Spider-man reveal his secret identity...big time! I figured if they were going all the way like this I'd better get in the know. Started last month with #3, decent read and have to admit I am with Captain America on this one. Book #4, well I'm really starting to doubt this whole Civil War thing. It seems too forced and not honest with the Marvel Universe...I feel (again) like their trying to DCify. This book had all kinds of wacky stuff...I cloned Thor!?, a dead mutant (is that 197 now?)!?, and finally an evil Avengers with Bullseye and Venom!? Come on how insane can this get (or how stupid). Oh well I used to like the Marvel world...

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