Amph ***OFFICIAL*** Comics Thread

I'm still upset that Hickman abandoned The Manhattan Projects.

But at least he did finish SHIELD.

 

I'm hoping the Black Monday Murders gets finished

 

Wolverine 8 - I haven’t kept up with the X or Wolverine books for years, but now that Pearcy and Kubert have thrown me a Maverick / Team X bone well, I’ll read as long as Maverick appears. I don’t care about anything but how Mav and Team X fit into the storyline.

Spoiler

Looks like Pearcy is pulling some Winter Soldier style mind controlled assassinations with Maverick. Given the amount of false memories and brainwashing Logan, Christoph Nord (Maverick) and the other Team X members received, this works. I’ll see if it fits the character.

Back in the 1990s, I loved Adam Kubert’s art. While I fully respect he is on deadline, his current work is still quite good, but feels less finished (especially character’s faces). A bummer the art doesn’t quite deliver on the promised storyline or cover price. I’ll hang in though.

 

Pickups

Shang Chi 4
Avengers 40 Enter The Phoenix part 1
X-Men 16
Wolverine 8, 350th issue of the best there is? Cool.
Batman Annual 5

Had a lil book convo with the store manager and turned him on to Larry Niven. he never even heard of him and his books. I believe I did a good thing.

 

When I first started regularly collecting comics back in the early 90s, I would eagerly buy any comic that had Cable in it.

... whoo boy, did I buy some bad comics for the sake of one character. My favorite will always be his appearance in the "Cap-Wolf" storyline in Captain America where, as it should be obvious, Captain America turned into a werewolf!

 

Right there with you (Gosh...all the awful Moon Knight stories since Charlie Houston left).

On the subject of Wolverine 8, I kind of wish Benjamin Percy did not

Spoiler

spoil that Maverick is under mind control, but then again, that’s par for the course with Team X.

Maverick’s series was cringe bad and quite good at times, it’s nice to see him again.

 

I'm perpetually sad because I can never find a few particular issues of Maverick's solo series to complete my collection.

 

I no longer have them or most of the comics from 20-25 years ago, but I remember the storyline. Have you tried eBay?

 

I'm not that invested. Plus the series wasn't that good.

It's more of having fun going to the local comic book stores occasionally and hitting their bargain bins. I've collected comics off and on for 30 years, and there were significant gaps based upon either when Marvel was really bad or when my financial situation precluded buying comics. I've done pretty well catching up, especially thanks to collections, but there's a number of obscure and (rightfully) forgotten comics that I like stumbling across.

 

X-men 16, There are indeed 2 islands but the minds behind them will not join together out of mutual animosity. Cypher must be used so they can talk, in this case the formed, well, I don't want to say they formed Groots but 100 foot tall walking tree things. Arrako has 20 times the mutants that Krakoa has and they have a generally more violent disposition.

Avengers 40, the Phoenix is after a new host. So it gathers up supes and gives them a little of its power and they duke it out. Cap vs Doom to start and Doom forfeits as he seemed to think it meant some sort of submission. The rest of the combatants to come include, Hyperion, Shang Chi, Black Panther, Namor, Man-Thing, Howard the Duck, Wolverine, among others.

Shang Chi gets a bit of Yin Yang spirit lessons while a team mate is shown a future evil Shang Chi.

 

I realize it's not the point of the Future State event per se but there's something kind of hilarious about DC hyping up a new Superman and a new Batman and a new Wonder Woman... but meanwhile in the presser for Future State: The Flash they still just prattle on about Barry ****ing Allen. It's like they accidentally found the perfect metaphor for their last fifteen years.

 

Due to various lockdowns and shipping irregularities and all, I got like 2 months worth of comics delivered to my door. Pretty hefty! But finishing off that Maestro miniseries was great and there's another one on the way, I can dig it.

 

Take a break from the ridiculous protest and see what comics I got today:

Modok Head Games 2, no really, this is good.
Return of the Valyries 1
Juggernaut 5
X-Factor 6
Thor 11
Hellions 8
The Dreaming 6
Eternals 1, art by Esad Ribic and of course it looks amazing.
Star Wars the High Republic 1
Future State: Wonder Woman(great cover), Swamp Thing, Superman, Harley Quinn, The Next Batman.

Free previews.

 

Future State:
Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, And Swamp Thing are quite good and in that order. Superman of Metropolis is ok and the only thing I liked in New Batman was a Katana story. Both Supes and bats feature short stories. FS Wonder Woman has a bit of sass to her, and this issue feels like a genuine fantasy adventure. Harley gets caught and has to help capture other bad guys.

The High Republic is ok but nothing special, I'll continue it for a bit.

Eternals is outstanding both in story and art. They have the same set up as the X-Men, kill them and they have a machine that returns them to life in short order.

Two things I liked in the previews; Beta Ray Bill has a mini series and must find a new weapon. And Cap has an 80th anniversary issue coming.

 

Only had one pull but left with:

Future State, Dark Detective, Green Lantern, Superman/Wonder Woman, Robin Eternal (slick cover), Kara Zor-El Superwoman, Justice League.
The Frost Giants Daughter 2
Chris Claremont Anniversary Special
Blade Runner 2029
Marauders 17
Ascencia 1 --It is 150 years in the future, the city of Ascencia towers above its sister city Bethany in perpetual dominance. The city of immortals, a power resides in Ascencia coveted by all but accessible to few. This is the story of what one would do to become immortal. Who they would abandon. who they would betray. And ultimately what price they would pay to remain in Ascencia.

 

His background was excellent, but yes, parts of that storyline were meh.

I hear you with obscure comics.

 

FS, 2 of the 3 GL stories are good. In one a cat and mouse game between a former Green and current Yellow. In another, Guy Gardner becomes a god, until Lobo shows up.

Robin Eternal was interesting, including the Lazarus Pit science experiments.

The Justice League issue is primarily good for the magic story, Zatanna, Etrigan, Dr Fate. Merlin is apparently a full on villain.

Dark Detective, what's this? Bruce Wayne not dead?

The Frost Giant's Daughter 2...yeah, this is NSFW.

Ascencia is good, certainly has a Fifth Element influence and good cityscape pages as a backdrop for a murder mystery.

Chris Claremont, Moonstar as a chosen of Hela. A variety of artists, not all good, but the good is actually great.

 

Let's see what we have today.

Seven To Eternity 16 was supposed to be in my pulls but wasn't and only 1 issue was left. Close call.
Rorschach 4
X-Force 16
Legion of Superheroes 12
Iron Fist Heart of the Dragon 1
Avengers 41
Cable 7
Batman Catwoman Black label 2
Future State:
Superman Worlds of War which looks like WWHulk
Nightwing 1
Immortal WW
Catwoman 1

 

Batman Catwoman has a couple of timelines going on at the same time, the most interesting of which is elderly Catwoman confronting and elderly Joker.

Future State Catwoman is fun, pulling of a...yes..a heist to break someone out of a prison train.

Future State Nightwing. Try and tell me he is not as skilled an tactical as Batman, seeing through traps and using it to draw the villains to him.

Rorschach. A strongman tells his story from his simple mind to the prison doctor. This does indeed capture the spirit of Watchmen and does it well.

Cable 7, this is the first of the new issues where I can say I liked the character. And an old team gets back together(Domino).

Avengers 41 continues the Phoenix tourney. This centers on Black Panther but I found Hyperion vs Shang Chi more interesting. This is the 2nd time, the 1st being Doom, where just having the Phoenix Force seems to change the person holding it and Hyperion does not like the change this will effect and yields to a meditating Shang Chi.

Iron Fist Heart of the Dragon. Someone is after dragon hearts. Enemies in this include the lackies Taskmaster and Lady Bullseye. I do wish they would not have Rand pictured with a glowing fist so much. Because when I see the glowy fist and it hist Taskmaster in the jaw I think he should then be unconscious and not just run off the next page.

Seven To Eternity #16. This ends with the next issue, a double sized #17 coming. It feels more like #50 because so much time has passed between publications. never the less, an amazing comic book with equally amazing art by Jerome Opena and Matt Hollingsworth.

 

^ Very nice art.

 

Wolverine 9

Benjamin Percy and Adam Kubert’s Team X flashbacks continue with a Legacy House auction that reveals some

Spoiler

Team X centric

items up for auction. The most valuable auction item

Spoiler

once again borrows from Ed Brubaker’s Captain America Winter Soldier in which a mind wiped assassin is considered a weapon for potential purchase. The WS was not for sale, but this character is.

I like this, but Adam Kubert’s art feels too rushed again. That is so frustrating given Adam’s artistic history with these characters. The art could be so much better and elevate this arc into something spectacular.

A part of me doesn’t care where Percy is going with this story, as I am here for Maverick and approve so far. I also like the Wolverine diary pages.

 

Yeah, I'm a sucker for Team X stories, as they are the intersection of the Marvel story categories I like - mutants and historical.
For those continuity nerds like myself, I'm trying to untangle the knot of how far in the past their key mission - the one with Omega Red - happened, because it ends up involving Banshee and Magneto as well.

 

I had to wait 5 minutes because of occupancy covid restrictions!

Captain Marvel 25
X-Men 7
Wolverine 9, hand and claws up for auction cover?
Shang Chi 5
New Mutants 15
Excalibur 17
Daredevil 26
Conan 18
Savage Avengers 17
Strange 7
Heavy Metal 303, the art of Tudar Popa jumped out at me.

 

Marvels Snapshots: X-Men #1 - a great Cyclops story, with realy good art.

Or Taskmaster should be minus one lower jaw. If not a head.

 

If the Omega Red story you’re quoting is in this current Wolverine run, I do not know the era. I haven’t read the Team X stuff in eons, but like you, I enjoy their alternate history (especially the Cold War missions.)