Guardians of The Galaxy has gotten pretty popular lately since the movie is coming out. Right when the movie was first being speculated and only mildly confirmed, they quickly started the comic series. It definitely had a lot of potential and Iron Man was also added for good measure. Would this be the next Xmen or Avengers? (I would mention Fantastic Four, but those guys just aren’t as popular anymore)

The plot of the comic is pretty straightforward. Starlord decides to assemble a group of heroes(?) to stop whatever his father is up too. He doesn’t know exactly what that is, but it can’t be good for the Earth. The King (AKA…His Father!) arrests them, but can you really arrest such powerful combatants for long? The Guardians must now stop a fleet of alien invaders from destroying Earth. Will they be able to succeed!?

The collection of comics is pretty short so the story isn’t that large yet. There are other plots that will occur soon like Thanos and the other Raccoons that have mysteriously appeared. Those will be dealt with in future issues, but this was more to do with seeing how the team could cope with their first big threat. They did pretty well and we’ll see what Starlord has in mind for them. There’s no big threat attacking yet so they can do whatever they want. I’m hoping that they decide to go and take the fight to the council! Unfortunately, they can’t count on the other teams since the Avengers, Xmen, and Fantastic Four basically disappeared when the aliens attacked. Communications were down and I guess that none of them noticed the alien invasion…..hmmmmm. It’s not something that you’ll want to think about for too long because it won’t really help the realism factor!

Star Lord is the main character of the comic and one could argue that he’s also the leader of the team. It would be a tough argument to pull off, but maybe you would be able too. As a kid, Star Lord is definitely not likable and while he did have his “Hero” moments, you just couldn’t root for him. He didn’t get much better when he grew up either. He had a Captain Kirk type of scene and he seems to be really similar to him in other aspects. He wants to stop his father’s big plans for conquest, but does he really have what it takes to win? It’s a good thing that he has some partners to help him!

Groot is another one of the main characters and he is known for saying “I Am Groot” more times than you may expect. It seems to be the only thing that he can say, or he could just be messing with everyone. Regardless, he’s just not really my type of character. He’s all right I suppose, but it’s just hard to root for him. Being a tree means that he’s incredibly vurlnable and that is dangerous. On a ship where aliens have laser guns, he realistically shouldn’t stand a chance at staying alive. Still, he did all right in his origin story and he Is a Hero. I’m not really a fan of him, but I’ll likely root for Groot when he’s in a fight.

Rocket Raccoon is definitely one of the best members of the group. He is the fan favorite and this time I can agree with the many that like him. Rocket Raccoon does get some pretty intense lines and he makes the most out of his laser blaster. He always likes to remind people that he “murdered em” once he’s taken them down with the laser. Usually he accompanies this with a “Blam”, “Blammy”, “Blammoo”, or something like that. He reminds Tony Stark that it isn’t the armor that makes the man and he definitely does a lot of damage to the enemies. That being said, he’s a character that the writers need to thread lightly with. He’s a character that can be wrecked very easily if the wrong writers come in. (Case in point…Ultimate Spiderman!) Still, this is one Raccoon that has definitely earned his spot on the team!

Drax The Destroyer is another one of the members and he’s easily one of the worst ones. I just miss the classic Drax from the 90’s. He had a cool design/cape and he had a variety of energy attacks to go with his incredible super strength. He was also a much more likable character. Nowadays, he’s basically a gladiator with mild super strength who uses a blade to take down his foes. He just isn’t as cool as he used to be. The old Drax didn’t need weapons and he wouldn’t be defeated so easily. They hint that there is a reason why Drax is so weak in the comics, but since they haven’t explored it yet…I can’t cut Drax any slack. Perhaps he will get better in the next few comics.

Gamora is another member of the team and she has direct ties to Thanos. Thanos trained her to be the best and now she uses her talents to defeat any villain that stands in her way. Her title is “The Deadliest Woman in the World”, but there are too many powerful ones for us to really consider that. (Ms Marvel, Rogue, etc) She is decently strong and she’s great at close combat, but she lacks the overall super abilities to be included in that category. Her strength seems to be around on par with Drax’s, but nowhere near any of the powerhouses of Marvel. That being said, she has great agility and quickness, which give her an edge over the other members of the team. She had a pretty good fight in her origin story and she took out a lot of minions. She can definitely fight well, but we can’t gauge just how strong she is until a true opponent appears. For now, she is strong enough to beat the other members of the team…and that’ll have to be enough.

Iron Man is another member of the team and he joined because…he’s Iron Man! He’s wearing a new armor in this series and I can’t say that I really like it. It’s his space armor and it looks downright evil. Now, it’s not a bad design…that being said, I prefer most of his classic ones. They just looked a lot more impressive. Speaking of impressive, Iron Man’s suit doesn’t look that strong. He’s the only one to be taken out during the first fight with the Badoon. Unfortunately, they take away his armor so we don’t get to see it in action anymore. It’s actually a decently clever way to get it out of the picture.

See, if Iron Man’s armor is at least as strong as his older ones, then he’s instantly the strongest member of the team. That could be dicey because then the villains may not really be threats and that could hurt the pacing of the series. If he can speedblitz every opponent or just finish them off with a Uni Beam, then where’s the danger? Of course, I hope that they don’t do that every time a big threat occurs, because that would get old very fast. Tony Stark himself looks all right and he talks a good game, but I expect more out of him. He’s one of the original heroes so he should take this all in stride. He also takes a shot at Captain Britain which was sad for the poor hero. He was pretty good when he teamed up with Spiderman and I think that Ironman may be underestimating him!

The art for the comics is pretty good and it shows how far we’ve come in the modern days. It’s a lot easier to write comics than it used to be, but it should still be noted when the art is really good. Ignoring the origin stories, the art is very good and can hold up to anything else that we have to offer. It’s nice and streamlined and it makes everything look nice and flashy. It’s what you would expect from one of Marvel’s big series!

The comics have a fun atmosphere and it’s mostly due to Bendis’ style of writing. For better or for worse, all of his comics will have a lighthearted feel to them. You never really feel like the heroes are in danger in these comics, but that’s not really a bad thing. Ultimately, we know that the heroes will pull through so it’s okay to skip the danger part. As long as we still get a lot of action and epicness, then it’s okay. That being said, it can still be a little tough to see them talking so bravely and posturing as if they had just won a battle when they had actually lost. They seem a little too confident in themselves considering all of the close calls that they’ve had. It would be like constantly bluffing through Poker…when you never really win!

There is a council of important cosmic people who discuss important things, which was pretty fun. Frigga looked really good and she let them know what the score was. “Attacking Earth will be seen as a declaration of war against Asgard” is a pretty nice way to tell everyone that it is under their protection. Of course, the Badoon (Well, the other half of the Badoon) ignore this. I hope that Asgard retaliates and Thor will be more than happy to avenge Earth. The other cosmic beings all have their own veiled threats and plans around so we’ll see what they do as well. Of course, Infinity will probably sidetrack those plans for a while.

Overall, this was a fun start to the Guardians of the Galaxy series. I’m not sure if I like the fact that they are called Future Avengers since they are in the present and they should not be associated with The Avengers. Still, the team has always been intriguing and they were pretty solid in Avengers EMH. It’ll be fun to see where the series goes from here and hopefully Drax and Gamora get to look a little more impressive in the next issues. Gamora did pretty well in a fight, but it was mostly with skill as opposed to overall ability. I also wouldn’t mind if someone kicked Starlord off the team, we don’t need two humans in this group do we? I recommend this to comic fans and to people who like to read an adventure featuring action, aliens, and space!

Overall 7/10

This is a part of the Marvel Adventures/Marvel Universe lineup, but since the Marvel Adventures part was not on the cover, I decided not to put it in the title. Marvel Adventures is a way to see your favorite Marvel characters in a setting that is suitable for all ages. That’s all well and good, (Except that comics are supposed to be for everyone already) but they usually don’t seem to put that much effort into these. You’d be surprised at the “artwork” that goes into these comics. Still, for the most part, the Marvel Adventures are usually fun. Since Spiderman and the Avengers will be present…it should be exciting!

The first (out of 4) comics involves the Lizard. This is actually the first time that Spiderman runs into him in the series, or at least the first time that he finds out his true identity. Dr Connor’s family tells Spiderman not to hurt him and Spiderman looks for an antidote. We also have the Parker subplot where everyone mocks him and he looks really bad the whole time. It wasn’t a bad comic, but after reading about Spiderman back in his prime, you can tell that things have changed. Spiderman is a lot worse in this comic and I’ll go more into that later on. It’s a decent story and it’s fun. The art can use some help, but it could definitely be much worse!

The next comic involves The Avengers! Loki decides that the humans should pay and he frees the U Foes and The Wrecker. The Juggarnaut is also by his side, so Loki has definitely amassed a solid lineup of villains. With these villains at his side, Loki decides to attack the Avengers! The Avengers are pretty shocked about the school in the air that is about to crash and they get horrified when they realize that dozens of kids may have died. The villains quickly assure them that they made sure that the school was empty and then proceed to attack.

The Avengers are definitely holding their own, which is good. Ironman initially has some trouble with two of his opponents because they can turn into air and energy. Wolverine tangles with the Juggernaut….which is certainly interesting in itself! Spiderman doesn’t do too well and he’s quickly knocked around by the laser U Foe and one hit is enough to take him out of the fight. He’s not unconscious, but we don’t get to see him again until the end. Not the best appearance for our friendly neighborhood Spiderman! The ending is definitely a little cheesy, but at least Captain America can get to talk tough for a while.

The third comic deals with…The Lizard……again! Basically, he was feeling a little tired and he bangs into his cures/lizard drinks. See, since Dr. Connors is a very smart man, he keeps vials of green liquid in a cabinet. Half of them are cures that he needs to keep taking so that he stays human..and the other half are Lizard injections that turn him into the Lizard. Since they look identical, he grabs the wrong one and turns into the Lizard. It’s time for Spiderman to get involved and stop him once and for all!

Well, the comic plays out almost exactly the same as the first. I don’t know why they’d want to put both of these comics in the same collection, but it’s been done. No use dwelling on the repetition I suppose. Peter Parker looks a little bit better except for the parts where he fails at gym class. He does get to go to a debating club and things get interesting!

The final comic deals with the Avengers as they are getting slaughtered by living trees! It’s definitely intriguing since they are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and all! Spiderman is quickly knocked for a loop because his spider sense doesn’t seem to work in the modern comics. Two ravens from Asgard appear and the Avengers quickly follow them into Asgard. It would appear that Malekith has slain all of the Asgardians and now rules in their place. Spiderman and Storm are going to have to save the day in this battle!

There is a twist and I can safely say that Malekith didn’t destroy them all. Aside from having us all roll our eyes at the thought of Malekith defeating Thor, Odin, Lady Sif, and Volstagg The Great, it would have been a terrible twist. The real one isn’t much better, but I suppose that it will have to do. Due to the unique twist, Storm and Spiderman are the most useful fighters in the comic. The Frost Giants do wipe the floor with the heroes for a while at first, but then they launch their counter strike!

One of the major complaints with this comic would be Spiderman’s portrayal. In the first comic, he gathers his nerve and asks one of his classmates out to a dance. So far so good right? The problem is that while talking with her, he had gotten nervous and said that he was in college. (An awful attempt to impress her, which failed utterly) So, realizing that he has been lying to her, she just left and Parker had to go to the dance alone…again. He basically asked for it that time. I also can’t sympathize with the fact that he wasn’t going to go and save people in Florida when the Lizard attacked. He only did once he didn’t have anyone for the dance. (So, maybe he just skipped it) So much for Spiderman being a hero!

Another problem is the fact that his Spider Sense seems broken. It will warn him about danger, but only once in a while. It’s like the Spider Sense only works when it feels like it. That’s definitely not very convenient for Spiderman. Another scene that was sad for him was when he tried to make a joke and told everyone that maybe Thor got lost in a cave. (During the final comic when the Asgardians were all gone) Everyone basically glared at him in unison and said that “Thor does Not get lost” Spiderman winced and realized that it was not the best joke to use. Cmon, Spiderman’s got more common sense than that right? Adding in the fact that Spiderman gets thrown around by D rank villains and trees that are alive and…he just doesn’t look good in this comic.

Spiderman appeared the most, but I may as well address some of the other characters. The Lizard was a decent villain and he was definitely tough. It was mostly at the expense of Spiderman’s spider sense, but a win by any other name is still a win right? Spiderman had to utilize a “tactical retreat” after being hit only once! The Avengers looked pretty good and there wasn’t really anything wrong with them. They didn’t seem to take Spiderman seriously, but I guess that I probably wouldn’t either at this point. Loki wasn’t that great, but villains usually aren’t in this series.

The art isn’t that good either. It’s not quite as bad as some of the other Marvel Adventures, but it could still use some work. It’s not up to par with any of the big Marvel/DC series that have been coming out and that’s a little sad. Can’t we get some of the All stars to help out with this series once in a while? It deserves respect! It deserved honor! It deserves…..something better than this! I’d give the art a B I suppose. The collection is pretty short since there are only 4 comics, so you’ll be forgetting the art soon anyway.

Overall, this is a decently fun comic collection. It’s essentially what you would expect from Marvel Adventures and it doesn’t pull any punches. That being said, it’s much better than the Infinity Gauntlet collection that I read a while back. That one just went a little too far with the jokes and comedy. This one actually didn’t have any big moments of comedy and was just the usual humor that you would find in any comic. They actually didn’t overly kidify it and that’s a good thing. It’s still family friendly, but without making sure to show you this over and over again. It makes for a good read and all Marvel fans should enjoy it if you like some lighthearted action. I officially recommend this product for comic readers!

Overall 7/10

Marvel Team Up was always a really good idea. Everyone always loves to see Marvel heroes team up and this way they wouldn’t have to constantly appear in each other’s series. The point of a guest star is the fact that they are a Guest. This time, the heroes can keep on teaming up and it’s okay that it happens every issue. There are so many great team ups that could happen so the series always has potential. Time to look into the collection and see how much fun it was!

For this collection, I’m just going to go comic by comic and give the summary, goods, bads, etc. Usually, I just do a broader version of that at the very end, but since each team up is a stand alone, (Except for multiparters) I’ll just break them all into groups. Not sure if I just explained that correctly, but read on and you’ll get the jist of it.

The first comic that we’ll talk about is the big annual. Spiderman must team up with The Incredible Hulk to save the world from World War Three! Peter Parker is attacked by the Soviet Heroes when he’s outside with a friend. They somehow manage to defeat him and hopefully this will teach Spiderman to fight at his full power next time. I don’t believe that these guys could really beat Spiderman. Even if he was in his Parker form, his spider sense should make mince meat out of those guys. Crimson Dynamo and Darkstar can be challenging opponents for mere mortals, but not somebody of Spiderman’s league. The Hulk is dragged into this as well, which may prove to be a mistake on the Soviet’s part.

Well, this was a fun team up. Crimson Dynamo isn’t a very likable character and he did aim to destroy the heroes. This is why he can’t be known as a hero. Darkstar and Vanguard are all right at best, but they were suckered way too easily. Hulk doesn’t look good during his first fight and that can be a little disappointing since Vanguard should have quickly been defeated by such a powerful opponent. Spiderman’s still a superb character in this comic, but the amount of plot hax against him can be a little hard to believe at times. I mean really? This isn’t the last time either!

The other big annual comic in this collection deals with Luke Cage and Iron Fist as they are hired to guard something of immense importance. Things are going well…until The Hulk arrives and steals it. A lady had told him to get it for her from the crooks and the Hulk is a hero so he decides to help. Luke Cage and Iron Fist find out that the Hulk is being manipulated and head out with the Machine Man to go stop him, recover the object, and also bring the trickster to jail. A lot of jobs to do, but these are The Heroes For Hire!

The Hulk was a decent character once again, except for the fact that he was tricked. It is a little sad to see him being deceived all of the time. He’s The Hulk after all! Luke Cage and Iron Fist were pretty fun and this is definitely during their better years. I do prefer Iron Fist because he seems like the better fighter and he takes things a lot more seriously than Luke. Seeing Iron Fist go up against the Hulk was definitely fun. The Machine Man was a nice addition to the cast and his plot was very interesting. I’d love to check out his comics someday. It had a bit of a Clark Kent feel to it and the supporting characters seemed to be pretty fun. Definitely another solid comic in the collection! (It should also be noted that Spiderman makes a brief cameo and nearly steals the show, but he realizes that the danger is over and leaves. Things would have been very different if he had come to help!)

One of the other team ups involve Ms Marvel, Spiderman, and Dr Strange as they must work together to stop the Silver Dagger. It’s a good thing that Spiderman was in the neighborhood and Ms Marvel gets involved when she runs into Wong. The heroes unite and prepare to take on their strongest foe yet!

Well, the Silver Dagger is definitely a fun villain and his abilities are definitely fearsome. he was easily able to match Ms Marvel’s strength and he had enough agility to fight against Spiderman as well. He is still a magical user as well, so he is a match for a weakened Dr Strange. The team up was pretty fun because it was mostly a lot of nonstop action and Spiderman looked pretty good. We didn’t have your usual plot hax in this comic and that’s a good thing. If I wanted to be picky about it, I’m sure that I could find some, but there are no big ones. It all flows naturally as you’re reading the fight scenes.

The next team up was with Wonderman! The Griffon has returned and he wants revenge on the Avengers! He heads to the mansion, but Wonderman is the only one there and he quickly challenges the beast. He’s easily overwhelmed and Spiderman says that he’ll go after the Griffon while Wonderman waits for backup. Wonderman makes the tough call and goes after Spiderman!

The Griffon is definitely a tough fighter and this issue proved it. Wonderman’s best blows don’t really seem to faze him and Spiderman can’t really slow him down either. He continues to get stronger and stronger as they fight. He would be a nice match for the Avengers, but since Spiderman is already here to help, Wonderman doesn’t really need to feel too afraid. This was another fun comic to read!

In the next team up, Doctor Strange returns and he is losing his soul! Doctor Strange is now a werewolf and Spiderman is forced to step in when he attacks his apprentice. Spiderman overpowers him pretty easily, but Dr Strange makes his escape. Satana appears and announced that she has the power to save him if he hasn’t destroyed anyone yet. If he has destroyed someone, then she will destroy him! The story has a tragic ending and one of the heroes will die! (Until he/she is revived in a future comic!)

Well, Doctor Strange doesn’t look so good since his magical blocks should be able to stop something like this from happening. Unfortunately, that was not the case and he lets the animal inside of him do whatever it wants. Spiderman quickly puts a stop to that and proceeds to beat him up when he needs too. This definitely shows why Spiderman shouldn’t be underestimated and it was one of his better comics. Satana was a pretty cool character as well and she definitely has some powerful abilities. It’s too bad that she doesn’t appear that much in the comics.

Next up was a long comic arc involving the Black Widow. Spiderman saves her from some crooks and realizes that she has lost their memory. For some reason, S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to destroy her so now Spiderman must find out what is happening. Shang Chi, Boomerang, and Silver Samurai are also involved, so the battle will be a very tough one. Has SHIELD (Yeah, I’m going to stop with the periods) been compromised?

Well, it certainly seems that way since Nick Fury actually attempts to destroy Black Widow! Unfortunately, there is a scene with major plot hax towards the beginning. After Nick Fury “destroys” Black Widow, Spiderman vows vengeance and quickly lunges at Nick Fury….only to be shot and knocked out. Spiderman was in complete rage mode so he should have easily defeated Fury. That was definitely the worst part of the comic and the biggest moment of plot hax that I’ve seen in Marvel in a long time. I just don’t know what to say…it was disappointing. Spiderman looked good for the rest of the comic as he dealt with Silver Samurai. He did have one moment where he didn’t look good and had a little romance with Black Widow that was very forced and unnecessary, but he seemed to have gotten over it by the end. Black Widow was all right, but she was at her best when she regained her memories. Her civilian persona just wasn’t that good and her fighting skills weren’t quite as lethal.

Shang Chi was actually a pretty good fighter and he reminded me of Iron Fist. He took on Boomerang and it was a pretty close battle. I’m not sure about Shang Chi having the upper hand in that fight, but he is an experienced warrior so we can’t count him out. Boomerang was cool and the Silver Samurai was also impressive. His teleporting skills mixed with his sword skills make him a very lethal opponent. Black Widow’s big fight against Viper was also good and Viper is definitely very good at hand to hand combat. She’d have to be to keep up with the Black Widow! It was a decently solid collection of comics and it had a lot of action! They just should have edited out that Spiderman scene and also made the comic more accurate.

We also had a comic where Spiderman teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy! Remember, this isn’t the (cool) current group of members. This is back where they had a character who looked like Wolfsbane, a Crystal man, Starhawk, and some other guys. The group couldn’t be taken seriously back in the day because Starhawk was the only member who could actually fight. Needless to say, they don’t look so good in this comic. Their mission is to destroy some evidence that is on file in a building, but they don’t move quickly enough and a kid snaps a photo of them. Now they must crush the photo and make him forget that they were ever there.

That’s a pretty rookie mistake to make right? Well, luckily Spiderman’s in town and he saves the kid. The kid isn’t too grateful and Spiderman does end up destroying the kid’s camera and saving the Guardians. It’s too bad since I think he could have done it in a nicer way, but it happens. I’m still satisfied with Spiderman’s portrayal because he knocked out Starhawk in a single hit. That’s definitely how you do it if you want an accurate comic. The Guardians are all right, but I just don’t really like the members. Starhawk is the most amusing and it’s because he’s always talking in a way that upsets the others. (On purpose) It was a fun comic, but there weren’t really any stakes and felt like a filler comic.

Spiderman also teamed up with the Beast and they had to work together if they had any hope of defeating the Modular Man and Killer Shrike. Well, Spiderman could probably beat both of them, but he doesn’t want to be a showoff…right? The Beast and Spiderman make a bet since Spiderman has to leave at one point and Beast bets that Spiderman won’t be able to find him. Spidey does with ease of course (and a Spider tracer) and they fight the villains. It wasn’t a very eventful comic and the enemies were pretty weak, but it was all right. The important part is the fact that Spiderman looked pretty good and Killer Shrike was just no match for someone of his talents!

Spiderman also got to team up with the Invisible Woman, but it wasn’t one of the better ones. Some crooks managed to kidnap Franklin Richards so now they are forcing Invisible Woman to rob banks if she wants to see him. With her abilities, it should be a simple matter for Invisible Woman to save the day. Unfortunately, it appears that she doesn’t have much appearance with this sort of trouble. Luckily, Spiderman is on hand to help save the day!

The comic must take place during some of her earlier days because her abilities are not really at their peak yet. She has to exert great effort to keep her barrier up and there are a few times where she nearly fails. If Spiderman had not called the cops, things could have gotten ugly. Unfortunately, Spiderman’s portrayal isn’t that good. Not only does he have to call the cops for help, but he also trembles with fear after driving a car for a while. We get that he doesn’t have a license, but driving is a piece of cake with his spider sense! Invisible Woman also could have looked better and just defeated the crooks without all of that effort. This definitely wasn’t one of the better comics in the collection.

The Ghost Rider team up (With Spiderman again!) was not the best comic as well. The big reason involves the fact that Ghost Rider is quickly mind controlled. I don’t believe that a being such as he could be controlled so easily and he just doesn’t look impressive. It’s nice to see Spiderman take him on with such ease, but that just shouldn’t have been what happened. Moondark is the mastermind behind this and he runs a circus that is actually evil! Peter Parker heads there with a friend, but he’s thrown out by some “tough” guys. As Spiderman, Parker decides to go back and save the day!

This is one of those comics that does have a decent amount of plot hax at the ready. Peter Parker says that he reacted with his full strength when the men grabbed him, but they didn’t even feel it as they threw him away. I can accept that they had enhanced strength, but that is just a little too high tier. Spiderman is definitely not a pushover. Beyond that, his portrayal was good, but he looked way too weak. Ghost Rider also looked bad since his mental abilities are definitely beyond that.

The Hawkeye team up was a little worse than you may have guessed. Spiderman is having a jolly time until he notices that Hawkeye seems completely terrified and faints at the sight of Spiderman. Hawkeye explains that there is a villain known as Mr Fear and he can make you deathly afraid. They split up and decide to look for Mr Fear, but Spiderman bumps into him first. This could get ugly!

Well, I’m also calling some serious plot hax on this one. Mr Fear makes you feel true fear through gas and needles like the Scarecrow. It’s the type of power that I could never take seriously and I don’t think that it would work on Spiderman. Spiderman is far too powerful and resilient for that. Hawkeye should also be able to resist its effects. Since that is the point of the whole comic, I just couldn’t take it seriously and everyone looked pretty bad. That’s definitely how you don’t make a team up!

Nightcrawler is having fun with his friend when he notices Arcade’s plane. He quickly finds out that an assassin is planning on terminating Spiderman while at the circus so he decides to impersonate the Web Crawler. It’s easy enough to pull off since he doesn’t even need to switch costumes. With the circus lights and everyone’s failing eyesight, they quickly think that he’s Spiderman. The Assassin pulls the trigger, but the real Spiderman saves Nightcrawler. Can they find and stop Cutthroat before he hurts someone!?

Well, it was nice to see Spiderman take the whole thing in stride. He was just having fun at the circus, but when he noticed Nightcrawler and the gunshot, he quickly sped into action. This is definitely the Spiderman that you want to see! They had a little too much trouble trying to take out Cutthroat, but we all knew that Spiderman had the situation under control. Nightcrawler is still not my favorite character, but he can be cool when he wants to be. This was one of the better comics despite the weak villain.

The Black Panther has an embassy in America and he is a powerful political figure. This is why everyone is alarmed when he kidnaps someone and the government quickly gets involved. Spiderman also attacks the Black Panther and the Panther is forced to admit that Spiderman is stronger and faster than him. They realize that someone was actually impersonating Black Panther and that’s when Hellrazor walks in.

Spiderman looks very good in this comic and not only does he easily overpower Black Panther and Hellrazor, but he also shows why he’s just a good character. When the politician is kidnapped, Spiderman quickly goes over to stop Panther and show that he’s a true hero. Black Panther is still a good hero and I like him when he’s written correctly. Hellrazor is a pretty good villain and he’s also really good at hand to hand combat. He was dealing with two powerful heroes after all. This was one of the better comics in the collection and the fight scenes were very good!

Spiderman also got to team up with The Werewolf. It doesn’t count as a big team up since they’re both part of the Spiderman EU, but it’s still cool I suppose. Tatterdemalion strikes during a big party and thanks to the smoke/darkness, Peter Parker quickly changes into Spiderman and The Werewolf transforms. Will they be able to stop such a tough fellow?

Tatterdemalion is apparently tougher than he looks because it’s hard for either of the heroes to get a grip on him. That being said, I don’t think that Spiderman should really have any trouble with him. The Werewolf has always come across as a pretty weak character and this comic definitely didn’t help to change things for me. He looked pretty bad right up until the very end. This comic actually leads into the next one, which is always cool to see.

Spiderman noticed that a woman had been following him and he chases her to her secret base. Her name is Dansen Macabre and she quickly hypnotizes Spiderman with her dancing and sends him off to kidnap the Shroud. Spiderman listens and being the ultimately powerful being that he is, defeats the Shroud with absolutely no effort. Luckily, the Shroud is smarter than we think and that was actually a decoy. After helping Spiderman break free from the spell, they must join forces to defeat Dansen!

Spiderman definitely isn’t the type to get hypnotized, but I did like how they portrayed his power and skill. He was definitely in a different league from the other fighters and he proved this as he essentially wiped the floor with them. The Shroud is a cool character, but he could have explained his objective to Spiderman a little better. I’m assuming that he is trying to control the mobs to make the world a safer place or something, but Spiderman assumes the worst and tries to stop him. The Shroud escapes, but Spiderman gave it his all and heads home. It was a pretty fun comic and we got a lot of action in this one. It was one of the best comics in the collection!

The Mocking Bird is reported to actually be a traitor to SHIELD and it seems like she is planning on assassinating Nick Fury! Spiderman certainly isn’t going to let that happen so it’s up to him to bring her down for the count! (Since he let her escape at first when he thought that she was a hero) It’s definitely going to be one of his toughest fights yet, but is SHIELD telling him the full story?

The comic has a pretty tragic ending for one of the characters and Nick Fury doesn’t look too good. The problem is that SHIELD will always have traitors and there will always be leaks. It’s impossible not to have such things happen when you have such a large organization. Spiderman looks all right, but he nearly dies from a car crash and that just doesn’t seem like it was accurate. Such a fall wouldn’t defeat The Spiderman! Also, there aren’t really any super villains, so it’s just about corruption and guys with guns. Another decent comic, but nothing that will really get your heart racing!

Finally, we have a team up without Spiderman! Spider Woman and the Hulk are the ones teaming up, although they don’t really get to team up. Spider Woman is in town to arrest a fugitive and the Hulk is kidnapped by an old man. Spider Woman infiltrates the lair and wakes up Bruce Banner who gets pretty upset. Can the Hulk really defeat the villains?

There isn’t really a sense of danger in the comic since the Hulk is around, but that’s all right I suppose. It was ingenious of the villains to use a pleasure ray to make the Hulk turn back into Bruce Banner, but also a little disappointing for Hulk fans. The Hulk still managed to easily destroy the robots and basically save the day when he woke up. Spider Woman looked decently good, but the villains were a little too numerous in this comic so it’s good that the Hulk was around. It was a decent comic, but I have to say that I missed Spiderman. The portrayals for Spider Woman and the Hulk were sound, but the villains were pretty boring. It was a decent comic.

Spiderman gets another team up with the Black Widow, but this time there is no amnesia to take away her fighting skills. They beat up on some random crooks for a while, but then the Owl appears. It gets pretty dicey since this guy has taken on Daredevil in the past! (In the Essential that I reviewed not too long ago) Can they really defeat an old man who can’t really fight!?

The Owl definitely has his tricks, but he’s seriously no match against these two fighters. Once again, that means that there isn’t really a threat. Still, it’s always good to see these heroes beat up on the expendables and there isn’t really much chance for plot hax. The Owl gets a cheap shot on Spiderman, which definitely counts, but it’s pretty minor. Another decent comic for the collection.

Spiderman’s team up with Howard The Duck is easily one of the greatest team ups in the collection! There is a new villain on the block named Status Quo and he uses Howard’s cab to get all the way to Manhattan. From there, he convinces everyone that fads are evil, so they attack joggers and other innocent people. While Spiderman deals with them, Howard goes off to battle Status Quo in an ultimate showdown!

This comic was pretty awesome and it’s totally how such a team up would go. I didn’t really like Spiderman’s attitude since he was downright rude to Howard the whole time, but I’ll just assume that it was an off day for him. He just didn’t seem like he was in the mood to save the day at the time. Howard gave a pretty deep speech and showed Status Quo that he may not be in the right. Status Quo had some pretty big revelations and it was definitely interesting. New York’s Finest also looked pretty good and it was just a very solid comic all around!

The Art is consistently good for just about all of the comics. I seem to recall at least one comic that I thought looked a little strange, but I can’t remember which team up it was. That being said, the rest still look really good and the art is not a problem in this collection. This is basically the prime of Marvel’s character designs, so everyone can look really cool.

Pretty much all of the team ups involve Spiderman and that is definitely a good thing. It’s nice to see him portrayed back in the good ole days and he is definitely a good hero. With his Spider Sense at the ready, there aren’t many opponents who could really hope to defeat him. There were some moments that were not great for him, but the majority of the comics did their best to portray him accurately.That’s what counts in the end!

Overall, Marvel has done it again! This is another really fun Essential and it’s the best one that I’ve read in a while. We got to see many different heroes in the collection and they were mostly all likable. The art is solid and there aren’t really any big negatives in the comics. We have some plot hax, (Fury shooting Spiderman) but that is just something that will come with just about anything that you witness, Whether it be comics, movies, or games. I highly recommend this collection and all Marvel fans should get a kick out of it. There aren’t really any bad comics in the collection and that’s pretty rare for any team up of the week series. Usually there is at least one bad team up, but I couldn’t really see any. Add Spiderman to anything and it can become cool!

Overall 8/10

This is a pretty large collection, so you can expect that there will be a lot of plots going on. The first few comics deal with The Torpedo, as he has a job to do. He tries to convince Daredevil that he has a mission that he must fulfill, but Daredevil can’t let him keep on creating so much destruction! More than one person assumes the guise of the Torpedo in this collection because one of them…doesn’t make it out alive!

There is a comic about Death Stalker and Daredevil, but I’m just going to leave it alone because nothing really comes of it. Still, it was an interesting comic. Likewise, I shall also skip over the Man-Beast comics because he wasn’t an interesting villain. He’s tough and he tried to give the law a shot, but it’s just hard to root for him. He comes off as a generic villain who won’t last long against the hammers of justice!

Next up, Bullseye comes to town with a two parter! He’s easily one of the bigger threats that Daredevil has to deal with. In a fair fight, I think it’s fair to say that Daredevil has the edge. That being said, it’s rarely a fair fight with this guy. Bullseye does like to show off his skill with weapons, so he gives Daredevil’s athletics a true test.

After dealing with the Chameleon, Daredevil finally gets to match wits with the Jester. The Jester actually lasted for a long time and his plot continued through the background during the previous arcs. His plan was very ambitious since he made fake TV reports that showed President Reagan was still alive and that the Vietnam War never happened! He made many shocking TV articles and the President gave an announcement that all of the police in Daredevil’s town had gone crazy. It was a very thorough plan, and while it may not have been realistic, it was fun to watch. He’s not a great villain himself and can be considered as a pushover for a man of Daredevil’s ability, but his plan was intriguing.

Daredevil’s next big threat was with Death’s Head, as the villain’s powers are incredible. One touch can mean instant death to whomever is his victim. Daredevil’s not very experienced with the supernatural, so it’s good that Ghost Rider is! With Ghost Rider by his side, things just got a lot better for Daredevil as they face this new threat!

There’s also a two parter in Iron Man’s series that is included in the collection. He must team up with Daredevil to face the Blood Brothers and defeat them before anyone is harmed. This may seem like a tall feat, but not to someone as powerful as Daredevil! The two of them are definitely up against some steep competition!

We also can’t forget the big annual comic where Daredevil, Black Panther, and Sub Mariner come to blows. A scientist wants to build something that will be very beneficial for the people above ground, but it has dire consequences for the water dwellers. Black Panther doesn’t know about this and he prepared to seal the deal while Namor decides to stop this..by force. Daredevil is caught in the middle and now he must make them both see the light. Namor doesn’t actually get to fight Black Panther, but he proceeds to effortlessly defeat Daredevil and I believe that he would have beaten the Panther as well. It was a pretty fun comic and while I usually don’t care for annuals, it was just fun. Since they had to share a comic, I’ll just quickly discuss Black Panther and Namor in this part of the section.

Namor looks pretty good once we find out the reason why he’s doing this. His actions may be drastic, but he’s always been that type of guy. He still ends up saving Daredevil and he continues to pull his punches as well. Black Panther is a good character as well and he realizes that he almost made a big mistake and cancels his deal. Everything turns out well for the heroes and it was fun to see them go at it. Daredevil vs Black Panther is a really good match up!

For the rest of the comics, Daredevil runs into some of the old villains like Bullseye and Man-Bull, while also fighting threats like the Beetle and the Owl. Fighting these guys may be tough for an ordinary superhero, but Daredevil’s been fighting for a long time…and he’s ready to show them just how tough he really is!

Daredevil is the main character of this collection and he’s a very good lead. He may be blind, but that doesn’t stop him from getting the job done. Sure, his radar sense plays a part in that, but one comic deals with him temporarily losing that ability…and he still pulls it off. I’m not sure if it’s completely believable that he could adapt so quickly, but it shows that he is determined. He doesn’t make almost any threats compared to other heroes like the Fantastic Four, but he does make sure to make a lot of puns.

He talks constantly, which was the norm for heroes back in the day. A really minor subplot is that Daredevil wants to have his own catchphrase, but he can’t think of any. In a fight, Daredevil is a very good fighter and he’s not someone that can be defeated easily. He’s a very likable character and basically does what needs to be done. His Matt Murdock plot is also enjoyable and deals with mystery and intrigue. I really wouldn’t mind a comic that just shows his Lawyer skills off. Daredevil has an ongoing subplot where he keeps wondering if he should stop being Daredevil, but there’s no need to go on about it that much. After all, can he really make that decision for long in a comic series called Daredevil?

Foggy Nelson is another one of the main characters and things don’t go so well for him. For one thing, his plot is one of the few that doesn’t finish in this collection. It goes on for quite a while and they’re no closer to finding the assailant than they were at the start. Well….I shouldn’t say that. Daredevil seems to have gotten a name in the final page of the final comic, so he should be ready to take this guy down in the next collection. Foggy is a decent character, but I didn’t like him all that much. He had a good run when he tried to become DA, but he resorts to drinking and gets sad because his friend was kidnapped. It’s definitely okay to feel sad, but he should do something about it! Still, he’s a loyal friend for Daredevil and he’s a good character overall. He’s not someone to be forgotten!

Heather is another one of the main characters and her first appearance is definitely not the typical first meeting that you would expect. She goes into Daredevil’s home because she used to have the keys since she knew the previous owner of that room. She gets along with Matt Murdock, but you can’t help but think that she’s an enemy agent for the first few comics. She hasn’t turned traitor yet, so I guess that my hunch was completely off base for once. She’s a decent character and she definitely has to put up with a lot since Matt is always having to abruptly leave for his heroic duties. She makes things a little difficult for Matt since her father is a suspect in one of the cases, but that’s life. She’s an all right heroine, so we’ll see where things go from here.

Bullseye is easily Daredevil’s most popular villain and it’s easy to see why. In these appearances, he’s definitely the most interesting villain for Daredevil. Death Stalker and Death’s Head are cool as well, but Bullseye is just a better match for Daredevil. They’re both good martial artists, but Daredevil is far superior in that regard while Bullseye is unrivaled with a gun. He appears quite a few times and even comes out on top when he shot Daredevil away. Daredevil had to deal with other opponents and they couldn’t have a rematch for a few comics. Bullseye was definitely written well and I gained some respect for him. I don’t really care for him in the newer comics, but he was pretty fun to see in action back in the day.

Peter Parker appears and it’s a pretty intense cameo. When Daredevil is arrested, Spidey asks if he wants to make a statement to the Bugle, but Daredevil declines to comment. That was likely something that he regretted as the day went by, but it was intense to see Parker there. I may have mentioned already that Peter Parker is one of the greatest Marvel Superheroes when written at his best, but it should be noted that he’s not just great at fights. He’s also a really good journalist and he could have helped DD over in court. Aw well, maybe next time!

Ghost Rider is a guest star for the team up against Death’s Head. In this era, Johnny Cage is in complete control so it’s still his personality when in human and demon forms. He tries to act mysterious while in Ghost Rider form, but nobody seems to believe him. He also seems to be significantly weaker and he just doesn’t know how to use this degree of power. Well, that may be a little disappointing, but he’s still fun to see in action and Daredevil would have been doomed without his help.

Iron Man is the other big guest star of the collection and the Blood Brothers are a pretty big threat. Iron Man barely survives their first encounter and it was good thinking to bring in DD. (Although, the risk was pretty great and Daredevil really could have died) Iron Man figures out the weakness of the Blood Brothers pretty quickly and exploits it. His plot seemed pretty interesting as well since Happy is currently injured and Pepper has decided to leave the company. The danger must have been immense and things weren’t looking good for him. Still, it was a good armor design and it was nice to see one of the Avengers around to help!

Lieutenant Rose is a police officer that is always after Daredevil. He’s against Vigilantes and Daredevil in particular. He’s less extreme than the usual stereotype for his character and he doesn’t try to arrest Daredevil for no reason. He doesn’t like Daredevil, but he doesn’t let it affect his professional assessment of the current situation. They reluctantly team up several times and he’s a pretty likable character. I wonder if he’s appeared in any of the newer comics!

The Torpedo is an intriguing villain and as I mentioned, two people used it in the collection. The first one didn’t have much character, but he was all right. The second one was pretty cool and he had a nice plot going. He used to be a Quarterback, but now he’s rich and wants to see some action again. He decides to don the costume to help innocents and also feel the rush that he wanted too. He and Daredevil are usually at odds in the beginning, but they eventually start to see eye to eye. I would like to see him again in the future as well.

Death’s Head is a really powerful villain who feels a little out of place in the Daredevil series. A single touch can terminate any living being as long as one is mortal. How Daredevil can fight him and hope to win is beyond me. It’s a good thing that Ghost Rider was around, but he won’t always be here to help. That being said, he would be a great character to see in another series like Thor or Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider mentioned that his physical abilities are very high, so he would possibly give those guys a run for their money. Once again, Daredevil has created a solid villain!

The Art for the comic is pretty a solid. A different artist takes over near the end, but he’s pretty good as well. They both do a good job of keeping the art clear and easy to decipher while in black and white. Nothing beats the classics right!? This essential has more romance than most and I think that they probably could have cut some of it out, but it’s all right I suppose. It’s handled better than it would be if this were a current comic. (Batman and Catwoman from New 52 is an example of how modern comics have died)

Overall, this is a pretty fun collection! It may not be quite as great as Fantastic Four, but it does give it a great shot. Daredevil can be a great character, but not all authors can really give him the appearance that he deserves. Daredevil may not be a science genius like Parker or Richards, but he is likely the most knowledgeable character on the law in Marvel and that definitely helps him a lot where villains are concerned. He has a pretty good supporting cast to back him up and I can safely say that Marvel has hit it out of the park with another solid comic. The villain cast is also pretty great for the most part and I like just about all of them. I hope to see Death’s Head appear in a comic again someday. I definitely miss these good ole days of comics and hope that I get to read another Daredevil essential at some point. I highly recommend this collection if you like action, comedy, suspense, good writing, or are a Marvel fan. There’s really no reason not to like this comic.

Overall 7/10

The Essentials are a way for Marvel to bundle together a lot of comics at once and get people to read the old classics. They are in black and white which is always a sad thing to be hold, but you have to admire the passion that went through these comics. They may be in black and white in this version, but you can still behold the impressive skills that were needed to draw these comics. The Fantastic Four have always been a fun bunch to read about, and this collection doesn’t change my mind!

The comic starts out with a bang since Franklin has been kidnapped by Agatha Harkness. The Fantastic Four go after them, but they have to get past the Eliminator. this guy is no weak potatos and he is ready to destroy the Fantastic Four once and for all. Perhaps they have finally met their match, but these heroes will not go down quietly and they will keep on fighting until Franklin is with them once more! They will have to deal with many threats and even Salem’s Seven are here to try and defeat the young heroes.

Reed Richards completely loses his powers during the arc and starts to have some doubts as to how useful he can be to the others. It doesn’t help that the Molecule Man decides to strike and ends up possessing the fearless leader. Can the other members of the FF save Reed and his pride without mortally injuring him? It will be tough, but nothing’s too tough to handle for the Fantastic Four!

Still, nothing can save Reed’s confidence and he disbands the Fantastic Four. We get to see solo comics for Human Torch, Invisible Woman, and the Thing as they get to have their own adventures. Disbanding was tough since the Plunderer was in town, but they managed to stay away from each other for a while. Unfortunately, The Invincible Man may prove to be the end of the heroes. They just don’t seem to stand a chance against this guy!

The next few comics are about the Fantastic Four’s greatest foe….Dr Doom! Dr Doom claims that he will step down from the throne and let his son take over, but the resistance decides that this should not happen. The Fantastic Four aid them and Reed Richards decides that this is the last time that they will face Dr Doom. He engages the dictator in a fight to the death. He declares that one of them will die in this fight and it almost makes you believe him! The fight is pretty epic and one that should not be missed!

Iron Man seemingly attacks the Fantastic Four after this event and they decide to go get their revenge. Unfortunately for them, it would appear that the real Iron Man had nothing to do with the attack. They decide to team up against the true threat and get ready for a solid fight!

Finally, the best group of comics was at the end with the Skrulls. A member of royalty arrives on Earth and is pursued by the Super Skrull. The Fantastic Four quickly try to help her, but they are effortlessly defeated. Reed manages to defeat the Skrull with a cool gun, but now they must face an entire army of them. Human Torch decides to stay on Earth because his social drama is more important than the fate of a planet. He goes to a college, but it’s evil and they quickly mind control him. Luckily Spiderman is here to save the day! Meanwhile, Nova and his pals are also closing in on the Skrulls!

There were two breaks from the ongoing issues as we got an Annual story where the Mole Men returned and this time he was not a complete villain. Will wonders never cease!? I didn’t really buy it since he still stole stuff and wasn’t very polite, but he tried. The comic was all right I suppose, but the Thing should have looked better, considering the circumstances. Another annual was about the Sphinx and he attacked the Inhumans and Fantastic Four. His abilities are considerable and none of the Fantastic Four were able to damage him in any way. The Inhumans looked equally helpless until Black Bolt arrived. Can he defeat the Sphinx once and for all!?

One thing that should be noted is that the Fantastic Four members are the quickest to enter “Rage Mode” than any other Marvel team. In almost every comic, they start unleashing their threats when their comrades are in danger. The only problem is that you cannot take them seriously after a while because of the fact that they keep losing. Sure, The Thing will threaten that he’ll destroy an opponent, but then he’s quickly defeated. Invisible Woman states that she will take down at least half of the opponents out of rage since the other members of the Fantastic Four were destroyed, but she is defeated without defeating any of them. Human Torch has a bundle of these moments as well, but someone always takes out a water hose or a bucket and just knocks him out. These guys need to play it cool or actually use their rage a little wiser. The threats are still fun to hear, but they cannot be taken seriously at all.

Mr Fantastic is still the courageous leader of the group and he’s not someone to be taken lightly and he proves this several times as he manages to go up against enemies without his powers. I think it’s fair to say that it takes guts and determination to do that. Invisible Woman gets upset at him several times because he’s constantly worrying about her, but he worries about all of the team members and can you blame him for being extra careful with her? He is still prone to losing his temper with the Thing and friends and the loss of his powers definitely not does not help with that. I’ll admit that he was a not a very great character to behold during that period, but he was still solid overall and he can talk a good game when he needs too. Also, Reed does knot how to fight with some decent hand to hand skills.

The Thing is still the power hitter of the group and he’s always ready for a solid fight. A lot of the enemies still end up being stronger than him, but he takes it pretty well. One could almost say that he talks more than Spiderman because he is constantly making quips or threats. Either way, The Thing is pretty enjoyable on screen and it reminds me why he was so much better back then. I dare say that he’s more fun to reed than the other members of the team because of all much he can talk. The whole issue of him reading from his diary may have been a little much, but it’s nice to see him take on so many people without breaking a sweat.

The Invisible Woman continues to show that her abilities can be very dangerous as she pulls off some pretty big feats in this comic. The Thing couldn’t make a dent in a forcefield that was standing up against the FF, but she was able to absorb it. It takes a lot of energy to stop The Thing, so you can imagine how tough it would be to absorb that. She still does make some rookie mistakes in the comics, such as underestimating her opponents which can lead to her defeat. Nonetheless, Invisible Woman does pretty well in this collection and she even got to make some threats of her own. It’ll be nice to see how her powers continue to improve as she has the potential to be the deadliest member of the Fantastic Four.

The Human Torch was my favorite Marvel character back in the day. He has dropped considerably through the years as I have uncovered many other Marvel characters over the years like Deadpool. The Human Torch is a solid character for the most part, but he does have his low moments. Getting brainwashed twice in a span of 24 hours was pretty bad, but not even that was as bad as his decision to stay on Earth and attend college instead of saving the universe from the Skrulls. Many innocents perished because of his actions, but The Human Torch does not even regret his actions. Aside from those unfortunate setbacks, The Human Torch is a pretty fun character to read about and he can be just as entertaining as the Thing.

The Sphinx is one of the more notable enemies in this collection. He’s a pretty great character and his power is definitely something that should be feared. Not even the Thing was able to deal any damage to the Sphinx, which is definitely a solid feat. The Sphinx was about to get some more action when the collection abruptly ends, so I’m definitely hyped for the next issue. The Super Skrull was another good villain, but he didn’t appear for very long. That being said, I eagerly await his next appearance.

Dr Doom is the main villain of one of the comic arcs and he’s as tough as you may have remembered. His plan may be a little risky, but he can fight his way out of almost any unforeseen event. He manages to make all of his opponents look pretty bad for a while. I wonder where he goes from here because Latveria is always his fortress, so it’s a little strange to see him have to leave. I have a feeling that things don’t end up going well for the Resistance! Dr Doom inadvertently saved the FF, so they owe him one!

Everyone’s favorite neighborhood friend Spidey also makes a guest star appearance in this collection. He goes undercover to find out what’s happening at the phony college that Human Torch went too and he quickly realizes that something is not right. Spiderman’s portrayal in this collection was spot on and his Spider Sense got the respect that it deserves. Spiderman really could not be touched in this issue and he defeated Human Torch effortlessly. Spiderman was also not mind controlled and he basically stopped the whole operation on his own. He may have only appeared for one issue, but it was definitely a great appearance!
The Art for the collection is very solid and this was before the digital age where everything got a lot easier. It took a lot of skill to get these comics out so regularly and without error. It’s definitely something to think about as you behold the comics. The size of this collection is considerable and you are getting a lot of funnies for your money. The collection brings over 20 comics and it’s a way to remember your favorite FF adventures forever!

There really aren’t any negatives with this comic, which is becoming the norm for Fantastic Four adventures. The only real negative that I would mention is the fact that the comics are in black and white. That’s a negative for the collection as a whole, but not really for the comics. That being said, I am used to black and white so it’s not a big negative for the comics and it certainly won’t impact the overall score. If Marvel wants to save some money on ink….it’s their choice. Also, we have the omnibus volumes now, which will eventually catch up to all of these and those are in color.

Overall, this is a very fun collection of Fantastic Four comics. They face many threats that range from local to cosmic in scale. The main reason why the comics are so great is that they are entertaining, no matter who the villain is. That’s because the main cast is likable and the dialogue is always strong. This is why I miss the classic days of comics right now. You just don’t see 5 Star dialogue like this nowadays. I highly recommend checking this comic out whether you are a Marvel fan or not. Don’t think that this means you should ditch DC for Marvel, but it’s a great comic. All comic fans should check out the happy adventures of the Fantastic Four, and I’m sure that you will enjoy it. The collection does end with an extremely epic cliffhanger that will make you want to keep reading. I don’t believe that they made a volume 10 for this series, so you may need to visit your local comic store for the single issues!

Overall 7/10

The Xmen have been through many big events and they typically get to show everyone who’s boss. In AVX, Cyclops proved that he was a pretty powerful force to be reckoned with and in World War Hulk, he managed to take on the Hulk. The Xmen have definitely endured through many events, but this may be their toughest challenge yet!

Well, basically all of the comics in the collection deal with the Mutant Massacre event where the mutants started to be hunted on all corners. The Freedom Fighters led by Mystique are after the mutants to stay on the human’s good side while the mutants go extinct. The Marauders want to destroy all mutants because they aren’t apart of Sinister’s big plan. (I doubt that they’re part of his plan either and will probably be terminated) The X-Factor/X-Terminators (Same group) focus on pretending to destroy mutants while secretly helping them to safety. There are a lot of players involved, but this is all pretty bad news for the Xmen.

Most of the comics take place in the Morlock Tunnels because that is the first target of the Marauders. They destroy one of the mutants and then follow his partner into the tunnels where they begin exterminating all of them. There are only about 5 Marauders and none of them are actually that powerful. C-D rank fighters against a few hundred Morlocks. This should be easy right? Well, it’s easy all right…for the Marauders! The battle stretches my mind as far as disbelief goes and I can’t really buy all of this, but more on that later. It’s time to elaborate on what’s happening.

The X-Factor/X-Terminators are actually the original 5 X-Men as they’ve made their own group. They help two mutants escape from the Freedom Force and then two of them head into the sewers. The original 5 X-Men head after them, but the sewers apparently run through the whole city and there are a lot of miles down there. Meanwhile, the X-Men find out that dozens upon dozens of mutants are dying in the tunnels and they quickly go to help. Calisto and her Morlocks may have the number advantage, but they appear to be weaker than New York’s Finest. Franklin Richards also realizes that something is up and he rounds up the Power Pack as they head into the sewers to help.

The X-Men groups and the Power Pack aren’t the only people to go into the sewers on this occasion as The Mighty Thor enters as well when the local inhabitants let him know what the situation is. Unfortunately, this is Thor after the Surtur incident and Hela is currently weakening him. Not to mention that this was during one of his weaker periods. Finally, we’ve also got Daredevil who is attacked by Sabretooth so Daredevil chases him into the sewers. The New Mutants also go in the sewers, but they don’t stay for very long and that may be a good thing for them.

The Heroes are not the only people to have a stake in this as Apocalypse comes as well so that he can start recruiting people to become his Horsemen. Even the Magus appears as he wants to take the New Mutants down for the count. The Freedom Force also goes underground so that they can take away the two mutants. As you can see….this is a lot of people down here. So, how are the Marauders doing so much damage? Let’s do a headcount of how many people entered the tunnels.

Thor, Daredevil, Apocalypse, Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Beast, Shadow Cat, Calisto, The Power Pack, Franklin Richards, Other Jean Grey, The New Mutants, The Magus, hundreds of Morlocks, Hela, Mystique, Pyro, Avalanche, Destiny, etc. The only opposition are the few members of the Marauders and the part that will really get you is the fact that they aren’t even so tough. Vertigo can make you feel faint, but she’s not much of a fighter. We’ve got a girl who can throw shruikens, a guy who can throw an energy spear, a spirit who can possess people, and a guy who has super strength. Oh yes….the leader is a human with a gun. Sabretooth is also with the team and he ends up doing a lot of damage as well.

This collection is all about the first battle. There is an upcoming sense of war as the casualties increase. What you need to remember is that all of these comics take place at around the same time and the action is all happening in different parts of the sewers. The Marauders came to annihilate the Morlocks and they basically succeed. With them out of the way, the next target is the X-Men. They haven’t struck yet and that would likely be in the next graphic novel. All I can say is…the battle should be interesting. I’m not sure how they can pull it off without plot hax.

The Marauders do get a lot of hype, but it’s not very believable. Blockbuster actually holds his own against Thor and nearly destroys him. Thor is weakened and he had to fight the whole group of Marauders, but there’s no way that they should have escaped. This isn’t an amateur or a random hero, but Thor, The Warrior of legend. This takes place a little after the battles with Surtur and I must say that he did not look like the same guy. The old Thor could fight for long periods of time and really take a hit. Blockbuster felled him in a few hits and I don’t believe that Thor would be caught by surprise like that. Thor still accomplished more than most of the other fighters and he put one of the Marauders down…permanently. Thor has never minded crossing that line as much as the other heroes, but I would have preferred that he captured them all instead of only destroying one of them. I was definitely unsure about his portrayal in this comic power-wise, but character-wise he was still solid.

Sabretooth gets a big role and he claims that he would have destroyed Thor if he had been there. I hope that you don’t take those words seriously because if he had beaten Thor….I would have had to facepalm. Sabretooth does a little too well in this comic as he has the upper hand against Wolverine two times and he also manages to defeat Rogue with minimal effort. Psylocke is unable to sense his presence as he quickly enters the mansion and the fighters just don’t look very good against him. Magneto would have ended the fight when he entered, but by then Psylocke and Wolverine were doing fine.

One of the more frustrating encounters was probably when the X-Men were face to face with the Marauders. That should be the end of it…just take them down. Unfortunately, the X-Men do not do so good and they are actually losing pretty badly. Colossus destroys one of them, but the others escape and Colossus also suffered extreme injuries and barely lives through the experience. Most of the X-Men are very injured and head back to the Mansion as they attempt to save as many injured Morlocks as they can. They do not seem ready for another encounter with the Marauders so it will be tricky for them if they get attacked again.

Nothing will be more frustrating than Thor’s encounter with the Marauders because he really should have defeated them. At least warn the Avengers, but instead they all get away. Thor also unleashes a thunder blast that incinerates anything/anyone who was still in the sewers with a large blast. Thor said that he could not see anyone in the sewers as he checked the whole place out, but it’s still overly risky to unleash such a large blast. The X-Men almost perish in it and they believe that the New Mutants also died. Luckily nobody was hurt, but Thor could have caused a lot of casualties.

The Avengers also do not look good because they do not appear. Several times, the action takes place a few blocks from the mansion, but they do not intervene. When hundreds of Morlocks are perishing in the tunnels, they do not seem to notice. It’s as if the Avengers do not watch the news or have any way of getting intel. At least Daredevil did his part since he saved Sabretooth’s prisoner and also gave him a good fight. Getting Sabretooth to leave the sewers was a solid move and it meant that Daredevil helped out more than most of the other heroes in this collection.

Wolverine was a good character although he talked very tough, but couldn’t seem to fully back it up. He arrived too late to actually fight the Marauders and he didn’t look very good against Sabretooth when they fought. Still, personality-wise he was a good character and he isn’t very injured so he should be ready for the Marauders when they attack. The rest of the X-Men aren’t in great shape since Storm may have lost her powers and Psylocke has a few broken ribs. Shadow Cat is stuck in her phased out form and she may die while Colossus is completely paralyzed. It seems like it’s going to be up to Wolverine, Magneto, and Rogue to fend off an attack. They should be able to defeat the Marauders if it comes down to that, but we shall see.

Overall, this is a solid X-Men comic, but very hard to actually believe. You’ll keep on asking yourself how the Marauders can defeat the Morlocks despite the big difference in numbers and how the Avengers don’t know about this. It’s pretty public on what’s happening and their absence is not cool. (It’s easy to see why AVX happened) Captain America of all people should be doing something about this since he’s against such measures. There are definitely a lot of plots around and Apocalypse probably has the most interesting one. Hopefully the X-Men put up a better fight against the Marauders when they strike again. After all, they are down two members so the group is even smaller. I recommend this comic slightly, but if you are an X-Men fan. If not, you may not find yourself very interested and it’s definitely one of the sadder X-Men comics. A lot of casualties and the villains get away scot free for the most part. The next battle would probably be more satisfying…I hope!

Overall 7/10

It’s time to continue the Walter Simonson era with this collection! The plots start to come to a close with only one big plot continuing. The others have wrapped up nicely and this seems to be the end of an era for Thor. Could this comic surpass the first one thanks to the abundance of action or did Thor’s underwhelming portrayal destroy its chances? Time to find out!

Well, the first part of the collection deals with Malekith as his plan goes into motion. He realizes that he cannot hope to defeat Thor in a battle of power so he decides to resort to trickery instead. After tricking Thor into drinking of the golden mead; it would seem that Malekith may have the upper hand in the battles to come as Thor starts to act irrationally. With only Roger Willis at his side, Thor infiltrates Malekith’s home base and they begin their assault on the castle. Outnumbered hundreds to 2, Thor and Roger fight on and may get more than they bargained for when Algrim appears to join the fight.

The rest of the collection (excluding the final issue) deals with the threat of Surtur as he seeks to burn away the 9 Realms and destroy everything. It’s a very ambitious goal, but now that he has the Twilight Sword, it would seem that the goal is not unreachable. All Surtur has to do is light the sword with the giant fire that is in Asgard and then he will be able to burn away the 9 Realms. The climax is a large one as Surtur heads to Earth to find the Rainbow Bridge and must content with the (3rd string) Avengers and Fantastic Four. The X-Men are evidently too busy to deal with a being who will incinerate the universe.

Surtur has brought a legion of fire demons with him and their sheer numbers bring the heroes to a halt. Unfortunately for them, none of the S Rank Heroes like Spiderman, Cyclops, Ironman, or even the Incredible Hulk are around to help. The heroes quickly start to get overwhelmed and that’s considering that they get a lot of reinforcements. The Army, Knights of Valhalla, Beta Ray Bill, The Asgardians, and many more heroes are around to help, but they’re still being crushed. Thor is forced to let Earth fend for itself as he goes to aid Odin against Surtur himself. Can they defeat this being of immense power?

There are other plots about as well like Lorelei’s plot to get Thor, Loki’s plot to rule Asgard, and Thor’s mission to free the souls in Hela’s domain which he has had to put on hold. Roger Willis gets a pretty big role during the Malekith arc which could have been considered as a slightly different plot from Thor’s, but they ultimately merged and concluded. Balder’s plot was also concluded in the end, but not in a cool way.

Thor did not look quite as good as in the first volume. While he still does show glimpses of his former glory from the first volume, the golden mead tricks him a little too easily. I would hope that such a thing would not affect Thor The Thunderer. Aside from that, Thor is still a solid character, but the effects of the Golden Mead do affect him greatly for the first few comics. Thor does give it his all against Surtur, but he ends up succumbing to sadness after the battle because he regrets his lack of power. This will likely lead into the Hela plot, but is he ready for such a battle? Only time will tell, but he did look pretty good when he fought Hela towards the end, so I wouldn’t count him out.

Odin has a big role in this volume and he’s a lot better than usual. It is regrettable that he did not let Thor know that he was being deceived by Melodi, but that’s his only negative scene. Odin has a lot of good dialogue and he usually says “Well met” if someone addresses him correctly. Odin puts up a good fight against Surtur and while he may not have been a match for the fire tyrant, he still put up a valiant effort. If the battle had been a fair one, perhaps Odin would have had the upper hand.

Surtur makes for a great villain and he’s easily one of Thor’s most impressive ones. He fears no being and even Odin does not seem to be at the same level of power. Surtur is good with a sword and also pretty fast as he was able to land some good hits on Thor when even Hela could not. Surtur essentially fought Thor, Odin, and Loki back to back which is not a bad feat. He’s a likable fighter and you almost want to root for him as he doesn’t seem to hold a grudge against the heroes. No, he wants to destroy everything, but it’s not personal and it’s hard to root against him.

Roger Willis is a pretty likable character and he gets a big role in this collection. It’s too bad that his reflexes were too slow and he could not warn Thor about the Golden Mead, but he still took matters into his own hands and got rid of the rest. He put up a solid fight against the Dark Elves and he’s handy with a gun. He even admits that he could have beaten the rest of them if he had his platoon from back in the day. I can’t say that I doubt him as he put up a solid fight. He almost destroyed Malekith when they fought because he knows that iron is their weakness and exploited it. He mildly helps against the fire demons and proves that humans can still be tough. It would be nice to see him appear in more comics in the future.

Loki also gets in on the action to further his own agenda. Using trickery, he does manage to last for a little while against Surtur which is impressive. He could have done even better if he had used his abilities to the fullest and not stayed so close to the monster, but Surtur would have eventually wiped him out anyway. I can’t say that Loki is very likable in this comic since his other plans are hard to root for, but at least he got to fight.

The art is solid for the comics and they look really good. The art definitely amplifies the intensity of the fight scenes and makes them look even better than usual. It helps to capture the dramatic tension that fills the characters as they fight Surtur. There seems to be no hope, but still they fight on. After all, if they always believe in the Three Fates, then they would basically be doomed. This is definitely some nice art!

I do have to say that the fight scenes are very well done. Nowadays in the comics, we rarely get such large fight scenes and they tend to only be a few pages at the most. In this battle, we get some nice/long fights that keep on going for a while and the fights are also very dramatic. You feel the blows as the characters make dramatic speeches while going in for the win. It definitely helps to remind me that Surtur is a very real threat and someone who should not be taken lightly.

Overall, this is a solid collection of comics and continues Simonson’s solid run. Some parts like the Lorelei plot still drag on, but it has a much grander feel than the first collection. I still don’t care for Balder the Brave and his subplot ends on a pretty low note. Still, I am glad that it is now over! Surtur is definitely a big threat and it’s nice to see how the rest of the Marvel universe responds. Human Torch and Reed Richards play a critical role in the comic and it makes sense if you’ve read their comics. They always perform well during crunch time! It’ll be very hard to top the Surtur saga as far as Thor comics go, but we shall see. If they use Kurse, then it is always possible! I highly recommend this Thor collection as with the previous one. All Marvel fans should appreciate the drama and the action!

Overall 7/10

Thor is one of the original Avengers and he has had hundreds of comics over the years. This is the start of the Walter Simonson run so it’s a solid way for the graphic novel to begin. Thor is a character that can be difficult to write properly since writers make sometimes make him appear to be a slow minded thinker who just punches until his opponent goes down while others make him out to be a solid thinker, but with strength that cannot come close to matching that of the Hulk’s. I am glad to say that Thor looks very good in this collection and it’s the best incarnation of him that I’ve seen in quite a while. (The pre Bendis days after all)

This comic has a lot of plots that occur within its pages and also starts a lot of plots that do not conclude in this volume. The collection definitely has undertones of despair and dread in it as you know that something sinister is about to befall Asgard, but there is nothing that the heroes can do about it. They do not know who the ultimate adversary is and they can only wait for him to strike. Thor is essentially on his own because the rest of the heroes on the planet are basically absent the entire time with only Jarvis making a cameo.

The first part of the collection deals with the debut of Beta Ray Bill. This arc is pretty famous and for good reason. Beta Ray Bill has become a fan favorite character in the Thor comics and while I don’t usually care for him that much, he was a solid character in this arc. After he defeats Thor, (Or should I say, Donald Blake?) Beta Ray Bill is taken to Asgard where he has to deal with Odin. Odin decides that Thor and Beta Ray Bill will have a duel to the death and the winner will claim Mjolnir as his own. This begins the epic battle of the two titans.

After the shocking conclusion and the even more shocking decision that Odin makes, Thor and Beta Ray Bill decide to take out the demons that are attacking Bill’s species. Lady Sif decides to come and help the two of them as they fight against all odds. The demons are not powerful, but they have sheer numbers on their side. Can the three warriors stop the demons before they destroy the innocents aboard the spaceships?

Next up, Fafnir decides to attack Earth and wreck vengeance on Thor for what Thor had done to him ages ago. His powers have increased considerably and not even Mighty Mjolnir is really a match for him. Thor enlists the help of a senior citizen whom Thor fortifies with the power of youth and together they launch an attack on Fafnir. It’s a bold move on their part since Fafnir is one of the strongest monsters (Aside from Godzilla) to attack the Earth. Unfortunately for Fafnir, there isn’t a real sense of danger because he picked the wrong city to attack. See, earlier in the comic, we had a shocking pair of guest stars. Clark Kent and Lois Lane were on the scene…yes, the famous DC characters successfully infiltrated the Marvel collection and made it 20% cooler. It was the highlight of the collection since Superman got his classic smirk in and even though he only appeared for a page or two, he instantly saw through Thor’s disguise. Here I thought Batman was the world’s greatest detective! It’s always good to see Superman get his props.

The last few comics mainly deal with Balder The Brave as he attempts to deliver a letter that Odin has entrusted him with. He has to deliver it to Loki, but it’s definitely a bad time for him. He has sworn never again to destroy an enemy since he has been to Hela’s domain and he found out what happened to them. You can’t help but feel for the poor guy since the fate of those in Hela is pretty grim. More on that later, since it’s something that you really need to think about. Loki has never been the nicest person, so will he accept the letter or turn to the dark side with Malekith?

That’s definitely a good amount of plot lines in the comic! There are also many other things happening at the same time and I will get into most of them while talking about the characters. Thor is a solid protagonist in this collection and his character is portrayed well. He’s a man of honor who talks dramatically, but unlike most of the other Marvel heroes, he can back it all up. Fans may not appreciate the fact that Beta Ray Bill beats him pretty easily in their first round and that the second round may be closer than it should have been. Regardless, Thor does a good job of protecting humanity and fighting the Kaiju that are around. At one point, Thor decides to get a secret identity which leads into him meeting Superman and Lorelei so it’s a mixed bag. I’m not sure that it was a good move having him get a secret identity, but at least he keeps his abilities this time.

Beta Ray Bill is a fighter who debuts in this collection and he’s decently cool. When he first appears, he has the aura of an epic opponent around him as he quickly moves in to take Thor down for the count. This guy has fought a lot of powerful adversaries in the past and it’s a wonder that he has not already defeated the demons. He even tries to land a hit on Odin, but it does not work. He was a very solid character through and through. While I do not like his humanoid form as much as his real one, it’s all right I suppose.

Superman was one of the highlights of the collection and while his appearance was short, it was powerful. The author definitely knew who Superman was since he made sure to keep him in character. Superman smirked at Thor when he fell because he quickly found out his true identity. One could even say that he may have helped Thor behind the scenes during the big fights because with his super speed, it would be a simple matter. Adding him to the comic was definitely a good move.

Odin is back as per usual and he’s definitely a lot more reasonable than he used to be. He still has his moments where he will make people fight to the death for no reason, but he has made some progress. He’s pretty terrified of the villains that are to come, but at least he makes a (slight) effort not to show it. You have to admire his bravery for such a feat. In the end, he was a decent character this time which is better than usual.

Loki is still one of the big villains of the collection along with Lorelei. They have a subplot where they try to wreck Thor’s life and alienate Lady Sif. The plots start to separate as Loki makes a deal with Malekith and Lorelei goes to the human world to trick Thor into drinking the magical elixir. Loki does a good job of messing with Balder The Brave and you can’t help feeling bad for the hero. Loki is not someone to be trifled with and he will likely do more in the next volume. He’s definitely an intense villain, but his plans can go too far so he’s still not really likable. Lorelei ‘s plans last throughout the whole collection and she is still plotting to get Thor. So far, Thor has unwittingly outsmarted her at every turn, but she has not given up yet. Her plot isn’t really interesting and can only be endured while we wait for it to end.

Fafnir is a pretty cool dragon and he’s someone that can be admired. His rivalry with Thor is legendary in his eyes and his hypnotic abilities are pretty good. They definitely shouldn’t be underestimated and you have to admire his raw power. He was a solid example of how a monster should be portrayed if he wants to be remembered as a powerful opponent. It’ll be nice to see him again in the future and how the heroes could possibly defeat him. The way that he lost in this collection was basically plot hax.

There was another plot line involving Hamburgers and French Fries that was pretty interesting. A guy is on the run from these mysterious beings who are chasing him, but they die when they eat human food. This person realizes this somehow and he manages to take down two of the agents. Now, he’s got to make sure that he saves the world in time. Unfortunately, it may be too late as one of his associates runs into Malekith and may not stand a chance. There’s also another plot with a mysterious fire being creating a sword. He calls it the Twilight Sword and when he smashes his hammer into the ground, the shockwave can be heard through a billion billion planets. This being was powerful enough to fight Odin’s two ravens and he shouldn’t be underestimated. Odin seems to think that this being will be the end of Asgard….and he may be right!

The art for this comic was very good. This was during the modern classic days of Marvel and everyone is in their signature designs for the most part. The art doesn’t really have any faults and everything is just fun to read. I read the whole collection in one sitting and I like to think that the art had a part in that. If the art was worse, then that may have been tough.

One part of the comic that can be sad to think about is the Hela plot. According to the Asgardian rules, warriors who die in combat go to Valhalla while people who die of regular deaths go to Hela’s Domain. This doesn’t really seem fair as many good Asgardians would end up going to Hela’s Domain. Balder went there himself when he died and saw the many horrors that it contained. It’s essentially Marvel’s version of Hell and it’s a scary thing to think about. Knowing this, Balder decided to stop destroying people because they would go into a fate much worse than Death. Could Odin and pals stop this if they wanted too? The sad truth is that they probably could, which makes Asgard look as sketchy as ever. I’m definitely not a fan of this twist since it’s something that can’t really be solved. Now, we know what happens to the villains that die and it’s pretty sad for them. Marvel has quite a few hells already and there doesn’t seem to be quite as many happy places for the heroes. I definitely can’t blame Balder for his vow, but naturally he was forced to break it, in part because of Odin. Maybe the plot will come back and they’ll find a way to resolve it, but I doubt that they could think of such a way unless the place was obliterated by Surtur the fire demon.

Overall this was a pretty solid collection of Thor comics. I’m not sure about Thor essentially leading the Viking into his doom, but since Hela’s domain was the only other option; It makes the whole thing a little harder to blame on Thor. The comic had its share of downer moments when Loreli’s plot would enter and Beta Ray Bill’s true origin, (Which I recommend skipping. It’s only a few panels and completely unnecessary. His life was already tragic so we didn’t need to go and make it even worse. It won’t destroy the comic, but those panels could greatly hurt your enjoyment so I do recommend bypassing them) but for the most part we got a lot of action and solid writing. It’ll be nice to see the plots start to conclude in the next volume which I will be reviewing soon. Will all of the plots end or only some of them? All I know is that we will find out soon enough! I recommend this comic and it should be a fun read for all comic book fans.

Overall 7/10

The Fantastic Four have never gotten the same amount of recognition that the Avengers and the Xmen have received. They were once Marvel’s first superhero group and now they have faded away. They are still very popular, but the fact that their films didn’t really hit it off did not help matters. I’ve always enjoyed the team and in the old comics, I dare say that they’re more fun to read than the other teams. Once things started to progress in the 80s to 90s, I definitely preferred the Avengers and Xmen comics, but the Fantastic Four will always be a fun group. Could this comic capture their greatness?

This collection has many comics in it, but most of the plots extend through several comics so their are only a few big story arcs in this collection. The first comics deal with the Crusader as he attempts to judge the humans for their transgressions. There is a plot twist that makes the whole thing seem a little more personal on the Crusader’s part and he has a pretty tragic back story. He’s a pretty decent villain and he put up quite the fight!

Next up, The Hulk came into town and the Fantastic Four would need to subdue him. Reed Richards had created a device that could turn him back into Banner, but then the Government got involved. They figured that they could step in and quickly kidnap Bruce Banner, but the Thing wouldn’t have any of that and he quickly broke the device which turned Banner back into the Hulk. Turning his back on humanity, the Thing joins forced with the Hulk to fight the Fantastic Three! Could this be the end?

Later on, a mighty punch from a powerful foe managed to completely break away the Thing’s outer shell and he was now a mere mortal once again. This wasn’t totally because of the punch, but it’s really cool to think of it that way. The Thing is happy at first, but then he realizes that he is no longer popular. Making matters worse is the fact that Luke Cage has replaced him on the Fantastic Four. Things keep on getting worse and worse for the Thing and he doesn’t help matters either as he doesn’t take the whole experience very well. Reed builds him a suit that will let him gain a pretty good degree of super strength while he is inside of it, but then Luke Cage begins his assault. Can Ben Grimm defeat Luke Cage while in his new suit? Also, why is Luke Cage evil!?

Finally, the largest chunk of the collection is the plot that involves Galactus! A golden ape appears in the city and warns the Fantastic Four of this grave threat. They head to the High Evolutionary who tells them that Galactus seeks to destroy Counter Earth. The Fantastic Four head for other worlds which would sacrifice themselves for Counter Earth and the High Evolutionary does battle with Galactus himself.

The collection has a pretty solid array of comics and they remind me why I always found the Fantastic Four comics fun. Reed Richards is a solid leader and while he doesn’t actually do much leading in this collection, he proves why he deserves the title. He comes up with plans as they arise and he does what he can to help the others. His powers start to fade during the second half of the arc, but he still keeps it together and manages to save the day. He can be pretty blunt with the Thing and even admits that he’s happy that the Thing doesn’t make a lot of wisecracks. He’s basically just a great superhero and he’s Marvel’s Batman. How cool he is definitely depends on the writer, but this collection really did a good job. He keeps his smarts while also showing that he can use his intelligence to be a good fighter.

The Human Torch is decently cool, but he has his ups and downs as the comics go on. At one point, he almost decides not to help everyone out because it might hurt his social life. Last time I checked, superheroes should rise against such things when the time is at hand to fight. On the other hand, the Torch did a really good job when he was fighting. He consistently gave it his all and his attacks definitely dealt some decent damage to everyone but Galactus. He may not be my favorite member of the Fantastic Four anymore, but he’s still a fun character to root for. At least, he was during this era of Marvel.

Invisible Woman is still known as Invisible Girl in this collection. She can definitely change her name, but she has decided not too at the moment. Her abilities are definitely potent and she proves that the Thing isn’t able to shatter it and she makes pretty good use of her abilities. A lot of the comics deal with a situation where the FF wouldn’t stand a chance without her. It’s nice to see her get some props because her abilities are definitely very dangerous. She’s another solid member of the Fantastic Four and her abilities will only get stronger as time goes by.

The Thing is the final member of the Fantastic Four and he’s the most sketchy. On one hand, it’s easy to root for him and he gets a lot of the best lines. On the other hand, he has a tendency to feel bad for himself a lot and he always looks at the negative side of things. He is never satisfied when he has his powers or when he’s human. It’s a lose-lose situation either way and he can get a little unbearable to watch. When he’s in a good mood, then the Thing is a great character. When he’s feeling bad for himself, then he’s a pretty bad character. Overall, I’d still say that he’s a fun character, but I can’t wait until he just accepts his situation. The comic with the Hulk definitely made him look bad (Along with the other FF members) and he should have been able to find a way to stop the Government without breaking the device. Definitely not his best move.

Galactus is in this comic and he’s as likable as ever. I mean that in a good way as he’s always been a fun character to read. He talks in a very scientific way, but in a way that makes sense. You do have to respect his power and the fact that he is an honorable person. I wouldn’t call him a hero and he would definitely rank as a villain, but he does keep his promises. His end is actually pretty tragic and I wonder where he goes from here. His herald at the moment is Destroyer, who still doesn’t really have a soul. At least now he can travel through the cosmos!

Luke Cage is around for a few issues, but I wouldn’t call him the greatest character out there. He’s all right, but I definitely wouldn’t want him on the Fantastic Four. I just don’t really find him interesting. There’s nothing wrong with him, but he’s just a little on the generic side. The High Evolutionary is around and he makes it hard to root for him. He doesn’t mind when his allies are all in lethal situations and decides not to help them when a flick of the switch will possibly save them. He didn’t even want anyone to go and rescue them which is pretty sinister. He talked a good game when he fought Galactus which was his highlight, but I’m guessing that everyone was rooting for Galactus. I know that I was! The Golden Ape was a fun character although he made some pretty rash decisions. He reminded me of the Beast and he even talked like the Xman.

The art for the comics is really good and you could say that this is basically Marvel’s prime. The newer comics look really good for some of the Marvel comics as well, but this one just has a really natural feel to it. They did the comics by hand and you really have to marvel at the effort that it must have taken. The art is definitely very good and with solid writing as well, this collection is basically complete.

Overall, this is a great Fantastic Four collection and maybe the best one that I’ve read. I really can’t think of any negatives in the comic. I’m sure that there is some minor stuff if I squint hard enough like parts of the Thing and Human Torch’s portrayals, but nothing that’s really big. So, why isn’t this comic a 10? There’s nothing really wrong with the comic, but also nothing outstanding enough to warrant such a high rating. As I see it, the comic did everything right and the score is what most comics should aim for. It would take some thought to see if this really was the best, but I can certainly say that its the best Fantastic Four (Strictly Fantastic Four) comic reviewed on the blog thus far. I look forward to reading more of this team and I actually have another Fantastic Four comic on the back burner that I’ll be checking out. It’ll definitely be fun to see their adventures. I highly recommend this comic and it’s fun for all comic audiences. Drama, Action, Humor, this comic has it all!

Overall 7/10 (Close to an 8, but not quite)

The Infinity Gauntlet is one of Marvel’s most popular arcs and it’s a very legendary series. Thanos got to show off his true power and we saw that Cyclops was a force to be reckoned with. Remakes are rarely as good as the original and this comic is no exception, but could it still be a pretty fun comic in the end?

Well, the plot is virtually the same as the original story arc and Thanos has whisked away half of the population. One key difference is the fact that the people have disappeared, but they don’t really say that they died. Invisible Woman decides to send a squad of fully prepared heroes to deal with the situation which includes Spiderman, Hulk, Ms Marvel, Dr Doom, and Wolverine. This gang of heroes is ready for anything, but will they be a match for someone like Thanos!?

It’s a fun adventure in its own right, but since it is called The Infinity Gauntlet, there was bound to be a lot of pressure on the comic right away. Seeing Spiderman and friend take on Thanos is always fun, but the comic uses large amounts of comic relief in every scene which can get old very quickly. Dr Doom is forced to make the heroes sandwiches!! (Albeit there is a plot twist about Dr Doom, but considering the nature of the plot twist, technically it doesn’t really make a difference) Spiderman is constantly mocking everyone the whole time which is cool, but he also mocks himself at some points. He doesn’t even put up any resistance as he lets Thanos win without a fight. The Hulk is pretty annoying since he seems to be less smart than he used to be…and that’s saying something! The driver of the ship that they are using isn’t really a great character either.

The worst part of the comic is definitely when they head into the gasoline shop to refuel the ship and they get to meet the guy’s parents. They’re pretty mean to him and make the heroes look pretty bad. The comic really felt like filler and they didn’t really need to add a new group of villains did they?

The art for the comic was pretty underwhelming and was slightly worse than expected. The characters look off model on a number of occasions and there are virtually no fights. That may not be the art’s fault, but fight scenes can make the art look better at times. This one had no chance to show off any great scenes with art, but they likely wouldn’t have been that great considering how skilled the artist was.

The collection may sound pretty negative at this point, but it wasn’t without its positives as well. One of those positives is that we got a lot of cameos from various heroes and villains as they tried to keep the peace on Earth. The main character cast featured several cool heroes even if their portrayal may not have been spot on. There wasn’t much action, but Thanos still looked pretty good during the fights for the most part. He was maybe a little too scared when Dr Doom attempted to take him down for the count, but we can try to overlook this. The comic doesn’t really drag on as its pretty short and that’s the important thing..just having fun while reading the adventure!

While that’s great and all, it’s still cool that the collection also brings the original Infinity Gauntlet..or the first issue of the series at any rate. The issue completely blew the remake away and it felt like a true Marvel comic. Thanos is a lot more intense in this version and the art is leagues ahead. Everything about the comic felt like true quality and Spiderman got a lot more respect in this version. He seemed like a selfless hero which is basically what he used to be before the current age. Even Captain America was pretty intense as he realized the gravity of the situation. Silver Surfer may have been a little too hysterical, but he always was a dramatic character. The issue just felt like a solid prelude to the series and had the epicness that the miniseries just couldn’t muster. There was a random subplot with these three guys who were driving along, but we can ignore that one for now. The characters are unlikable, but we don’t have to see them for very long.

Overall, this is a pretty solid collection. The Infinity Gauntlet issue was a lot better than the new version and helped to save the day, but the new version wasn’t awful. It was a lighter twist on the classic story and it was still entertaining. I just could have used a little less comic relief and a little more action along with some better art if possible. This is still one of the better Marvel Adventures, but I dare say that Batman’s Brave and The Bold comics are still superior. I recommend this comic if you read the original Infinity Gauntlet or just feel like reading a story that brings together all of Marvel’s greatest heroes…or at least a few of them. (Of course, you may just want to skip to JLA vs Avengers!)

Overall 7/10