The Avengers have gone through many lineup changes and have had dozens of different comic series. This was the beginning of the Geoff Johns run. Since he did such a great job with Green Lantern, this meant great things for Avengers right? Well, I can safely say that it’s one of the better Avenger comics that I’ve read although it does start to lose some steam in the middle.

I’d say that the book is basically divided into three parts. The first chunk of the book deals with the In Betweener. He’s been separated into two while Yellow Jacket and Wasp have been taken to another dimension by a powerful villain with a key. Let’s just say that Yellow Jacket never stood a chance. The Avengers are pretty bewildered in the real world as they can’t keep up with all of the disturbances. They’re going to have to go to the other dimension and stop Scorpio!

The In Betweener doesn’t make things easy for the heroes since he doesn’t want to become one being again. The Avengers are powerful, but most of their heavy hitters aren’t around and things look dire. The In Betweener is actually stronger than I would have guessed, but the Avengers get one last chance as Thor appears to take him on. There are also alien creatures that make for good cannon fodder against the heroes.

This arc had a lot of action and it was a nice way to start the trade paperback. Iron Man even helped to make sure that the economy was doing all right. There’s some tension between the Jack of All Hearts and Scott Lang, which continues through the book. It was a decent subplot, but I can’t say that I like either character very much.

There is a miniseries about the Vision, which is the only part of the book that I didn’t really enjoy. Why’d they have to make his origin so complex? There is a villain in the story, but the whole thing is slowed down by all of the dialogue. Not to mention that the Vision isn’t a very compelling character to read about. He’s become a better character in recent years, but not in those days. The miniseries really felt like filler and while it wasn’t awful, it was a step down.

Things get exciting again for the final arc. Thor is now King of Asgard and he makes for a good ruler. On Earth, some of his worshipers are destroyed and Thor decides to avenge them. Balder and friends are hesitant at first, but later on they start to goad Thor into fighting. It was a pretty big personality shift, but I was glad that they were eager to fight. The only complication is that while Thor is protecting his friends…he’s defeating the villains! Obviously the government won’t stand for that and they tell Iron Man that he must stop Thor…or they’ll do it by force!

Even Iron Man knows that you don’t want to get the government mad. (Dr Doom’s threats didn’t help matters either) Iron Man goes to confront Thor and I was definitely not rooting for him. Villains getting diplomatic immunity eh? I never really bought that! Heroes are above such things, but I’ll go more into that later. Iron Man uses the Destroyer armor to challenge Thor and Captain America shows up as well.

It’s safe to say that Thor was definitely going to defeat them in the end, but they did give him a decent fight. The Avengers definitely did not seem very heroic this time and it was a somber way to end the comic. Black Panther’s also not really high on Stark’s buddy list at the moment. The Jack of Hearts is about ready to blow up and Scott Lang is more miserable than ever. Can the Avengers survive this!? At least there’s a nice cliffhanger for the next volume right?

Back to the villain’s immunity thing, should it matter? Let’s get into the situation a little deeper, Thor stepped in because a corrupt government was murdering the citizens for the thrills. They were essentially enslaving them and acting like Nazi’s. The governments can’t stop them because it’s happening in another country and they don’t want to start a war. That’s fine, since the government never gets anything done in the comics, but the Heroes shouldn’t stand for that. Superman ended World War II once because he felt like it. The Avengers should have come in and stopped these guys years ago. At least Thor did something about it, but the Avengers were quick to turn against him. I don’t really think the Avengers should defend these guys.

Sure, the villains shouldn’t be murdered, but they should be taken to prison. They can’t just leave things at the status quo, what about human rights? Dr Doom mentions that he may have stepped in, but then the Avengers should just go up against him as well. Sometimes (A lot of the time in the modern comics…) the Avengers seem to believe that obeying the government laws is more important than being a hero. Being a Hero means making the tough choices, which sometimes means going against the government. So, this comic had a mixed up moral in my opinion, but the actual fight was still epic. This was one of the few times where Iron Man and Thor had a serious fight and I’d say that it’s their best match. It’s not incredible lopsided and the art makes everything feel even cooler.

This is definitely a comic that I recommend. The art is excellent and this was definitely during the prime of the Marvel Universe. (In art at least) The villains are pretty tough and the book was a page turner. The dialogue was also strong and never bored me. (Aside from the Vision series) Once again, Aside from the Vision mini series, there wasn’t really anything wrong with this collection. All Avenger fans should check this out and people who love epic battle scenes. It’s a complete comic and a way to get into the Marvel Universe.

Overall 8/10

The Death of Superman is definitely a big event that just about everyone knows about. I mean, this was one of the first times where a major character actually “died”! In the modern comics, people die so often that it lacks impact. You could only truly appreciate this in such an old comic. The collection brings a nice chunk of comics, so let’s see how it goes.

The first comics start out with some nice set up. Superman gives a speech about how he fears for his life, while Doomsday goes on the loose. This was Doomsday’s first appearance, which was probably a game changer for the general public. Who would have suspected that Doomsday would become one of the strongest DC characters of all time!? Superman is busy helping people, so the Justice League go to stop him.

Thing is, this roster of the Justice League isn’t quite as powerful as the famous animated versions. We have Guy Gardner, (Not a GL at the moment) Ice, (Better than Hawkgirl I guess) Fire, (I’d take the Flash) Maxima, (Who does a good job of replacing Wonder Woman) Booster Gold, (I guess I can live with him replacing Martian Manhunter) and Blue Beetle. (Batman? Hah!) There’s also a mysterious being who is with the JLA and the limits of his abilities have yet to be seen. He goes by the name of Bloodwyn, but is there something more to this fellow?

The Justice League is effortlessly crushed and you feel bad for the young heroes. They’ve never been so humiliated and not even the combined force of their attacks is enough to put a dent in Doomsday. This is definitely impressive when you think about it. Booster Gold and Guy Gardner are capable of shattering mountains with a fraction of their power. They note that Doomsday is even faster than the Flash and his raw power is on another level. This is when Superman steps in. Superman’s not too happy and this was during the prime of his power. At least, it was during what I would consider his prime.

Superman could fight tirelessly for a whole day and his strength never wavers. Large explosions never seem to keep him down and almost nothing can even pierce him. That’s why Doomsday is so impressive. He was able to pierce Superman and give him a solid fight. I still believe that Superman wouldn’t have had so much trouble if he had just resorted to a massive speedblitz, but Superman doesn’t usually do those things. Maybe it would be unethical. Doomsday is fast, but if Superman went at top speed, I don’t think that he would be able to catch him.

The fight stretches through many pages and they have several bouts. These bouts aren’t made any easier with burning buildings and certain reporters that try to get in Superman’s way. From the Justice League, Maxima is really the only member who actually helps out. Unfortunately, she has to go tend to one of the injured members for the beginning of the fight. Once she gets back, Maxima makes up for this by dealing some solid attacks to Doomsday. Aside from Superman, she’s the only one to launch Doomsday across an entire building and maybe do some damage to him.

I’ve always known about Maxima, but really thanks to the DCAU. She’s in Smallville, but I somehow doubt that she looked this impressive. All I can say, is that the comics have helped me gain respect for the character. Maxima is a tough fighter and it was nice to see someone else stand up to Doomsday. In the end, this was still Superman’s fight, but Maxima did pretty good before she was taken down for the count.

Superman decides to hold the line at Metropolis. This will be his final stand and nothing will get past him! It’s definitely a noble sentiment, but if he wanted to minimize casualties, the best choice would be to fly Doomsday out of there. Of course, there is a huge risk. One wrong move and Doomsday will have a clear shot at the civilians. Superman and Doomsday have a pretty powerful fight and the outcome shook the DC universe. Both of these fighters will never be forgotten. (I’d say that Both fighters are stronger than anyone in the Marvel Universe personally)

This is definitely a solid comic to read and I definitely recommend it to all comic fans. Even if you just want a comic where you get to see a Hero at his best. Superman is definitely the ideal of a Hero and he shows that you can make the tough choices and keep your ideals. He’s a solid improvement from MoS and also the New 52. Now, you may be wondering about the ethical choice of destroying Doomsday? There’s a big difference between destroying the opponent during a fight and Terminating a villain who is unable to really fight back. With Zod there were several alternatives, including flying him away. With Doomsday, Superman merely fired off one last punch to take him down. After the beatings that they both took from the fight, you would think that it wouldn’t have ended him. Superman was counting on that possibility since he knew that he would be dead in a matter of moments and unable to protect the others. I do not think that Superman would have done the same thing to Doomsday as he did with Zod in this comic.

Either way you’ll definitely want to read this comic since it’s one of the greatest comic books of all time. The art is consistently solid for the entire book and the fight scenes are amazing. The JLA appearing was also a nice way to add epicness to the event. We got to see what a huge threat Doomsday was and that helped the comic get even better. It’s also a great way to start reading comics for the first time! This is the perfect start point since Superman (AKA, the greatest comic book character) is the lead protagonist. Well, time to check it out right!?

Overall 9/10

The Transformer Films have been very saddening for Transformer fans around the world. The first film wasn’t very negatively received, but the 2nd film destroyed the movie franchise for many people. It was pretty hard to blame them, but maybe the comic adaption would be better right? I can safely say that it’s off to a much better beginning!

This collection covers the events of the movie, as well as a prequel and sequel (That takes place before Transformers 2) series. The Movie Collection definitely brings a nice amount of comics that give you extra value for your purchase.

The prequel comic shows a little bit of the war on Cybertron. The Autobots are on the losing end, (Like always) but they quickly think of a desperate plan of action. They launch the All Spark into space while Bumblebee distracts Megatron. Megatron gets most of the focus in the prequel comic and he does pretty well. He’s easily one of the more interesting Transformer characters and it’s always fun to see him take the opponents down. This comic may have not featured many Autobots, but at least we got to sympathize with the Decepticons.

Next up was the adaption of the Transformers Movie. It’s been ages since I watched the first one, but I could immediately tell that it was better. The humans were not as annoying as they had been in the movie and they stayed out of the way when the action got real. (Stabbing someone with an All Spark barely counts for beans anyway) Optimus Prime finally got to appear in this comic and he definitely did pretty good. His fire sword is always cool to look at and he can definitely deal some lethal damage with it. The other Decepticons aren’t able to lay a hand on him. The only problem with Optimus Prime is that we never get to see his leader skills. While reading the comic, you may wonder why he was chosen to be the leader. He just seems to be more of a solo act. Prime just beats up anyone who gets in his way and he makes sure that the mission gets completed. Still, he makes for a much better leader than the other Autobots.

We also get a comic that takes place after the movie. Ironically enough, this part of the graphic novel proceeds to take up nearly half of the book. Starscream is now the main character and he wants to show that he is a much better leader than Megatron. Unlike Megatron and Prime, Starscream decides that he won’t let anything cloud his judgement. If you believed everything that he says during the narration, you would quickly be glad that he became the leader. Starscream brings up a lot of valid points (Prime and Megatron destroying the very planet that they wanted to rule) and to be honest, he is a better leader than the other two. Maybe this isn’t the case in the other shows and comics, but I would definitely be on his side in this one. He seemed to be much smarter than the others and he has a lot of tactical experience. The plot of the comic was mostly Starscream bashing Megatron and learning from the humans. Eventually, Starscream will be able to take over the world!

This was a solid way to start off the movie adaptions. The comic was much more enjoyable than the film and eliminated most of my negatives that I had. The humans don’t really make you wince (Except for one scene) and the robots are decently good. One negative would be the character designs from the film. They are still pretty similar to each other and the overall art doesn’t help matters. The art wasn’t awful and I would even say that it was decently good, maybe just a little chaotic at times. The fight scenes were solid and I would recommend it to just about all comic fans. Whether you want an action comic or an aliens story, you’ll enjoy this one. Of course if you like Transformers a lot, you may want to check out Regeneration.

Overall 7/10

The climax of the series is now upon us. Every series has to end at some point and even Future Foundation had to go. There is currently a new FF series which replaced this one, but I think it’s safe to say that we’ll all miss the exiting plots and large scope that this series had. I’m happy to say that I’ve reviewed the series from start to finish, this volume being the final one in the series. This volume isn’t quite as exciting as the others, but since things are finally coming to a close, there is still tension.

The first comic involves The first comic is about Spiderman trying to kick Human Torch out of his house. Human Torch keeps messing up Peter’s life, but arguably he’s not doing it on purpose…arguably! This comic is definitely more of a comedy than an action. It’s pretty fun for the most part, but the party scene was pretty sad and Spiderman’s Spider Sense should have stopped him! I don’t think Spiderman will ever be able to fully forget that part of his life. Someone even enters his house to use the rest room.

Another comic involves Wakanda. So, why did everyone decide to go to Wakanda? Well, maybe they just wanted to have fun! Unfortunately, Franklin is away on business (Training with his future self basically) so the Future Foundation needs to solve this situation without violence. What’s the situation? A group of Wakandian rebels want to beat them up and they may have a Master Plan. They definitely weren’t the most memorable villains out there.

In another comic, the Human Torch takes the group on a field trip. They go to the Negative Zone where Human Torch is currently the King. It’s pretty amazing, but I guess Human Torch is just that powerful. Unfortunately for Johnny Storm, the people want a democracy now. Basically, this means that they will vote for the leader, so Human Torch’s stay as King may be through. The votes come in and the winner may not be who you think!

Finally, we also have a wrap up comic for the Inhumans and the Kree. Franklin helps to fix a dying Sun while they negotiate. Reed Richards talks pretty tough for the comic which is good to see. The Inhumans and kree decide on a truce, but Black Bolt decides to add one extra condition. It’s something that may make him a disliked character for some, but for others, they may just take this in stride. Just like that, the arc/series is over!

The series had a good run. There may not have been that much action in the final collection, but since the series was ending, it’s to be expected. It was a solid series and a pretty fun one as well. Reed Richards could have used a little more screen time, but his few scenes were pretty intense for the most part. There are still a lot of plot lines that are still around, but I guess they’ll be wrapped up in other series. We missed out on several plots in this series as well, but I guess it’s more incentive to buy other Marvel series alongside this one. Overall, I’d recommend this collection, but you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more if you read the previous installments in the series. I also recommend the series as a whole. It may not have been the most action packed adventure, but it was still Fantastic Four right? That’s bound to make things epic!

Overall 6/10

I never get tired of reading Superman comics. Superman is always a solid protagonist and this comic is fun to read. It goes by quickly and we do get some nice Superman action. Some of Superman’s most memorable villains appear as well. Is the comic rushed or is it one that will be remembered through history?

The comic starts out with a meteor preparing to hit Earth. Superman quickly stops it, but he sees a kid inside. The Government quickly gets involved and they decide to take this guy into custody. They take him to a secure facility, but Superman quickly finds out about it and takes the kid home. The name’s Christopher Kent and he’s not an opponent to be taken lightly.

Superman tries to give the kid a normal life, but it’s not meant to be. Luthor sends in Bizarro to cause trouble and General Zod breaks out of captivity along with the other Kryptonians. Superman’s going to need the Justice League to get involved with this fight, as well as Christopher Kent. This time, Superman needs to save the world and defeat an army of beings who could shatter the planet…this looks like a job for Superman!

Superman is a pretty solid main character as usual. He’s always ready to make the world a better place and he does a pretty solid job of defeating all opponents who stand in his way. I didn’t like Lois or Chris Kent in this comic. Lois was very apprehensive about raising Chris and Chris…I just didn’t like him. He wasn’t my type of character, that’s for sure. Lex Luthor is pretty good and he continues to show everyone up as he wins battle after battle. His fight against the Kryptonian is very….inaccurate or hard to believe. You get to make your pick. Metallo and Parasite were pretty fun villains and easy to root for. The Kryptonians and Bizarro were less likable, but they made for good villains.

That’s the problem with Kryptonians. If they’re all at around half of Superman’s level, they should still be able to crush most of the people on Earth in an instant. I just couldn’t believe some of their losses, but the stakes definitely felt high, so I still give the author points for the attempt. Batman lost pretty quickly which is also a little tricky. Could an army of Kryptonians take on the Justice League? The only threats would be Batman, Wonder Woman, GL, Flash, Supergirl, and Powergirl. Probably a few more, but those are the big problems. They were outnumbered, so maybe it’s feasible, but still pretty sad for the League.

This was definitely a fun comic book. We got to see what it would be like if Superman wasn’t actually the last Kryptonian. Getting the League involved was pretty good as well. The art inside the Phantom Zone was definitely intriguing, but for those who don’t have 3D glasses, it could be annoying. The ending is pretty sad for some characters, but for the most part, it had a solid ending. The only negative might be the short length, but that’s barely a negative and won’t hurt the comic. I’d recommend this comic and I’m sure that all comic fans will have fun with it. Superman will always be a cool character.

Overall 7/10

The Uncanny Xmen roster was one of the most memorable lineups in Xmen history. They heavily influenced the 90’s show and continue to be remembered as some of the most popular Xmen characters. This collection includes the 200th issue, which is definitely a big milestone. The collection is nice and big, so it brings a lot of comics.

The issue starts out with Shadowcat and Magneto at a reunion with a lot of old folks. They were Magneto’s friends back in the day and they aren’t to be underestimated. Unfortunately, the Freedom Fighters attack and decide that Magneto must be defeated. The Freedom Force is actually the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but they do work for the Government now. Shadowcat calls in the Xmen, but things get pretty embarrassing for them at first. With Destiny in the field, they’re able to counter everything that the Xmen have.

When you have a roster that includes Colossus, Rogue, Cyclops, and Wolverine, they can’t be stopped for long. They quickly take the advantage, but Magneto decides to turn himself in. This way, he can free mutants through peace instead of violence. The Xmen are likely skeptical, but they don’t try to stop him as Magneto is taken away. Magneto goes to a large court and the case begins. It’s pretty fun, but the Xmen have bigger things to worry about. Someone is framing the Xmen and trying to jeopardize Magneto’s case. Who can it be!?

The Xmen head out to stop the menace, but the opponents may be closer than they think. In the aftermath, Professor Xavier is finally at the end of his rope and he is forced to leave Earth, leaving Magneto as the rightful leader of the group. Storm and Cyclops also have their big confrontation to decide who the leader will be. The battle is pretty……unrealistic, but Cyclops is distracted. The result should still have been different. This marks the end of Cyclops for the rest of the collection.

Now that the situation has been settled, Rachel Summers decides to inherit the Phoenix Force and destroy The Beyonder once and for all. The Beyonder gives her the necessary power to do so, but she has to decide between destroying him and saving her friends. Rachel decides to keep the power after helping er friends and launches another attack, but she’ll end up destroying the entire universe! Needless to say, the Xmen don’t like this. The Beyonder comes in person and the final showdown begins! Only one will walk away from this battle in control.

We get two standalone comics to help pass the time by. In one of them, we see a very out of character Nightcrawler. He’s sad because beings like The Beyonder are just too powerful. He prefers to put his life on the line against weaker opponents, who outmatch him, but can still be defeated. Nightcrawler must match wits against Arcade and save a mutant who needs his help. This definitely sounds like a job for Nightcrawler!

In the other (Much better) comic, Wolverine is being hunted by Lady Deathstrike and the Ravagers. Wolverine is definitely on the losing side and he can’t even speak for a while. Luckily one of the Power Pack is here to help him. She doesn’t end up fighting, but she gives him a pep talk. Wolverine’s healing factor also helps him out as they team up to fight Deathstrike and her lackeys. It was a pretty fun comic and definitely shows how tough Wolverine can be.

As the Xmen adventures continue, The Freedom Force attacks once again, but this time they’re after the Xmen themselves! Once again, the Xmen are being defeated, but I’m sure that they would have made a comeback. Rachel was the most disappointing since the Phoenix should make short work of these guys. Luckily the Police chase them off. Rachel also starts to have nightmares where she destroys Wolverine or he ends up destroying her. They both begin to feel the damage in the real world which is a problem.

Rachel decides to avenge one of her friends that Selene destroyed. She heads to the mansion and quickly defeats her, but Wolverine gives her an ultimatum. Turn back, or he’ll have to end her. Rachel doesn’t care and attempts to finish Selene off, but Wolverine is quicker. Rachel barely survives and escapes, but now things get tricky. The Hellfire Club goes out to take Rachel down, while the Xmen are also looking for her. She’s far too weakened to defend herself, but the other two groups are busy fighting. Things really get interesting once Nimrod appears. He makes short work of both groups, but with the power of Heroics, they manage to fend him off. Rachel decides to dance her way out of this and goes into a portal. Unfortunately, it may not have been her best move!

The final comic involves Mojo and he shrinks them down to size. Not much to say about this comic. It was all right, but the New Mutants got too much screen time and the Xmen didn’t look so good. They can’t always look good I suppose, but it’s just embarrassing how often they get mind controlled.

The character roster was very good. This collection helped me gain a lot of respect for Nimrod and he’s definitely a very cool character. I think he’s now in my top 5 Xmen villains and you can expect him to be appearing on the site soon. Cyclops was pretty cool as well, but things take a turn for the worse towards the end. Magneto was pretty good and I can’t really complain about the Xmen. Storm losing her powers was pretty annoying, but hardly her fault.

I didn’t like any of the New Mutants. They all talked really tough, but they could never win when it counted. Rogue was pretty tough, but her power is constantly backfiring on her. Wolverine was still the best Xmen in this collection and he seems to be the toughest. That healing factor comes in handy and he never gives up. Colossus and Shadowcat appeared a lot, but they didn’t really do anything that was very important. Professor Xavier was also a non factor for this collection.

The Beyonder was intriguing, but his ending was anticlimatic. Still, I can see why he was a threat in The Secret Wars. His abilities are pretty fun to watch and I’m glad that he talks tough. Most cosmic entities forget that trash talking is the best part about being a villain. The Freedom Force is all right, but they looked much tougher than they should have. Just a minor complaint of course.

This was definitely a solid Xmen collection and it had a lot of action. It’s easily the best comic I’ve read in a while and probably in my top 5 Xmen collections. The art was very well done and has aged well. This was back during the golden age of comics for me and reminds me why I miss those days. I highly recommend this comic to all readers.

Overall 8/10

Transformers is a huge franchise and just about everyone knows about the Decepticons and Autobots. I’d even say that Transformers is a household name at this point. Many people grew up watching the original show, (Which was awesome!) while the others went and saw The Transformers Trilogy in theaters. (Which may give people the wrong impression about the franchise) Transformers just had a very positively received show in the form of Transformers Prime, which can only help to solidify it’s popularity.

Transformers Regeneration is a comic series that is meant to be a direct sequel to the 80 issue series that was created a loooong time ago. I’ve always enjoyed Generation 1 of Transformers the most, so it was good to see that part of the franchise, getting the spotlight. While you don’t need to read the original series to jump into this one, I would recommend it. You’ll have a better feel for the characters if you do and the emotional moments will have a much bigger impact.

It has been years since the Autobots left Earth and returned to Cybertron. It has been a time of peace for over a decade, but you can never count the Decepticons out! Some of the bots feel that Optimus Prime has lost his edge, are they right? After being brought back to the realm of the living, Prime is definitely a changed person. He’s more of a pacifist than ever, which isn’t a bad thing. The only problem is that he seems to ignore the problems that are right in front of him.

Kup takes a squad to Earth, but they were unprepared for what awaits. The humans (That are left) are pretty upset and you can’t help but agree with them. How could the Autobots just leave and not even keep a security camera active or send patrols once in a while? Optimus Prime leads a group of Autobots to Earth to end this eternal battle once and for all! Can he defeat Megatron!? Prime’s battle against Megatron is easily the best part of the comic. The art is solid and the character’s personalities are done justice.

Grimlock has a sideplot where he is searching for a way to regain his ability to transform. He is desperate enough, that he is heading to confront Scorponock about it. It’s a pretty risky plan, since Scorponock is so tough, but maybe it’ll pan out. While Grimlock is away on his journey, and Prime has taken the Autobot warriors to Earth, where does that leave Cybertron? Well, Rodimus Prime is there, but they definitely don’t have much in the way of firepower at this point. The Neo-Decepticons are ready to take over on and there doesn’t seem to be anything that the Autobots can do.

This was definitely a solid way to start the new Transformers series. It feels like a continuation of the old series and quite a few plot points have already been established. The characters are very interesting to read about and they are consistent with their original G1 counterparts. (In short, nearly every character in the volume was cool. A drastic change from the average comic) Optimus Prime is a very different bot. Coming back to life can change a fellow I suppose, but it wasn’t for the better. Optimus Prime is still a good leader and he does bounce back from the event. All he needed was a little goading from Megatron. After that happens, it’s the Prime that we all know and love.

The art is very solid and it makes the fight scenes even more epic. Optimus Prime’s fight against Megatron was definitely iconic and not a battle that I’ll be forgetting anytime soon. With all of these villains on the loose, this should definitely be a long series. The Neo Decepticon plot by itself could be a few volumes and that’s not including Scorponock or the plot on Earth. I recommend this volume to all Transformers fans, or fans of other mecha series. Even if you just want to read a fun action comic, this is the collection for you!

Overall 7/10

As you saw in my review of Volume 2, I enjoyed the last volume a lot. It was a big step up from the first volume and things were definitely getting high tier. The fate of the Earth hung in the balance and all of the villain’s were making their move. Unfortunately, this collection lacks a lot of what made the 2nd volume so great, but it was still end to the arc.

The last volume ended with the Marvel Universe teaming up to stop the Kree from destroying Earth, while the FF went to deal with the Inhumans. Well, none of that is shown in this comic. Instead we get a mild time skip and we see the kids land in the Arctic. They managed to translocate themselves to Dr Doom’s lair. Apparently they were attacked by Annihilus, so they were forced to escape. Dr Doom sends some Doombots to escort them to the mansion. Nathaniel is still talking tough and acting as if he’s smarter than Reed Richards. Albeit, it is a “fake” Reed so he’s not quite as smart. Dr Doom still has the collar around him, so he can’t defy Reed or he will basically become a mindless zombie. Dr Doom’s son is also around, but he doesn’t really get to help out.

A large part of the comic is Valeria having an inner monologue. She made several deals with various characters and continues to be a key part in ending this fight. She builds her own Lightsaber and the group gets ready to fight their ultimate battle. The Celestials have arrived and they aren’t here to have fun. Franklin holds them at bay for a little while, but then it’s time for Dr Doom and Reed Richards to give it a shot. In the meantime, the others take on one of the Celestial’s fingers. (Which can transform into a robot)

Reed Richards has the Infinity Gauntlet so he should be “All Powerful”. Not to mention that he also obtained the Ultimate Nullifier as well. Unfortunately, no gadget can make you obtain unlimited power (Unlike Bass, who possesses it normally) so Reed is defeated. Dr Doom holds his own for a few seconds, but the Celestials won’t be stopped. Finally, Franklin Richards of the future and Galactus come to even the odds.

After that, we get another time skip, so we don’t get to see the fight….which is pretty disappointing. The Fantastic Four and the Avengers are back home. They start to make repairs and also ground Valeria for saving the world behind their backs and not being very trustworthy. Spiderman takes it all in stride and heads off, but Human Torch decides that they should be roommates. The comic ends with Dr Doom finding something…interesting!

The Fantastic Four were absent for just about the whole time, so they looked pretty bad. The Celestials took them out pretty easily. The Celestials also didn’t seem to be that smart and while they’re “Really Tough” they just felt like really big Sentinels. I didn’t like any of the kids, but Dr Doom was cool. He kept his composure through the entire battle and met his end like a true her-villain. Franklin Richards (Future) was pretty good for the most part, and I’m glad that he’s actually fighting. (He should have stayed around for the Age of Ultron.)

This collection was good, but it was definitely missing a lot of things. It’s sad for readers of the series, since they skip most of the battles. Marvel expects you to transfer series (Or buy them both) to read the whole adventure. That’s pretty disappointing and the art also takes a major dip for the first half. The art gets better for the climax, but that definitely didn’t help matters. I’d still recommend it to the average fan, but don’t expect to see the Avengers or the Fantastic Four for very long. This story is really about the Future Foundation. Maybe that’s how it should have been all along…..or not. Either way, we still got to see the Dr Doom and Reed vs Celestials fight, which was pretty fun. One thing I’ve always liked about FF comics, is the epic dialogue. Reed’s definitely smarter than the other Marvel geniuses. So, hurry and check this comic out guys!

Overall 7/10

This book had a pretty ambitious plot. How could a kid save the strongest comic book character of all time? It was definitely a bold move, but did it pay off? I don’t think so, since there’s no logical way for it to happen. As a result, Superman’s durability is pretty bad, but you still end up admiring his courage in the face of certain defeat.

Hakeem is the main character and he’s always wanted to be a Geologist. Hakeem knows many things about caves and rocks, but he hasn’t been able to prove himself to the world just yet. He’s still a kid, so the others haven’t been able to notice his greatness. Hakeem gets his big chance when his group heads for a cave. The others stop to take a look at the regulations, but Hakeem goes in. He doesn’t think that backup will be needed, but is he right?

Meanwhile, Superman’s flying at a pretty solid speed. He makes sure to remind the audience that he can’t stop natural disasters (Since when?) and he just needs to try and save the people who are in danger. He stops a flood by melting it, but it was a close call. He hears the calls of the group and decides that he’ll save Hakeem. Superman’s pretty brave, but he never stood a chance! Let’s just say that this cave is more deadly than it appears.

This may have been Superman’s closest call and he nearly died. In the end, Hakeem had to step up and prove to everyone what a great geologist he was. He’s also smarter than Superman in that regard. (Superman confirms this when he says that Hakeem noticed the earthquake line first…) I honestly felt bad for Superman, since the ending is pretty humiliating for him. He got beaten both physically and mentally in this book and he had to tell everyone about it. This Superman book was very short and barely cracked 40 pages. It definitely wasn’t as fun as the other Superman books, but it was a decent read. It’s always fun to see Superman finally meet his match! I recommend the book if you don’t like Superman, or if you like to see him beat up. I’d also recommend it, if you just want a school story that features Superman in it for a guest star appearance. As I mentioned earlier, it’s barely 40 pages. It’s not like this is going to take away 2 hours of your life. (Bring It On…..)

Overall 6/10

The FF series started on a pretty high note with volume 1, but this volume takes it to a whole new level! The stakes have definitely risen and the villain’s are all making their moves. The ending is pretty ambitious and makes you wonder about the other ongoing Marvel series.

Suffice to say, the Fantastic Four/Future Foundation seem to be a little out of their league. They round up some tough villains and head off to stop the evil Reed Richards and also make sure that the Inhumans don’t do something that they’ll regret. Black Bolt is back and he’s a very changed man. He’s ready to stop his enemies with any means necessary and the Inhumans never were total “Heroes” now were they? The Kree is also readying their forces and they are prepared to destroy Earth.

Earth is a pretty big threat so I can see why many villains would want to destroy it. Without Earth, over 80% of the notable heroes are gone and the Marvel Universe would be defenseless. The comic is mostly a large battle between the Inhumans and the High Evolution’s men. Not to mention that the Reed Richards are also here to shake things up. The fight is definitely cool to watch and having a huge climax is always a must.

The heroes quickly realize that they may be out of their depth in this round. Reed Richards, Spiderman, and Reed’s father, head into the portal. It will take them where they need to be. Spiderman’s was a little disappointing, but he does (Help to) think of a good plan. Mr Fantastic decides that the FF may need help for once, so they call in _______. I can’t spoil the best part of the comic for you guys! Needless to say, this help is definitely going to pay off big time.

Mr Fantastic and Invisible Woman were pretty solid. Sue is just waiting for her chance to take the villains down and Mr Fantastic has thought of the ultimate plan of action. The Thing wasn’t a great character in this batch. Not only did he leave his friends for a while, but he pretty much embarrasses himself in the meeting. Dr Doom was also pretty good and he did a lot of damage against overwhelming odds. Unfortunately, he went up against the smartest character in Marvel.

The Inhumans were pretty uninteresting. I’ve never cared for the team and they’re basically a watered down “Xmen” group. (How they fended off the Shiar, I’ll never know!) All of the villains that the FF hired (Aside from Dr Doom) weren’t that great either. When the chips are down, I wouldn’t count on them! The Supreme Intelligence gets smarter by the second and he may have finally created the perfect plan. With Ronan by his side, they make for a pretty solid team.

Nathaniel Richards is all right, but I definitely wouldn’t call him smarter than Reed. He’s decently tough and I’m hoping that we get to see him in action soon. We also can’t forget about Annihilus’ subplot. He’s also getting ready to make his final move.

No matter how you slice it, things look like they’re coming to the end. The only boring part of the comic would be the subplot about the kids. They’re trying to show us how smart the kids are, but I’m hoping for some action next time. Perhaps they will get to help in the future. Meanwhile, the rest of the non-stop action and explosions was pretty epic! The series seems to be one of Marvel’s best.

Overall 8/10