Xmen is definitely a pretty big franchise and there are a lot of different series currently being written. This series is about Storm’s group of Xmen who stop threats that could endanger the other groups. So, big shots like Cyclops and Wolverine aren’t really present, but a comic should be able to succeed even without them.

A mad scientist finds the bodies of many ancient mutants that he uses to create mutant monsters of immense power. There was a flaw in the design so they aren’t very stable, but they are pretty dangerous nonetheless. The Xmen find out about this danger and they head out to find all of the samples and secure them before the government or other unwanted parties have a chance to do so.

The team of Xmen that Storm has assembled are Pixie, Psylocke, Domino, and Colossus. Definitely not the strongest team of fighters out there, but they can still tackle this threat with ease. Storm makes some pretty risky calls and even tries to keep Cyclops out of the loop. Cyclops didn’t get the role of leadership by staying on the sidelines and he takes steps to find out what has been going on. Aside from some decisions, Storm was still pretty good, but it was a little uncharacteristic when she threatened Colossus. Could she back up her brave words? It would be close, but I think that Colossus would be able to win that battle.

Domino is all right in this comic, but she just looks a little weak. Likewise with Colossus and Psylocke. They just feel like they’re all talk in this comic, but there wasn’t a real enemy to battle in this story. That could be why they didn’t look so impressive. Pixie isn’t a fighter, but at least she continues to master her teleportation and is quickly becoming the team’s greatest asset. As I said earlier, there are no real villains to discuss in this comic.

The art is all right for the most part, but it takes a dip during the 2nd half. The scene with Cyclops telling Storm about how tricky the situation is, was probably the worst part of the comic for the art. The art also had other scenes where it dipped and it’s certainly not going to be a selling point in this comic.

Overall I’d say that it was an all right Xmen comic. Probably a little more boring than an Xmen title tends to be, but it can’t always live up to its name. Considering that there was no real fight scenes or any sense of danger, the comic was decently good. I’d recommend this comic if you want to know more about the mutants of the past, or you just want a break from the usual mutants like Cyclops and Wolverine.

Overall 6/10

The Incredible Hulk is definitely one of the more popular Marvel characters out there and he’s been through a lot. This particular graphic novel features the Crossroads arc, but that one was hardly my favorite. Still, it’s the Hulk so you can’t go wrong….right!?

After Nightmare messed with Hulk’s mind, Dr Strange was “forced” to banish him from earth and into the Crossroads. (Even though it was Nightmare’s fault) The Crossroads is a place between dimensions. It contains countless portals that lead into different worlds, all of which were specifically picked so that the Hulk wouldn’t be able to harm anyone. He also placed a spell on the Hulk, so that he would be warped back to the Crossroads if he became discontent. The plan was foolproof right? There is also a comic that retells Hulk’s origin, but makes sure to add a lot of tragic and sad scenes to make his life even more miserable. I have to say that it’s a bit unneeded (Since he’s one of the most tragic heroes of all time as it is!) but I guess it may help you to sympathize with him even more. The origin feels like something out of Xmen.

Well, the problem with making sure that the worlds wouldn’t be hurt by Hulk was…that they were all massively stronger than the Hulk. Personally, I thought that the comics didn’t do a good job on showing us that. Instead the Hulk appeared to be much weaker than usual. Of course, that’s usually the case without Bruce Banner inside of him (Did I mention that Bruce Banner died psychically?) Things definitely got dicey for the Hulk and if you don’t like the Crossroads; I’m afraid that you’ll be spending a long time there.

The Hulk is the main character of course and he gets a lot of screen time. For the most part he doesn’t have that much of a mind and he’s a rampaging monster. Later on, he starts to grow smarter and smarter, but he does tend to regress back to his savage state. The Hulk is a decent protagonist, but he’s definitely not the greatest one. I prefer when the Hulk can think, but preferably when he doesn’t have to talk that much. (Unless he’s World War Hulk!)

The Puffball Collective is another major character. He/She/It is stuck on the Crossroads and it unable to get out. They try to go after the Hulk whenever he visits a planet, but to no avail. Eventually the Hulk gets a space crew to help him save the Puffballs. Then, there is a big plot twist about the Puffballs. It was definitely in line with what usually happens to the Hulk.

The Hulk created 3 monsters based off of his emotions and personalities. (If they’re who I think they are, then they lead into a pretty epic arc for the Hulk later on) One symbolizes his rage, The 2nd symbolizes his reason, and the 3rd is his intelligence and survival instincts. They help the Hulk comprehend what is happening and guide him through the tough parts. I can’t say that I really cared for them, but they at least added some dialogue to the comics.

The Hulk meets the Alpha Flight over time and they were the protagonists of that comic. They did all right, but they were definitely outmatched from the beginning. “The Hulk is the strongest there is” is what the catchphrase is after all and it may ring true in this particular comic. Dr Strange makes many cameos, but mostly to wonder if he did the right thing. The Hulk also tackles the U Foes and they definitely gave him a good fight. Their abilities are pretty lethal.

The Hulk went through many planets and I wouldn’t be able to name them all, but some examples include: A Desert Planet, A planet ruled by dead skeletons, A planet where the green civilization was taken over, A planet filled with explosive fruit, A planet filled with giant monsters, A planet where a human landed and quickly became king, etc.

Overall, this was definitely one of my least favorite Hulk arcs. The premise was interesting, but I didn’t care for many of the planets that he visited. Also, I’m used to the Hulk smashing anyone who gets in his way. I’m afraid that things rarely go that way. Still, the comic was good overall and I’d recommend it to Hulk fans mostly. Some of the comics can be good popcorn fun and it’s always cool to see the Hulk have his moments of glory.

Overall 6/10

I’ve only read one G Man comic in the past, so checking out the first trade paperback would be a good way to truly check out the series. While the comic mixes comedy with action, it does a much better job than Tiny Titans and even the Incredibles. The comic is definitely a blast to read and the cast is already pretty solid.

The plot begins with Mikey learning how to fly. It’s a tough job, but in the end he finds his magical cape and learns that flying’s a piece of cake. His brother Dave manages to get a piece of the cape and turns it into a belt. Both of them can fly and they get stronger after each battle. The magical cape builds up an immunity so that no attack will work on them twice. It’s definitely a pretty handy tool to have, but they haven’t gotten into many fights yet. The ploy changes a little as they get to meet alternate versions of themselves and the fate of many universes hang in the balance. It was all very climatic, but the ending may surprise some readers.

G Man (Mikey’s new superhero name) is a pretty solid protagonist and he’s not afraid to stand up for what’s right. Once he’s got an idea, he always makes sure to stand by it. He’s currently the best character of the series and he even switched his costume at one point. (Superboy Prime style!)

Great Man (Dave’s new name) is also pretty solid and he’s the 2nd best character in the comic. He’s quicker to fight and he’s not as lenient as G Man. So when Kid Thunder attacked him, Great Man just took him down. He doesn’t let any character mess with him and he’s also pretty tricky.

G Man has some friends like Billy Demon and Sparky. Sparky’s pretty fast, but he hasn’t gotten that much screentime yet so it’s a little early to judge him. Billy Demon is also an average character and I wouldn’t say that I’m a fan. Mr. G is one of the better characters in this comic and he makes sure that everyone stays off of his lawn. Thunderman is one of the big heroes of the city, but I can’t say that I’m impressed. I’ll be waiting for him to take on some opponents at some point.

This comic was definitely a nice start to the series and it may be just the beginning! This comic series could grow up to be one of the bigger ones. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what they do in the next graphic novel. Naturally I recommend this comic to all comic fans, or just anyone who likes to read a fun comic once in a while.

Overall 7/10

Marvel Adventures are basically kid friendly comics that are suitable for all ages. This one brings together a couple of comics that all have their own unique plots so I’ll talk about each one of them in turn and then wrap it all up at the end. One thing you should know is that the title is pretty misleading since Spiderman doesn’t get a huge role.

The first story deals with a Super Dog that has escaped from shield and may be heading over to the villanous Leader. The Leader is a pretty smart guy, so if he obtained the dog (And the vast amounts of knowledge that he possesses) Shield could be in a lot of trouble. Luckily She Hulk, Tigra, and Spiderman are around to help save the day. It’s an all right comic and there’s a brief action scene, but the art looks pretty bad. Spiderman and pals also don’t really look that impressive and they’re lucky that they outnumbered the Leader.

Another story was about Hawkeye and the Blonde Phantom. They had to stop the Banner Bandits from scaring people and getting away with stolen money. They messed up pretty badly the first time, but eventually they get a rematch. The story was all right, but definitely not that exciting and once again the art wasn’t that good.

The next story was easily the worst and it was about the Hulk and Tigra. They won an award, but when they attended the ceremonies..Mysterio attacked! With his illusions, he actually made things close and if not for Tigra’s singing, all could have been lose. There was never a sense of danger in this comic and the art was the worst by far.

Finally, the last story featured Spider Woman, Giant Girl, and the Beast. They had to solve a mystery of what happened to Hercules. Well, the story starts off on an “epic” note as you wonder who could have defeated Hercules, but the more the mystery unfolds, the more you realize that it wasn’t that impressive. Nobody really defeated Hercules and the anti climatic battle is just a little scuffle against Hydra.

I’d say that this comic was only barely good and definitely not as fun as most of the marvel comics out there. The art definitely held it back a lot and the dialogue was a little too kiddy. The fight scenes were all right, but they were scarce and pretty short. If you are really desperate to read a marvel comic, then this one is all right. Of course, I’d otherwise recommend checking out a real marvel comic like X Sanction.

Overall 6/10

The Essentials is a series of large collections of comics that Marvel puts into a big book. One unique feature of these Essentials, is that the comics are now published in black and white. I don’t think that was a great move, but reading it in black and white is still enjoyable. This collection brings together a lot of Warlock comics, as well as issues of other series in which he appears.

The collection mainly deals with his adventures on Counter Earth and the rise of the Magus (Which leads into the Thanos arc that concludes the collection. On his adventures in Counter Earth, he meets alternate versions of other marvel characters like Reed Richards and Dr Doom. In this world, they never obtained supernatural abilities and Dr Doom was a good person. Warlock had to find the Man Beast and stop him from corrupting more and more people. The President definitely didn’t make things easy, but a group of teenagers allied with Warlock to help his cause.

After Warlock left counter earth, he found out about the Magus whose evil had been spreading across the cosmos. Warlock knew that he couldn’t stand a chance in a battle with the Magus at the time, but he went to go challenge the Magus, meeting up with Gamora, Thanos, and Pip along the way. The best part of this arc was easily Thanos’s battle against the Magus. Both of these titans wielded immense power and Warlock felt pretty outmatched against them.

Finally, Thanos revealed his ultimate plan and Warlock had to band together a group of powerful allies to stop him. The Avengers naturally came to take down Thanos and his vast army of alien ships. If their might wouldn’t prove enough, they had backup in the form of The Amazing Spider Man and the Thing.

Warlock made for a pretty good main character. He definitely goes through a lot of development during the course of these comics. At first he’s a pretty optimistic person who’s ready to help the humans overcome evil. Eventually during the Magus arc, he starts to have some pretty serious doubts about the whole thing. He went insane and his gem started to have a will of its own. After he finished with the Magus, Warlock now has a very convoluted mind. He could remember things that occurred in the future and past which hadn’t happened anymore due to time travel, but he also remembered what did happen. Not to mention that both things overlap at some points including Warlock’s battle against himself.

It’s only natural that all of this got to him and Warlock lost all of his cheerfulness and optimism. He withdrew to himself and became a pretty mysterious individual. During the final comics he’s in a state of rage and is ready to avenge the lives of his friends at the hands of Thanos. Warlock initially never used his gem unless he had no choice, (Since the gem steals a person’s soul, meaning that they will never get to pass on to the next world) but eventually he starts to use it more and more. In the final comics he had begun to use it without hesitation and had a fierce battle with Thanos. Warlock is finally able to experience true peace at the end of the collection and his journey was over.

Along the way Warlock met with other fighters including: The Hulk, The Avengers, The High Evolutionary, The Collector, and Spider Man. For the most part they all looked pretty good. Spider Man had a pivotal role in saving the universe and that window of opportunity was opened by the Avengers. The Collector gave Adam Warlock an incredible fight (Which may have been disastrous for Warlock if the Gardener hadn’t stepped in) and the High Evolutionary kicked everything off with the creation of Counter Earth. From the main characters, Pip the Troll was the only one that I especially disliked. He’s not my type of character and he’s not the best sidekick that a guy could have. He makes a lot of jokes and talks tough, but it can only get a character so far.

Overall, the Warlock collection is pretty good. Granted it’s not the most exciting comic collection out there, but it is pretty solid. Their is a lot of cosmic action in the 2nd half and you’ll meet some high tier villains like the Star Thief, Thanos, and the Magus. The plot is also pretty interesting and I’d recommend this collection to all comic fans.

Overall 7/10