The Defenders have always been a dicey group since their rosters never seem to stick around for very long. Members come and go faster than you can order a fresh slice of pizza at your local cafe. This is the 7th volume of the bundles that bring plenty of Defender comics and pretty much all of the original members have left. The roster may be different, but the Defenders are still needed to handle threats that no other Superhero group can be bothered with. Their skills know no bounds and they do have experience. Was the Defenders as fun as the last few Essentials? No, but it’s still worth a read. Let’s talk about why that’s the case!

The plots for most of the comics are different with a few of the storylines connecting through a few comics. The team’s first big threat is a government official who turns into a giant man who wants to destroy them. He doesn’t like superheroes and he knows that destroying them will make the world a better place. He’s not really a threat to people as powerful as the Defenders, which is why I had to wince during most of the fight. This shouldn’t even be a fight!

Next up, we had some robots who attacked the mansion and also kidnapped Cloud. The Defenders had never been so humiliated in their life! This also came at a tricky moment for the group since they had been having a lot of doubts. The team decides that they will go after her and win this time! There’s also a tricky moment when Professor Power takes Dolly as a hostage, but that is why we have someone with telepathy! Unfortunately, the Defenders are soon captured and forced to fight against the New mutants! The New Mutants don’t really have a chance against these experienced veterans. How will they be able to survive such a fight!?

The series started to reach its peak when the Defenders decided to help two secret agents stop a drug trade. The actual threat was minimal and there wasn’t a real sense of danger. The reason why the comic was cool was because they hinted at the threat of Manslaughter and because the two detectives were pretty epic. Their names were Cutlass and Typhoon and they were pretty epic. These characters were very experienced and they knew what to do to win. Cutlass was constantly mocking the heroes and the Defenders could never stop him. He’s just too bold and too experienced. They didn’t want to dare and cross this guy!

After the events had unfolded, Manslaughter was hired to destroy the Defenders and it was easily the best comic of the batch. Beast wasn’t home when Manslaughter had started the threats so they quickly brought him up to speed. This guy never left a psychic presence and he was very fast. Defeating this guy may prove to be difficult or even impossible! The Beast is skeptical, but they all prepare for a deadly battle. After all, this guy doesn’t take prisoners!

After that, we get some one shot comics. A magician takes control of the Gargoyle and forced him to destroy and destroy! There’s a man who is impervious to fire and he decides to burn things to the ground and the Defenders are forced to step in. The final comic deals with the gravest threat yet as a group of trolls attack the Defenders and the heroes are quickly overrun.

The moral in the final comic is definitely sketchy and I can’t say that I agreed with it. Moondragon had to prove her humility by resisting the urge to help her friends. The only way to save them would have been to take off her headband and regain her true powers. Sure, it’s against Odin’s divine order, but it would save her friends. Jaden Yuki showed his courage when he said that he would become a devil in order to save his friends and he did just that. For Jaden, saving his friends was worth it no matter what the cost to himself. This sacrifice would not be nearly as large and she has proven herself time and time again to be a hero. The heroes got saved anyway through a nice degree of plot hax and sudden plot twists, but I don’t agree with Moondragon’s decision to stay her hand. It worked since she is now back to full power, but Odin continues to confuse everyone and make them commit to choices that may not have been the right ones.

The Iceman miniseries was definitely a lot different from what you may expect. He goes back to his hometown for his father’s party, but things get dicey when he finds out that he’s next door neighbors with a group of people that he’s never seen before. A group of sinister individuals attack him while he’s hanging out with one of the neighbors and the villains announce that she is a part of Oblivion. Iceman must embark on a very trippy adventure where he has to fight a being who is all powerful. The girl also has powers beyond his comprehension and he doesn’t take everything in stride. I just didn’t like this miniseries. Iceman wasn’t a good main character and the resolution to the whole thing was definitely sketchy. I don’t think that Iceman made the right move this time.

The Beast miniseries was much worse as the Beast decided to go to hollywood. He sees the Dazzler, but then she is taken to an underground arena where they trick her into thinking that she’s a star. Eventually, they decide to stop tricking her and just force her into fighting others in the arena. She believes that the people aren’t dying and doesn’t believe the truth despite the obvious signs and the fact that someone dies in front of her. The Beast must try to show her that being a mutant isn’t that bad and all stars must go out at some point. The whole tale was just really boring and Dazzler just wasn’t a good character. How these guys get away with all of that in Hollywood while an Avenger is there is just beyond me. Why didn’t Beast summon the proper authorities to arrest those guys? It definitely would have been the right call. I’m just glad that the other members didn’t get any miniseries to themselves!

Iceman has mutant abilities that far outstrip those of the average superhero. That being said, this is probably the worst version of him that I have ever seen. The problem is that he can’t seem to think about anyone other than Moondragon. It’s not as bad as Angel given the circumstances, but it’s still pretty bad. He needs to learn to just keep his focus on the mission at hand and not fall into such distracting thoughts. Power wise, he seems to be a little more of a joke than usual. I prefer when he’s given some credit like in the original comics. After reading his fight against Spiderman, (Okay, I read that fight after I read the comic, but it had the same effect) one could tell that his character development went out the window.

I can’t say that he looked much better in his miniseries either. Oblivion has split and now there was a girl who had some of his essence in her, but she did not want to merge with him again. Iceman and Oblivion basically forced the decision on her and while she agreed with it in the end, it was a classic case of peer pressure. Not the best way to show that he’s a hero eh? He realized the true value of friendship and got along with his parents in the end…after completely wrecking his father’s party. He was also responsible for a cookie shortage in the party, but that’s another story. This just wasn’t the accurate portrayal of Iceman that I was looking for.

The Beast is all right, but he’s not at his best. I like when Beast basically mocks all who stand in his way by using extremely large word and making puns. He doesn’t really do that much anymore, but he still gets to talk a pretty good game. He always gives Moondragon a good time and he’s also pretty edge with Leap Frog. He’s apparently nervous when on a stage and he nearly gives up on Dazzler. These comics were pretty trying for him and he tried to pull through. I just couldn’t get myself to root for him. There was something about his character that just kept him from being an epic person. He still beats his fellow Xmen members, so that’s a start!

Angel is a pretty bad character and he’s about as bad (If not worse than!) as Iceman. He’s always thinking about Moondragon and he can’t get his head in the game. The reason why he may be worse than Iceman is the fact that Angel already has someone that he is dating. Angel also knows this and he continues to go out on dates, but that isn’t really fair now is it? Angel needs to get over himself and try to make the team better. If Angel had been taken off of the team along with Iceman, then the series would have been better. Angel just doesn’t have the strength of character to be on the team and not enough to be a good character either.

Moondragon has joined the team, but it is not as willingly as the other members. (At first anyway) She still has the headband on that limits her abilities because of previous events. Odin has given it to her and she cannot take it off until she has showed true humility. She tries to earn the trust of the Defenders, but Iceman/Angel are a lost cause since they’re basically broken at this point. The members seem to think that she isn’t sincere or that she is subtly influencing them. The headband limits her abilities, but she can override that by enduring a lot of pain. It can be tough for her since the team tends to blow up a lot, but she also makes the situation tough on herself. It’s one of those cases where the members just aren’t on the same page. She’ll apologize and they scoff at her. Then they’ll apologize, but she’s too upset to hear it. This keeps on happening for quite a few comics. She proves herself in the end, but due to pressure…she doesn’t make the best call. It’s decent and it’s not a bad call, but she was prevented from making the best choice possible in the final comic. Odin does like to make sure that the characters have a tough time. (Ignoring that Valkyrie should have easily defeated the trolls anyway)

It is also tough for Moondragon at one point when she lets Gargoyle look into her soul. She’s positive that she is a true hero at this point, but Gargoyle refuses to help her get the headband off since it’s too dangerous. He quickly faints, but before losing consciousness, he tells the other members to beware Moondragon. Epic last lines and a definite way to get the other members to distrust Moondragon once again. He definitely did not help her case, but Moondragon continues to try. She gets the most development from the members and while she can still act pretty arrogant at times, she does continue to try to be a better person.

Valkyrie was my favorite member of the group and she seemed to be the only one that kept her previous experience from other comics. The Beast has been on several groups and Angel/Iceman should also have a lot of battle experience. The problem is that they all don’t act like experienced veterans. Luckily, Valkyrie does, but she seems to have had a decrease in power. She seems to be surprised when the enemies are able to defeat her, but then she looks to be at her full power in other comics. Her power levels seemed to fluctuate a lot so maybe it’s some kind of subplot. Her Dragonslayer sword is pretty impressive and she’s usually the first member to react to trouble. It’s definitely good for the team that she was around since Valkyrie seems to be their only heavy hitter.

Cloud is a bit of an interesting character. She starts out as a girl, but then realizes that with her cloud powers she can also be a guy. That’s why it’s always tricky to be a shapeshifter. When you first realize that you have powers, you have to consider the possibilities. What if you shifted into the other gender while you were a baby? Powers usually don’t develop for a while, but it is possible. What if Cloud has been living a lie? That being said, I’m pretty sure that Cloud was originally a girl, so switching was pretty weird. The team is giving her a really hard time about it so she’s still hesitant about which one to choose. Cloud isn’t really a likable character and while her powers are very lethal, she’s just not someone that you can really root for. Of course, that goes for most of the members on the team.

Dazzler is even worse than Cloud because she has never looked so bad. She appeared during the Beast miniseries and I was shocked by how much she’d changed. During the 90’s show, Dazzler may not have been much of a fighter, but she was still a hero. In the miniseries, Dazzler is taken to an underground arena where people beat each other up. The rest of the plot I have already mentioned, but the point is…why didn’t she just leave? She didn’t want to feel like an outsider, but that was all that she was doing. Going into the ring and beating up people for the audience is about as low as it can get. There were a lot of times where she began to enjoy the rush and it showed that she is easily corruptible. That was definitely not a flattering appearance for her and I can only hope that she looks better in future appearances.

The Walrus has a very tragic back story and he underwent many experiments. Eventually, they succeeded and he was empowered with the proportional strength of a Walrus! He’s a lot stronger than you may suspect and he effortlessly takes down the Angel, Beast, and Iceman. He’s just so much stronger than them that it isn’t even funny. He proves his superiority as he continues to make them look bad in front of a large crowd. He’s a very sympathetic person and I was rooting for him during the entire fight. He may be the only super villain that can really match up against Spiderman! The proportional strength of a Walrus is no joke after all!

Leap Frog is a deadly character who is always underestimated. He was actually pretty cool and it was up to him to save the day! He wanted to join the Defenders, so he crashed the Beast’s big speech and proved that he could keep up with him athletically. After the Walrus proceeded to dismantle the entire team, Leap Frog quickly stepped in to set things straight. He’s actually a decent fighter and I hope that he appears more in the future issues. He definitely got the shaft in this collection, which was a little disappointing. He’s definitely a hero that you can root for and he quickly became the best guest star in the comic. At least….the best guest hero! (The Walrus is just as epic!)

Gargoyle is one of the Defenders, but he does not fight as often as the other members. He’s actually a really old person, but thanks to this demon form that he now possesses…he’s in the prime of his youth! His abilities can be pretty fearsome in battle, but he has not learned how to wield them all at the moment. A sorcerer took control of him and forced him to unlock some of his abilities, but he could not get them back under control when he became a hero again. He’s definitely a lot stronger than he looks, but he’s not as eager to do battle as the rest of the cast. He’s a good character, but he can be a little trying at times. If he has such power, then he should use it to save his friends!

Candy is Angel’s friend and she has a lot of connections with the cops and the government when needed. She’s bailed the heroes out a few times and finally got to see a reward for her efforts as she became the leader of the Defenders. It was a pretty intense moment for her, but she took the news pretty well. She doesn’t get a huge role in the comics, but she was a decent character. It would be nice if she obtained powers, but not everyone needs powers to be cool!

Dolly is the Defenders version of Jarvis and she can be pretty quick on the draw. The villains don’t really seem to faze her and she takes the whole thing in stride. She made friends with Gargoyle and they both tried to cope with how intense the modern world had become. Dolly makes sure to remind the Defenders that they usually don’t make sensible decisions, but she did agree on their choice for the leader of the group. Without Dolly, I’m sure that the comic would not have been quite as fun. It’s too bad that she didn’t attain a lot of popularity like Jarvis or Alfred.

Manslaughter is an assassin who was hired to destroy the Defenders and he was a pretty intense villain. He was able to move so quickly that he could threaten all of the characters without them even noticing his presence. He could have destroyed Iceman if he had pleased at the beginning and he had a clear shot at all of them. Unfortunately, the plot was a little too ambitious considering that Manslaughter is basically a human level threat. There’s no way that he should have been able to defeat Valkyrie. I can (almost) believe the fact that he could beat the others, but definitely not her. There is a plot twist at the end, but it doesn’t change the fact that he basically had them all at his mercy. The twist is also a little unbelievable for several characters, but at least the writers tried to make things right. Dolly also got to go head to head against Manslaughter. One could say that she won since he was tied up and she was practically mocking him. Manslaughter did get his revenge on the Defenders when the sheriff got involved and humiliated the team in front of the assassin.

The Art for the actual comics is pretty solid as expected. We’re starting to get a little more modern with these issues, but they’re still decent. The only problem with the art would be in the covers. Nearly all of the covers look downright terrible and they may make you wince. It looks like they were trying for a live action look and it just made the whole thing pretty hard to look at. This is considering that the covers were in black and white. I can’t imagine how bad they would have looked in color!

Overall, this was another solid essential collection to add to the group and while it was not quite as fun or as engaging as the previous essentials like Daredevil and Fantastic Four, it was still good. The writing was decent and they just didn’t do too well with some of the characters like Iceman and Angel. Cloud wasn’t a very endearing character either and Valkyrie was probably the only likable member. (Moondragon can be a good character, but only sometimes. It really depends on the particular comic) Still, Marvel has cranked out another good villain in the Walrus and I sense a bright future for him. I recommend this comic to the casual comic reader and while it won’t be as interesting as the big league Marvel hero comics, it’s good to learn about more characters right? It still beats reading about Longshot!

Overall 6/10

This collection deals with one of the biggest Spiderman arcs of all time. Not only was it emotionally crushing for Peter Parker, but we also got to see him unleash his full power. There aren’t many people who can even come close to stopping him when he’s unleashed. I’m sure that you may have read some of these comics in the past, but have you ever read both deaths back to back!? Time to see how the collection handles this!

The first three comics deal with Doctor Octopus as he terrorizes the city. He was thought to have perished in a giant airplane explosion that really should have wiped him out. It’s not explained how he lived through it, but I guess we’ll assume that he jumped out of the plane and all of the cameras managed to miss him. He decides that Spiderman will have to be defeated once and for all! Of course, Captain Stacy isn’t going to let that happen if he can help it! The comics are known to be pretty tragic and things can get a little dicey. That being said, it was good to see Spiderman get some action.

The next two comics involved a Corrupt Businessman who wanted more powerful and joined the election for Senator. (Or Mayor…I forgot) He vows to destroy Spiderman and he’s very racist. He basically has all of the makings of a one shot villain and he shouldn’t be a match for Spiderman. That being said…maybe he can take down Peter Parker! Iceman also guest stars for this two parter when he’s forced to confront Spiderman after the web slinger seemingly kidnaps Gwen Stacy.

The final two comics are easily some of the most iconic Spiderman comics in history. The Green Goblin has regained his memories and he wants to make Spiderman pay by kidnapping Gwen Stacy. Spiderman must race against the clock to save her, but he doesn’t realize the true danger and he’s basically taking his time as he goes up against the villain. It doesn’t help that Spiderman is currently sick and very weakened. Can he really defeat the goblin and save Gwen Stacy?

Well, the title of the collection says it all. I can try to bluff my way through the review, but it’s easier to just say Spoilers approaching as a formality before breaking the news. Captain Stacy and Gwen Stacy both die in these comics. It’s why the title is one of those spoiler crushers that makes new readers wince. It does take away a little bit of the tension since you know that they’re going to die. It should have been “Legacy of the Stacys” since it still hints at death, but isn’t as obvious. That being said, we would not have gotten such a collection if their deaths were not so famous. We’re expected to know this already and I’m sure that well over 80% of Marvel fans are already aware of what transpired.

Spiderman is the main lead of the collection and I sincerely hope that you could have guessed that from the title. This was during his braver years and he looks pretty solid for the most part. His plan to prove that he was not Peter Parker to Gwen was Terrible, but everyone makes mistakes at some point. He looks pretty good for most of the comic, but I did not agree with his fight against Doctor Octopus. I’ll go more into it during the review, but that just didn’t make sense to me. I think it’s safe to say that Doctor Octopus was a little overpowered. I also don’t understand why Parker acts so frail and weak at school, but feels that it’s all right to show off his strength while outside. He’s still in Parker form after all. It’s nice to see him talk tough to everyone that gets in his way, but that may be counter productive. I always felt that Spiderman shouldn’t worry so much about his secret identity. How could anyone figure it out anyway!? (heh)

Captain Stacy is another one of the big characters of the collection and he’s a lot smarter than you may suspect at first glance. For one thing, he was able to figure out Parker’s true identity without too much prep time. Granted that Spiderman made it pretty easy for him at times, but it’s still a good feat since the rest of the world doesn’t really seem to have a clue. His death was tragic, but he was a very good character and also a likable one. After seeing him in the comics again, I can definitely confirm that the movie wrecked his character. He wasn’t bad in the original trilogy, but in the new film….Wow! This wasn’t the Captain Stacy that I grew up with.

Gwen Stacy meets her demise as well in this collection, but at least she takes it well. She doesn’t get to appear for very long before that, but she’s a likable character as well. The author admitted that he didn’t like her because she was too perfect, but I don’t see what’s wrong with that. I can agree that perfect characters do have the potential to be “boring”, but that’s usually not the case in my experience. She definitely seems to be a lot more agreeable than her older appearances and she also beats her newer ones. She had a good run, but all good (non fighter) characters must die at some point in the comics. It was just her time.

The Green Goblin is one of the big enemies of the Spiderman collection and he was the first villain to really trigger Spiderman’s rage mode. Spiderman uses that mode a lot more often in the future, but this was really the first major occurrence. Unlike Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin seriously has no shot against a raging Spiderman. I don’t even need to mention the fact that Spiderman’s gone up against powerhouses like the Hulk and Thor. I don’t even need you to recall the time that Spiderman punched Superman off a building. Green Goblin is completely out of his league and he probably shouldn’t have started this fight. If Spiderman had not already been sick and at minimal power, the outcome would have been very different. It’s hard to think of Green Goblin as a cool villain given the circumstances and his wonky plan. He’s definitely not likable in this version and it may make the Ultimate Spiderman TV show appearances a little harder to watch.

Doctor Octopus is a skilled villain in his own right, but he was definitely a little too hyped in these comics. I don’t see why Spiderman would have so much trouble with him. He’s just one man with a couple of extra arms! The metallic attachments that he controls mentally shouldn’t pose any problem for Spiderman and his Spider Sense. His agility should be sufficient to keep Doctor Octopus guessing and he has a lifetime of battle experience at the ready. Anyway that you look at it…Doctor Octopus should be doomed. He’s an all right villain, but his plan was very flawed on all levels. Did he really think that he could get away with hijacking a plane with so many important figures on it. After that, his goal was just to destroy Spiderman. I’ve never liked Doctor Octopus and I find him to be one of Spiderman’s worst enemies.

Iceman’s appearance was definitely unexpected, but very cool. This was back during Iceman’s prime and before he lost all of his development. He is having a good time and he knows that going after Spiderman will shatter most of his future plans. That being said, he goes after Spiderman to save Gwen Stacy because he’s a hero. Iceman is one of the few opponents who was capable of giving Spiderman a good fight, but the web slinger isn’t playing around this time. Once he gets serious, it only takes him a few seconds to take Iceman down. Not for the count, but for long enough that Spiderman was able to get away. Iceman is definitely not as powerful as Spiderman, but he’s still skilled enough to take a hit and keep on coming. This was probably the best appearance for Iceman that I’ve seen in ages.

This was the end of an era for Spiderman. With both of the Stacys dead, Spiderman now realized that with great loss came great sorrow. Aunt May was now one of the last people left to protect and Spiderman would definitely do his best to keep her safe. (The Civil War ended that) Mary Jane also started appearing more and they would ultimately become friends. This was back during Parker’s good days and before he turned into the man that he is today. This was back when he had class and honor. Definitely good (and sad) times for the hero.

The Art for the comics is as solid as always. The old Spiderman comics definitely had a high level of quality and it’s something that you don’t see quite as much in nowadays. We still have a lot of great comics, but we also do have some bad ones. The art is a lot easier to make with computers and current tech, so it’s even more inexcusable to have bad artwork. This was definitely one of Marvel’s happier times.

Overall, this is a solid Spiderman collection. It’s pretty small and it’s under 200 pages, but it does bring some of Spiderman’s biggest stories. It’s definitely a little sadder than the usual Spiderman comic, but it’s still chipper for the most part. It’s only when the deaths are present, that the tone quickly shifts. J Jonah Jameson gets a subplot and Robbie helps him to see the error of his ways. The politician nearly tricked him using his anti Spiderman antics to win him over, but trying to knock off Peter Parker was his big mistake. Robbie and Jonah definitely make for an epic pair of characters and they’re both crucial parts of the Spiderman mythology. This was during a solid part of Marvel’s career and it’s a fun collection to read. I recommend it to all Marvel fans and even to fans who already read the comics when they first came out. Those comics came out a long time ago and they deserve a re read at this point. This will help you to remember how good the writing was in those days.

Overall 7/10

Avengers has had a pretty good TV history through the years. Assemble may not have been a big hit, but EMH and United They Stand were pretty good. This comic collection deals with things that happened in Avengers EMH. Interestingly enough, it is exactly how things happened in the show, so you may only want to get this one if you haven’t seen the episodes yet.

The first comic deals with Dr Doom as he attacks Avengers mansion! He also attacks the Fantastic Four and manages to kidnap Invisible Woman and Wasp. Reed Richards doesn’t approve of this and he gathers the Avengers and the Fantastic Four for their ultimate assault on Doom’s castle. Win or lose, Dr Doom will know that he’s been in a fight! There is a twist at the end and things definitely get interesting!

The next comic involves the Technovore and he attacks Tony Stark. He wants to devour the Reactor that he has near his heart, but the Avengers + War Machine are here to help. The only problem is that Aim is also around and they don’t plan on losing to the heroes. Maria Hill is also here to remind Iron Man that he should have the Avengers join SHIELD. Tony doesn’t think that this is a good idea and declines as he prepares to fight!

The third comic dealt with the Enchantress as she decided to get revenge on the Masters of Evil. Her magical abilities are very formidable and she makes short work of the first few members. Baron Zemo quickly realizes that the Avengers are his only hope and he tries to make a deal with them. They agree to help him defeat the Enchantress and also to let him go. Not a bad trade, but can they really defeat this sorceress!?

Ronan The Accuser has come to judge Earth in the following comic and his power level is pretty high. He manages to give the Avengers a pretty good fight and tells the Earth to surrender. The Avengers take the decision out of America’s hands and tell him that they do not. An epic battle begins and the humans may be more doomed than they think!

The final comic has Hank Pym as the main character and he has hired the Heroes for Hire to help him find out who stole his tech. The perpetrator is powerful and he actually manages to subdue Luke Cage and Iron Fist. It looks like Hank Pym may have to don the old suit and show the world what it means to be a true Avenger! Meanwhile, some villains like Piranha Jones may be ready to cut lose and take the heroes down!

I do have to wonder a little too the point of these comics. Since they are really just screen caps of the show, why buy them? I guess it’s good for people who refuse to watch the animated adaptions of the comics or just prefer to have it in comic format, but that’s a pretty limited audience. It also feels a little on the lazy side. Imagine if the Yugioh GX manga had just been copy and pasted images into the volumes. It just doesn’t feel right. This won’t affect the overall score, but it just doesn’t feel like they’re really being creative with this method of making the comics.

Well, the art is really good since it’s the show and everything flows together. The dialogue can feel very broken and unnatural at times, but that isn’t a huge negative. Still, it’s hard to imagine Captain America calling Black Panther…Black Panther in a normal conversation. Usually, he just says Panther or T’Challa. Of course…Captain America may not be as he seems!

Let’s just say that the stakes are high in these comics and you’re thrown right into the middle of it. The first comic should let you know that something is wrong with the Earth since the Skrulls seem to have invaded. All that I will say is that not everyone can be trusted. If you caught the earlier comics of the show, then you will know the twist. I don’t want to spoil it just in case, but it shouldn’t be a spoiler because I will assume that you didn’t skip the first three volumes to check out this one.

The characters all look pretty good in this collection. Nobody seems to be out of character, although Reed Richards should look a little more impressive. Shouldn’t he suspect the truth about the plot twist in the first issue? He should have been the first to realize this soooo…hmm. I hope that they aren’t starting to give him less respect like with what they did to Spiderman in the modern comics. That definitely wouldn’t be right!

Unfortunately, Thor has to miss out on all of the comics because he’s busy in Asgard. That’s too bad since he’s one of the main Avengers and it would have been fun to see him here. On another note, someone should realize that Cap is acting a little off. He doesn’t recognize the Thing when they meet and asks about who he is. He does the same for the villains that attack and it just makes you wonder. The Avengers must not be as quick as I thought!

Overall, this is a decent batch of comics, but I don’t see why you’d choose to read it instead of the TV show. That being said, if you didn’t know that there was a TV show and just happened to pick it up; it makes for a fun read. There are a lot of plot lines that are left open for future comics (Although it was cancelled after one more issue soo…they’ll never resolve them) and we get a pretty big cast. This is the last of the trade paperbacks for the series so I can’t say that it has much of an ending. I guess that it just feels like you’re reading a broken comic. Parts feel disjointed and I’m pretty sure that there is a major typo in the collection, but I forgot which comic has it. I recommend it to Marvel fans who haven’t seen the show, but I’d much sooner recommend that you check out the show. It’s best seen in that format and it will make a lot more sense.

Overall 7/10

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