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Sonic and Hedgehog and Mega Man Worlds Unite Prelude Review

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It’s time for a double comic! Sonic and Mega Man seem like perfect choices for a double comic since it feels like they are always crossovering into each other’s universe. Technically, it’s only happened once, but the event was so big that it felt like more than one adventure. The thought of seeing them team up again is already epic and the fact that more guest stars will also be present is epic. Just think of it…soon, they could make this a Super Smash Bros comic! Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The Sonic comic is where all of the action is and it’s a great issue. Sonic and Silver team up to defeat the Ifrit. It hasn’t been around since Sonic Rivals 2, but portals have been opening up across the planet, which is leading all sorts of monsters to Sonic’s home world. Silver has been tasked with closing them all, but this is far from a simple mission. The heroes dispatch Ifrit rather easily and I would expect no less from the blue blur.

Sonic’s portrayal here is dynamite and there’s also something that I was thrilled about. His design is finally back to his Sonic Adventure 2 Battle one! Now, I don’t mind the “Big Hair” Sonic depiction that you see in a lot of the Sonic Universe titles among others, but this is the best design for Sonic. It’s not even close if you ask me and Sonic really seems like a seasoned pro here. Yeah, you really can’t top this comic and Mega Man wasn’t able to keep up. After all, who can keep up with Sonic right? He may have gotten the raw end of the deal in the last crossover, but I’m sure that he’s coming back with a vengeance this time!

In Mega Man’s comic, the anti robot guy is going crazy in prison. He recently got a glimpse of the future and witnessed Mavericks destroying the city. Now he believes that he was right all along about the robots and he won’t stop until all of them are destroyed. There’s not much that he can do about it though so he must wait for an opportunity. Most of the comic is simply recapping what has happened to him over the course of the series and he has definitely had a lot of unfortunate events.

I would have liked some more Mega Man action here to be sure. It’s decent set up for the crossover of course, but considering how many interesting concepts there are in Mega Man, we could have gotten something a little more breath taking. Still, I’m looking forward to seeing Bass and Proto Man help out in the crossover and seeing Mega Man X is always a treat. I’m not crazy about the mad bomber being the big villain from the Mega Man side of things though and I would actually prefer to see the return of Dr Wily!

The art for the Sonic comic is dynamite and it really can’t be beat. Everything looks flawless and Sonic continues to prove why it is easily one of the best comics out there. The Mega Man comic’s art is solid as well and I definitely know it well from previous volumes of his series. It’s certainly no Sonic, but it gets the job done and you’ll always know what’s happening on the screen. It’s a simplistic style that allows you to focus on the action.

Overall, This was a fun double comic. Mega Man’s comic was good, but it certainly wasn’t as exciting as Sonic’s. Sonic’s had the action and scope that we’ve come to expect from the Hedgehog and Silver gets his props as a powerful telekinetic. Sonic’s inventive use of the time puns is also to be commended and he certainly never backs down even when Silver tells him to stop. Sonic’s a free spirit and this is what makes him so cool. I’m definitely hyped for the big crossover event when the Worlds Unite once more. You can bet that I’ll check it out as soon as the library snags it.

Overall 8/10

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Review

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We’ve seen that Transformers was a success so can the ninja turtles really keep up? It’s certainly not quite as exciting as the Transformers comic, but we get to see a lot of the villains who currently plague the heroes. Things have never been more dire for them and the heroes may need a power up of sorts if they are to stay in the game.

The comic takes place after Donatello’s close encounter with death. The turtle now inhabits a machine while his body is still taken out of action. Getting him restored to full health will take a while and the villains are not waiting. The Shredder is still out there and various other groups of villains are also making their move. Right now, the turtles can barely take on the Hun, let alone the mutants. This is truly their darkest hour and they know it!

Power levels is something that has always given the TMNT a tough time and the comics are really showing us this. For all of their martial arts, they are still relatively weak compared to some of the outlandish threats that they face. Donatello has some new abilities thanks to his robot body, but what about the rest of the turtles? I really don’t think they have a chance without some kind of new ability so hopefully they will get new weapons. Maybe a thunder staff for Donatello and some kind of extendable sword for Leonardo. These are just ideas, but the writer will need to think of something unless he wants to run the risk of plot hax.

The turtles have an interesting origin in this series. This time, they were the songs of Splinter and they were all humans, but they got reincarnated after the Shredder destroyed them. A rather dark change to their original origin and I wouldn’t call it a positive one, but either way it leads up to the same place. Splinter is indisposed as he is watching over Donatello, but I’m sure that he’ll be able to fight when the time comes. Let’s hope that he does not wait too long.

As for the Shredder taking out Donatello through his two minions, he likely would have done it no matter what. Still, you have to wonder about the turtles making the first move over there. They are the ones who effectively tried to betray him by tricking him into a war with another villain. They should have expected the Shredder to retaliate so I don’t see how they could have left Donatello on his own. With no friends to help and outnumbered 2-1, there was really no way that Donatello could win. Even 1 on 1 it likely would have been a very difficult right.

TMNT’s art is good here. It is a little subdued and not quite as bright as most of the other titles, but the fight scenes still look solid. I think a more colorful style would suit the series even more, but as long as the art is good, that’s what matters. The author is clearly going for a more serious style for this series so we’ll see how it plays out. If the Turtles don’t get new abilities, they’ll likely just need to rely on their allies, which should prove interesting. Apparently, they have friends who are rock giants and April has some kind of super ability. I still want the Turtles to be able to fight as well though so maybe it’s time to awaken the dragon!

Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is certainly building up to some kind of big climax. The heroes are going to have to be ready to end everything once and for all. The cliffhanger ending shows that a new army of villains is about to approach the streets and that could actually help the Turtles chances of winning or hurt them even further. Only time will tell and they’ll need to plan this one out carefully. This story felt like a complete one and it was long considering that it was free. There’s definitely a lot of ways that the comic can continue and it’ll be interesting to see how it ultimately ends.

Overall 7/10

Transformers Robots in Disguise Review

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Transformers threw in a comic for Free Comic Book day, which is pretty neat since the new TV show airs on Saturdays as well. While it may be less plot oriented than some of the other shows, G1 was like that for a while and look at how much fun it is. Robots in Disguise isn’t ready to take on Prime just yet, but it’s been a very fun show and I don’t see that changing. This comic is really similar in that regard.

A Decepticon bird has appeared in the area and he is trying to get back to Cybertron. The Autobots must now get him away from the amusement park before the humans begin to suspect that something it up. Can Bumblebee and his team defeat this foe in time? The comic really came at a good time since the episode in the TV show today featured a Decepticon bird. Coincidence? I think not!

There are a lot of villains who escaped in episode 1 so it makes sense that some of them should also be captured in the comics unless we’re actually going to have over 100 episodes of just catching Decepticons. Some of them will be off screen so putting them in the comics is a safe bet. The story is fun to read from start to finish and it is one of the main reasons why I liked the comic. Remember what I was saying about Jurassic Strike Force 5 in my earlier review?

Transformers is using the same techniques as that series, but they are doing a better job of it. For starters, the characters are more likable and that’s already a big win in my book. It’s like Sonic Boom or the Sonic Comics. There are action scenes, but the dialogue also flows really well and this results in a complete comic. The Robots in Disguise comic series seems to be off to a very good start and I will definitely be on the lookout for trade paperbacks once the Library orders them.

This comic also did something that most of the issues on Free Comic Book Day did not do. It had a cliffhanger of epic proportions. Let’s just say that the characters of the Prime series are not pleased with Bumblebee’s exploits and now they are going to take matters into their own hands. Unfortunately for Bumblebee, I have to say that his team really has no chance here. Arcee outranks Strong Arm and Grimlock can’t match up to Bulkhead. The only chance for Bumblebee will be to see if he can team up with Sideswipe to beat Ultra Magnus. It will be a stretch though and this could end very badly for the new team.

I can’t even blame the Prime counterparts as the main team is cutting is really close lately. They’re flirting with danger in just about every comic/episode and the humans only haven’t figured anything out because they don’t seem to be as smart as the average joe. With the stakes climbing up and the plot starting, the series has nowhere to go, but up!

As for the art, it is standard TV show cash in stuff. The faces can look pretty off model at times and particularly the characters’ mouths. You should see Strongarm try to do a scowl! On the bright side, the action scenes can still look good and I did like the art on the final page. It’s just going to be constantly uneven and changing so it’s nowhere near the level of art that Marvel and DC possess. Hopefully, experience will help it along as the series goes on.

Overall, Robots in Disguise is really starting to make a name for itself. On the Transformers totem pole, I think that it is safe to say that it beats Beast Wars, Animated and Rescue Bots while losing to G1 and Prime. I don’t really see it passing those two for quite a while if ever, but it just goes to show how good Robots in Disguise can be. The art was not the best, but at least it is rather streamlined and you can chuckle at some of the face expressions. IDW’s next comic is going to have a tough time beating it.

Overall 7/10

Captain Canuck #0 Review

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Now, it is time to check out an independent superhero. He is not from Marvel or DC, which should make things interesting. It means that there will naturally be some similarities to established heroes, but it is almost literally impossible for that not to happen nowadays. I applaud the fact that we still get new superheroes and he isn’t even new as the character had an unpopular comic series decades ago. It simply wasn’t remembered, but this new series should change that as it is off to a good start.

The first story is only a handful of pages and nothing gets to happen, but we see Captain Canuck jump out of a plane just like Captain America did in The Avengers. The Captain seems to be an excellent character as he is no nonsense and he gets the job done. You really can’t ask for a better superhero and this is someone that we can all look up too. Of course, we haven’t had a chance to see how he deals with tricky situations, but I’m confident that he will be able to hold his own. His uniform is similar to the Alpha Flight’s standard gear and then you can throw a little Robocop into that design. It works quite well and does a good job of making Captain Canuck look intimidating.

I wasn’t crazy about the second half of the comic, but that’s because it is all about Canuck’s backstory. We get a recap of the adventures that he’s had up til now and they sound a little repetitive. This was probably unintentional, but he became a hero and then seemingly died in an explosion with the villains. It turns out that he actually escaped to the past and helped primitive humans live back during the early days of humanity. After that, he made it back to the present in time to save his planet from aliens…only to seemingly die in an explosion again. No worries, he was just flung….to the past….again. This time, he helped people while becoming a legendary hero and that’s where the backstory ends. Is it just me or did they just use the same plot twice in a row? It’s an original twist I suppose.

The art for both halves of the comic is good. I loved the art in the first half and it was the highlight of the issue for me. It reminded me of X Sanction, which I still consider to be one of the best drawn comics of all time. The second half goes for a retro feel, which works for me as well. Who doesn’t like to revisit the good ole days of comics right? The art styles certainly contrast one another, but that makes them all the more enjoyable.

The main villain seems to be a little shallow, but he doesn’t get to appear so I can only judge him from his character bio. Since the actual story was only 2-3 pages aside from the recap, we didn’t get to truly see what the characters are like. So, while the comic seems like it should be very good and a lot of fun, I would approach the trade with caution. You should always be wary when the free comic tries to hide the actual comic from you. Still, from what I saw, Captain Canuck looks like a keeper.

Overall, Marvel and DC may have found a new competitor to fight again! Captain Canuck may not be very powerful, but he can still have some fun issues as he gains battle experience and learns to fight alongside his comrades. Canada certainly needs more heroes as the United States (Particularly New York) has all of the best ones at the moment. If this guy gets really popular, that would certainly be a good thing for them. Time to read some more of the free comics that I got and then I’ll get back to reviewing. 4 down and 15 to go!

Overall 7/10

Jurassic Strike Force 5 Review

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The dinosaurs are back and now they’re agents? The cover certainly looked very intense and you may get ready for some big brawls upon seeing it. Well, you should be aware of the fact that the cover is rather misleading. This seems to be more of a comedy than a serious action so the main characters never look that grim. Of course, this approach can still work if handled right.

The plot seems to be that two dinosaurs have become cops and they must take down all of the villains who interfere. There may have been some exposition, but we haven’t really learned about why things are the way that they are. If the comic is as bold as Sonic The Hedgehog, then they won’t need to worry about this. If not, they’ll likely give us some kind of origin story later on. Regardless, we don’t need backstory so long as we have an engaging plot.

The villain appears to be a parody of Cobra Commander and the other big villains from the 80’s. He seems decent so far, but I’ll have to see more of him to determine whether he has the stuffing necessary to take the win here. The main dinosaurs aren’t great so far, but we are fairly early into the series. They are decently tough and do manage to save the day, but they don’t strike you as heroes who are very prepared to fight and I have a feeling that the first big villain will be able to crush them with ease.

The art is certainly very good and it is one of the main reasons why the issue is fun. This kind of series certainly needs good art as it makes the fight scenes more fun even if they aren’t played very seriously. This issue does a decently good job of making your interested in reading the series. I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to picking up a trade if I ever saw it in the library. Like I said, it is early so I’m not sure if the actual series will be good, but I have some hopes for it.

I think that the blend of comedy and action could work for this series like it does for Sonic and Mega Man. The critical part is just making sure that the characters are likable as no series can stand up without that. I don’t really care for the two dinosaurs yet. They aren’t bad, but they just aren’t good either. I’d say that calling them generic at the moment is fair enough.

Overall, Jurassic Strike Force 5 seems like it has the potential to be a really fun comic. We’ll really just have to see where it goes and I don’t picture it being a really long running series either so they will need to introduce the rest of the cast quickly. Who is the leader of the Strike Force and why are dinosaurs needed? These questions and more should be answered, but in an interesting way and not necessarily through flashbacks. Flashbacks can be good, but they must be handled very delicately or they will destroy the pacing of the comic. On the bright side, their taste in food is quite good.

Overall 7/10

Secret Wars #0 Review

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All right, now it is time to look at Marvel’s big title! To try and compete with DC’s big event, Marvel has brought back the Secret Wars. It is rather uncanny as I don’t believe that the Big 2 has ever synchronized their reboots/”reboots” like this before. It is fun and they say that competition brings out the best in us so this will help Marvel to really bring their A game. From what I’ve seen of it, Secret Wars is going to be incredible so they aren’t holding back.

There is only one main story here and we see it from the perspective of the Future Foundation. If you’ve been following the New Avengers series, then you’ll remember that multiple Earths continue to crash into each other. Our universe has blown up one of the (uninhabited) Earths that was heading our way, but these measures are temporary at best. The heroes now know that they cannot save the universe so the geniuses have constructed an arc with multiversal shielding. The multiverse may die, but they won’t!

The only problem is that it can only fit 60 people so almost everyone in this continuity is going to die. Plus, the Earth that is about to crash is that of the Ultimate Universe. They’re not going to just roll over and die so the big 616 vs Ultimate battle has begun and we must now choose sides. This comic doesn’t bring it up, but there is also a cosmic being that is going to make things a little more complicated. Do you remember how the original Secret Wars was essentially a big battle of good vs evil? Well, the new one has the heroes on a humongous planet. Every planet that has ever existed in a continuity will now be on that planet and the winning group is allowed to live. So, do you remember Super Hero Squad, The Marvel Cinematic Universe, the CGI Spider Man show, etc? Each of them is a different continuity and they will all be fighting for their right to survive.

It is rather ambitious and the only problem with this is that there is no way that the series will be able to show off even a fraction of the fights. Most of it will be left to your imagination, which is always sad, but the fights that we do get should be really cool. I have high hopes for this series and the comic was definitely a lot of fun. The hype is building and we shall see which is the strongest continuity. The art was good for the issue, but not great. I assume that it will likely step up its game once we enter the actual battles.

There’s also a backup story here, which features the mini comic about the Marvel Universe vs Attack on Titan. It is a pretty fun story and I actually found the art to be decent/actually good at some points. It only messes up with the titans as their faces look really off, but that may have actually been intentional. Spider Man gets his props as he handles the Titans with ease and this was a good example of what would happen if the Titans invaded the Marvel Earth. They would be obliterated in minutes. They don’t have the strength needed to fight off The Avengers.

Overall, I am ready for the Secret Wars! I read the original one not too long ago and I do think that it earned its right to be the best Marvel event. It was a lot of fun and this new version has a lot to live up too. Nevertheless, I believe that it shall rise to the occasion and Marvel always delivers when the chips are down. Now that I’ve reviewed the big Marvel and DC titles, get ready for a few one shots before I check back in with the two companies. After all, we’ve got to give everyone a chance right!?

Overall 8/10

Divergence Review

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All right, it’s time to look at the comics from Free Comic Book Day! I got a solid batch of 19. 15 courtesy of Midtown Comics and then an extra four over at the New York Public Library. Typically, I read the comics from worst to best, but I reversed the lineup a little this year. What better way to start than by reading about what’s to come over in DC right? I doubt that anything will beat this issue, but we shall see.

There are three stories in this comic. The first one shows us what the new Batman series will be like as Commissioner Gordon takes over the role of Batman. There are heavy spoilers for Batman #40 so I hope that you read it. I’m not sure about the new incarnation of Gordon as he looks nothing like the Commissioner that I have grown used too. He seems tougher, which could be a good thing, but I trust him less than the older version. I don’t believe that the series will be able to hold its own without Batman for long, but it should be a decent series. Probably not my style though so I can’t guarantee that it will be a good title.

The second story is about the upcoming Superman series and I can already tell you that it is worlds beyond the Batman one. Superman’s identity has been leaked by Lois Lane and he is now on the run. His life has turned upside down as a result and the series will be about him coping with this until the inevitable moment where everyone forgets who he is. I’m hoping that they actually let people know for a few years or more like Iron Man so we can see how Superman would handle this. It would be a nice angle so long as people don’t go after Pa and Ma Kent. (If they are alive in this version) The story seems like it could be quite good even if Clark is slightly overreacting when it comes to hiding. If he truly needs to hide, I’m sure Batman could whip up some kind of disguise.

Finally, we have a Justice League comic. Technically, not a whole lot happens as it is all about foreshadowing, but it still has an aura of intensity that put it above the Batman story for me. The preview of Darkseid taking on the Anti Monitor looked very epic and you can tell that the stakes are going to be high. Batman is going to become a god once more and even Superman may need some backup this time. I’m certainly hyped to see how this all plays out and this could be the adventure of a lifetime for DC fans!

The art for the three series varied as the artists changed, but they all looked good. Justice League naturally looked the best and I’d put Superman in second, but they all use different styles that work for their respective series. The writing appears to be on the level and DC really gave us a great free comic book to celebrate the event. Talk about not pulling their punches!

Overall, This is how a free comic book should be. It had 3 different stories and set up some major plot points for what is to come. These were really previews, but they were enough to get you interested in buying the actual comics. There was really nothing bad to say about them and I look forward to seeing the Superman story in particular as this is a plot that should be very enjoyable to read. (I do think that Superman’s design is a little off though) Justice League will have the ultimate fights that I’m looking for and Batman has…Batman! Nuff said.

Overall 9/10

Marvel Masterworks Avengers Volume 5 Review

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With Age of Ultron among us, what better time than now to check out some of the original Avenger comics? It is always interesting to see this Avengers roster as it is a little under powered compared to the average team. This means that the Avengers will have to rely on their wit if they are going to save the planet. There are no particularly great comics here as the team is mainly up against lightweights, but the issues have the typical Marvel charm that we have come to expect.

The Avengers consist of Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver when the story starts. Hercules is helping them out for a little while because he is in the mood. Captain America is dealing with his own issues and Ant Man/Wasp are pursuing their own objectives. The roster is quickly buffed after the first pair of issues, but the starting line up may have been the weakest Avengers team in history.

No worries though, they only had to deal with Diablo and the tricky Dragon Man. It is neat to look back at Dragon Man and see how he has changed. This is one character who certainly got a lot of development even if it wasn’t all good. I miss the days when he was more of a fighter who would just mow down anyone who tried to get in his way. Landing hits on Hercules is fairly impressive as well. Diablo is definitely not interesting though. I have never been a fan of the guy and I am not starting now. His chemical abilities are not very good so his personality was Diablo’s only chance and it wasn’t quite enough.

After that, we had a few more adventures, but the threats weren’t very serious for the most part. The team banded together with the original three Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America) to take on the Mandarin, Living Laser, Executioner, Enchantress, and a few more villains in a fun annual. The heroes were more than capable of taking out the villains there, but it was fun to see the true Avengers once more. I gotta say that Ultimo was given a little too much hype this time though. There’s no way that one blast would be enough to vaporize Thor. It didn’t, but Thor implied that he may not survive such an attack. The Mandarin also chops hard enough to make Cap worried about his shield surviving the blows. It is cool to see how much more respect these villains got back in the day compared to nowadays where they wouldn’t be considered as serious threats.

Another fun pair of comics was when the Avengers set out to rescue the Black Widow and had to tangle with the Red Guardian. He’s essentially a Russian version of Captain America. He looked surprisingly good in the fight as he was actually able to match up against the Avenger in an even fight. Granted that Cap was already weakened from beating up a lot of minions. The Red Guardian saw the light in the end and exited the comic as a decent villain. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing him again.

Magneto also showed up to recruit Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, but his plot hasn’t really ended yet. The Avengers are hot on his trail, but they had to quickly stop to help Hercules stop a titan who had taken down all of the gods on Mount Olympus. It sounds like a great feat, but it just makes the gods look bad. Apparently, they have no guards by the legendary fire, which keeps them all alive. (An extreme deadly weakness if you ask me) It’s a good thing that Hercules had the Avengers to aid him as the fight may not have ended well otherwise.

Captain America’s portrayal is decent, but his fans won’t be very pleased. He struggles with a lot of doubts on whether the team really needs him or not and he even opts to burn down his bridges as he leaves. It reminds me of the time where he insulted the Avengers before running off. Is it just me or did Captain America quit the team a lot back in the day? Ah well, he still looks really good when in combat as one of the original Avengers would be expected to be. Thor and Iron Man get smaller roles as they only appear as guest stars in one issue, but they both look great. It must have been sad for readers to see them go back in the day since the Avengers really aren’t the same without them.

Hawkeye still gets his burns in and he is a fun Avenger. He really talks tough even though he typically cannot back it up. Hawkeye has always been an enjoyable Avenger. Hercules is around a lot, but he isn’t quite as likable. He is just a watered down version of Thor. I don’t think that he has developed into his own character yet and he makes the opposite choice when faced with the same situation as Thor. Hercules chooses his planet over Earth and I don’t think that this was a good call.

As for the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver…they’re all right. This was before the Scarlet Witch became a heavy hitter so she doesn’t look very tough, but she tries to keep the heroes alert and ready for anything. Quicksilver is still really mad at all humans and he doesn’t hesitate to remind us of this whenever possible. Towards the end, he makes the wrong call and it reminds us why you cannot always trust a villain who has allegedly switched sides. It is too bad though since he did have his moments. At times, he acts like Hawkeye and we always need another hot head. His speed is also a useful asset even though the Whirlwind showed him up.

Ant Man looks good as well. This was during the end of his Goliath days and I much prefer that form to his more popular one. It is fun to see Giant Man be considered as a very powerful force since he never looks impressive in the current comics. The Wasp doesn’t look too good though as she is constantly flirting and making remarks about the guys. I really don’t know what the writers were thinking here, but their plans did not work out. She became a much better character in the modern era comics, but until then…she was simply not written well.

The art is solid as you would expect. Once in a while, a face may look a little off, but these pages were drawn the hard way so you have to allow for such things. On the whole, the comics still look great and I’ll always love this retro style. Viewing the characters in their original states is a lot of fun and things were certainly very different back then. It will be cool to see how Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver act when compared to these issues. The writing in the issues is also very good, but we would expect nothing less from Merry Marvel. I actually do miss the nicknames and fun letter boxes throughout the comics. I know that some comics like Squirrel Girl still do this, but it’s more of a homage than anything else. (This is why Homages can be so great!)

Overall, This was a good volume in the Avengers series. It was not quite as exciting as the usual collection since I was not a huge fan of the roster. Hercules is the power hitter of the group and he isn’t even on the team officially. Because of this, the team mostly faces a lot of light weights like the Whirlwind. Magneto is tough, but we haven’t had the big fight with him just yet. So, the collection may not be incredibly exciting, but we can’t have world breaking threats every issue right? Perhaps a break for low level crimes is just what we needed to lower the stakes before sending them right back up. This is still a must read for all Avenger fans as it is a well written comic that is a fun read from start to finish. At around 270 pages, the collection is also of sizable length so you won’t be finishing it in one go. More value for your purchase right? I shall likely be reading another Avengers collection soon, but until then…be prepared for a rather large collection in the near future!

Overall 7/10

New Avengers Volume 2 Infinity Review

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I read the first volume a while back so now it’s time to check out the sequel! This one ties into Infinity so now we can get to see the return of Thanos in time for the Age of Ultron! The first volume definitely had some high stakes and was a pretty original Avengers title so I looked forward to more of the same in this volume. It does suffer a little from the Future Foundation problem, but still ends up being a solid read.

From the last volume, you may recall that various versions of Earth are smashing into each other and taking out universes as collateral damage. The heroes had to decide if they were willing to destroy an entire planet of innocents, but the decision was taken out of their hands when they found out that it was uninhabited. Would they be so lucky the next time? That plot continues as the next Earth appears in the sky. It is quickly reduced to the subplot though as Thanos invades the planet with his army. The team is in a pretty tense situation at the moment and Black Panther is not able to get along with Namor. With enemies within and on the outside, this could be the toughest mission for the New Avengers yet!

The main plot was noticeably pushed to the backseat to make room for Thanos, but I give the series kudos for trying to keep it relevant. The planets are still coming, the heroes just have to worry about it while also trying to stop Thanos and his fleet. It’s a tough call and it one where you won’t find out how the heroes ultimately win since you have to read the main series. I may as well address that negative here. The series does cater to the main one a whole lot so you do end up missing huge chunks of the story by just reading this collection. It’s not very subtle so you can definitely tell when something is missing. There are even “previously” segments before each comic just in case you aren’t reading Infinity. I feel like the comics did a better job of that in the old days.

Still, tie ins are great to expand the story so getting to be a part of the event in any shape or form is still a lot of fun. It’s not like the series ended there so we’re still going to go back to the main plot afterwards so that we can see the Avengers get roflstomped again. In the main Avengers series, this happens constantly so I’m glad that this hasn’t been the case in New Avengers…yet. They’re hinting that this will happen soon, which brings up another issue similar to Dragon Ball Rebirth of F.

The classic Marvel heroes simply look way too weak nowadays. The aliens mention that the heroes would be doomed against a number of alien races that haven’t even appeared yet. After a while, you just gotta shake your head and say “No.” I just don’t buy the fact that there are so many more races that can wipe the floor with the Avengers. Dr Strange used to be able to take on the Tribunal and Iron Man’s new armor allows him to dish out Hulk levels of power. They shouldn’t be considered as lightweights anymore, yet it is hinted that they still are weak in the grand scheme of things. That’s really pushing it to be honest.

On the bright side, cosmic beings are not immune to this. The Living Tribunal was taken out in an off screen fight where he was likely one shotted. Now, that’s what I’m talking about! The hype has died and hopefully this will allow more people to realize that Goku could take him out. Of course, that is neither here nor there. It’s definitely an intense scene and you have to wonder who did that. The comic never says, but I’ll assume that a Dark Lord or Thanos managed to defeat him. It makes sense and his expression of fear suggests that it was a spooky villain!

From the core New Avengers, I’d say that Iron Man and Reed Richards get the smallest role. Iron Man is a little uncharacteristically serious, but it’s certainly better than constantly making puns when the stakes are so high. He just doesn’t help out. Reed gives Black Panther some decent advice, but he looked terrible during the beginning. He was threatening Dr Doom a whole lot while teamed with Dr Strange and you actually felt bad for the villain. The New Avengers did bring the fight to Latveria after all and they’re still trying to keep him in the dark. The whole scene felt extremely out of character for Mr Fantastic and he definitely didn’t act like the nice guy that I’ve come to know.

Black Panther and Namor get the largest role from the characters as their civil war intensifies. Both of them are willing to win by any means necessary although Black Panther’s tactics come off as more underhanded than Namor’s. It certainly depends on how you see it though and Namor has had his share of cheap shots. Needless to say, casualties are high and both kingdoms are essentially broken by the time this is all over. If Black Panther really does try to destroy Namor, it’ll be tough to accomplish. Namor should easily be able to defeat Black Panther after all. It’s hard to root for either one of them though since I dislike both characters at this point.

Black Bolt also gets a role and he decides to start bringing out the heavy artillery. The New Avengers show is really hitting us hard with the “Heroes can be corrupted” message as just about every member is hit. Black Bolt lies to the team and builds a weapon of mass destruction. He certainly can’t be trusted and nobody else can either so it is a tricky situation. Dr Strange is naturally nothing like how he used to be. Remember the Dr Strange collection that I reviewed recently? Well, you would never guess that he is the same character. They seriously sound nothing alike at this point and this Dr Strange is certainly less likable and doesn’t feel like the hero of old. It’s the modern comics effect at work. Needless to say, you’re probably better off just being in space right now and as far away from the Earth as possible. I think that the New Avengers goes a little too far in trying to make all of the heroes unlikable, but it has always been made to be the more down to Earth title. It just means that some characters will start to act out of character as a result.

Back to the Wakanda vs Atlantis subplot for a second. You will almost wonder why nobody is trying to get into the middle of this. I suppose that politics will keep a lot of heroes out, but the war is certainly escalating and someone has to put an end to it. Also, it’s hard to know who to root for since both fighters are willing to do anything to win. Hopefully, both lands are laid to waste so that America can come in and take over the countries. At this rate, joining the U.S.A. seems to be their best bet and then Namor and Black Panther can settle their differences in prison. They certainly shouldn’t be allowed to stay outside, much less be allowed to stay on the New Avengers.

As you can imagine, the art is really good for this collection. Each page is very detailed and that does wonders for the fights. Most of the pages are fairly dark to coincide with the theme of the volume, but not overly so. You can still clearly see what is happening and the art does a good job of setting the tone. I certainly have no qualms with the artwork here.

Overall, This volume of New Avengers is pretty good. I think that the heroes are certainly getting a little too corrupted through all of this and hopefully they start to remember why they became heroes in the first place. It’s more than a little embarrassing to see Dr Strange be beaten by telepaths and totally crushed, but that’s what the sorcerer supreme has become nowadays. I’m also hoping that Earth is recognized as a legitamite threat soon, but I realize that this may not happen for quite a while. Still, they just got to keep on fighting until they get their due respect. The tie in with Infinity does derail the main plot a bit, but it’s interesting and a lot of fun to see Thanos back so it is worth the intervention. We also get a cameo by the X Men, which is neat although I don’t think that the telepathy should have worked at all when the X Men already have a telepath at the ready. I guess we’ll see how the Avengers stop the Earth problem from continuing and if they ultimately decide to make the hero call or not. Ultimately, the biggest strength of this title has always been that it is simply very interesting to read and it never fails at that for a moment. You’ll never be bored as you’re reading this and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next time.

Overall 7/10

Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange Volume 6 Review

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I don’t think that I have read a Doctor Strange comic before now so it was great to get this collection from the library. He’s a character who used to be among the strongest in Marvel history as he has gone toe to toe with foes like the Living Tribunal in the past. This collection certainly sees him go up against some cosmic threats, but we also get to see him get used to being a weaker fighter. This comic is sound in all areas and makes for a fun read.

There are quite a few adventures to be found here. One of the mini arcs involves a test that Eternity decides to give Doctor Strange. Strange must defeat himself as he meta physically fights against all of his personalities to show that his strength of will has not deteriorated. If he fails, Eternity shall end the planet! Later on, Strange decides to take a field trip to the past to meet with Ben Franklin and other retro figures. Unfortunately, someone has been following him around and Strange must learn not to believe his eyes, but to feel the truth. Finally, Strange is stripped of his Socerer Supreme title and goes back to just being a good magician. This comes at a bad time as Xander has come to attack Strange on behalf of his masters. Clea has also been tainted with evil and she is on a rampage in the city. Life never gets dull for Doctor Strange!

Doctor Strange is a very fun main character. He was certainly someone that you could root for here and he was also interesting. Strange was certainly a deep character who had been through many experiences and didn’t feel like your average hero. As with many heroes, this was likely the best portrayal of him as it would be very hard to top. His abilities are so numerous that even he has trouble remembering exactly what he can do at times, which makes sense. Magic is essentially unlimited so once you know it, you can really do just about anything. It’s easy to picture Doctor Strange actually tangling with cosmic beings. He met the creator in an older comic and here he gets to meet Satan and Eternity. He really hangs out with the best of the best and it would be fun to see Dr Strange at his height go up against Thanos with the Gauntlet. There’s actually a good chance that Strange could do more than simply put up a fight.

Eternity is certainly a fun character to watch since he’s one of Marvel’s heavy hitters. He is literally the universe so he is everywhere and always knows what’s going on. How can he be defeated? Well, you’d be surprised at just how many other heavy hitters Marvel has stashed away! Eternity is bested in both of the fights that he engages in here. One of them was a little surprising while I suppose that I can buy the other one. Still, in a battle of hype, one character must always lose right? I definitely consider Eternity to be below the Beyonder and Living Tribunal in power after this, but he’s probably still ahead of Death even though they are essentially half and half. At the very least, you’ve got to love Eternity’s personality. He reminds Doctor Strange that he is not above anger and he certainly proves it. You simply don’t want to mess with him!

Those were the two characters who really stuck out for me. Clea is a supporting character who gets a bigger role in the second half of the collection, but it’s still relatively small when you really think about it. I think the writers sometimes forget that she is still a sorceress though. Sometimes, she’ll simply go down without a fight. It’s a little odd and even the foreward by the writer for the first half mentioned that she probably should have left already. Things just didn’t work out very well for her, but at least the ending shows that things are starting to look better. Dr Strange’s assustant’s role is even smaller than Clea’s though so things certainly could have been worse.

As for the villains, most of them are simply sorcerers or tricks by Eternity or Strange’s mentor. Nightmare appears and he gets a pretty incredible feat, but Dr Strange disposes of him rather quickly. This shows how strong Strange was at one point. We’ve also got Xander, but he looks surprisingly weak. I’m assuming that the writer wasn’t sure exactly what to do with him and just threw the villain in for the lulz. We also have the the two queens who fought in the annual, but there’s not much to say about them. The dynamic was similar to the two Queens in Friendship is Magic, but with less development of course.

The art is a little inconsistent. It’s not a problem of the artist I believe as they switch during the comics. For most of the graphic novel, the art is very good and it does a good job of capturing the cosmic scope of Strange’s adventures. Towards the end with the annual and the final issues, the art just takes a big dip. The faces tend to vary a lot and Strange appears to have a head of gray hair on more than one occasion. I probably wouldn’t think that the art was so bad if it had been like that the whole time, but there’s no comparison when you look at the first half and then the second. Still, the first half definitely keeps it in the clear and the art certainly won’t take you out of the adventure.

The writing is engaging and you’re constantly reminded of how they simply don’t make comics like this one anymore. The adventures were great fun and Dr Strange made for a good lead. His strange adventures into other realms and planets are what made his comics so unique back in the day. The current Doctor Strange is hard to pinpoint as I haven’t read many comics with him, but he’s certainly less impressive nowadays and he doesn’t feel quite as determined as this Doctor Strange. It’s something about retro comics that allows each character to dip deep and really give the battle their all. That kind of determination doesn’t show up quite as often anymore.

Overall, I definitely recommend checking this collection out! It’s a blast and a half. Moreover, it’s a good way to get you prepped for the Doctor Strange film that will be coming out at some point in the future. You may not want to expect the film’s version to be quite as awesome as the lead in this collection, but it’s very likely going to be a good film so it should not disappoint. Watching Eternity actually get into a physical brawl is very exciting and the stakes are much higher here than you would expect from the average comic. This version of Dr Strange could likely defeat the Avengers and the other teams of the day as long as he had enough time to think of his spells. He could really do anything back in the day. Hopefully I’ll get to read another one of these collections for Doctor Strange someday. That being said, there’s another graphic novel that I’ll be reading soon, which has Strange in it so that’s the next best thing.

Overall 7/10