I don’t have much of an introduction today. It’s another Wednesday, and another batch of new comics. I picked up X-Men Gold 1, Fearless Defenders 11, Thor: God of Thunder 15, Avengers Arena 17, All New X-Men 18, Superior Spider-Man 21, Batman 25 and Batgirl 25.
Because I’m still in the middle of Nanowrimo, there will probably only be one full review this week. A link to that will be added once it’s posted. In the meantime, here are all my first impressions for today’s releases.
Fearless Defenders was fun. It’s a beach party with a bunch of Marvel’s female heroes that’s interrupted with a short monster fight. It’s not great, but it was enjoyable. Not much else to say about this one.
Thor: God of Thunder was good. Thor’s team takes some much needed downtime during their hunt for Malekith. There’s some great character development for much of the team. The issue caps off with an intense fight scene and an exciting cliffhanger. Even though it’s in the middle of a storyline, it’s very easy to understand what’s going on if this is your first issue. Issues 13 and 14 shouldn’t be too difficult to find though. This is an easy recommendation for Thor fans, or anyone who’s interested in checking his series out.
Avengers Arena 17 is best described as intense. There’s lots of fighting, lots of arguing and a few story developments. What else would you expect from the second last issue of this rather brutal series? At this point, it’s still hard to tell exactly how Arcade’s Murderworld will end.
All New X-men 18 was very good. It deals with a lot of the aftermath of Battle of the Atom. There’s a lot of drama between the five original X-Men. There are some great laughs from their interactions with Cyclops’s young X-men. Kitty Pryde and Magik have some great character moments together. This issue handles a lot in its 20 pages, and it does it all well. If you have any interest in the original X-Men, you should at least read it. It’s also worth reading if you’re regularly reading Bendis’s Uncanny X-Men.
Superior Spider-Man 21 was great. As with a lot of issues lately, it touches on a number of plot threads at once. This issue does a better job at balancing them than previous issues and even ties a few together. Carlie Cooper’s investigation has just become more interesting. The relationship between Spider-Ock and Anna continues to be charming. The advertised fight scene was also very entertaining, and the resolution was logical. SSM 21 is an all-round great comic.
Batman 25 was good. Year Zero continues with several new plot threads, and teases the first chronological appearance for several Batman villains. There’s actually a lot going on in this comic – too much to describe for my fairly tired brain. The backup story about a young Harper Roy and her brother is also pretty good. If you’re interested in reading about Batman’s origin years, check it out.
Batgirl 25 was alright. It’s a tie-in to Batman Year Zero, and it feels kind of pointless. Barbara Gordon’s characterization is good, but the storytelling is overly dark and kind of predictable. I wouldn’t really recommend it.
healed1337 
X-Men Gold was fantastic. A great book, at a reasonable price.
Fearless Defenders . . . I don’t know, something didn’t click for me here. Sliney’s art was even worse than usual, and Bunn’s writing wasn’t up to its usual middling standard, either.
Thor was cool. Drinking is always the best way of bringing a group together. Also, good action.
ANXM was great. A lot of really cool confrontations. Jean got a solid burn on Celeste. I love what Bendis is doing with the Cuckoos. And the scene between Kitty and Illyana was really sweet. Got me right in the feels.
Superior Spider-Man was really good. A cool way of resolving the problem. I felt sorry for Stunner.
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