This week was mean to my wallet, because Marvel sucks at spreading their releases out. At least the big pull list happened the week after I got back home though, instead of happening when I was away. There are several number 1s, number 2s, and most of my favourite non-Marvel titles all in one week. Let’s get started.
The Marvel comics I picked up this week include Captain Marvel 1, Avengers Undercover 1, Fantastic Four 2, X-Force 2, All New X-Factor 4, Black Widow 4, All New X-Men 24, Superior Spider-Man 29 and X-Men Legacy 300. I also picked up Batman 29, Batgirl 29, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 32 and Witchblade 173. I picked up a few more, but I’ll save them for later. Here are my first impressions. Links to full reviews will be added as they’re posted.
Fantastic Four 2 was ok. The entire issue is an over the top action scene with a conclusion that would be a bit too convenient if not for the consequences I won’t spoil. I found it hard to care about this issue and I’m not sure I could come up with enough material for a full review. I might not read any issues beyond this one either. Also, I still think the “Fant4stik” cover title is dumb.
X-Force 2 was good. I didn’t really like the first issue, but this one was more enjoyable. It did a lot more to explore the book’s premise as a black ops mutant team, while also showcasing Cable’s leadership skills and style. Also, his solution to the issue ending fight was kind of genius. But for me personally, not having Marrow’s somewhat annoying narration helped a lot.
All New X-Factor 4 was great. The whole issue is X-Factor fighting a memory wiped Danger in the Thieves Guild headquarters. That’s really all you need to know; you can go read it now.
Black Widow 4 was good. It’s the start of the first actual story arc in the series as the Black Widow hunts a dangerous and somewhat crazed assassin. There’s some great action, some decent espionage storytelling and great art. If a spy series set in the Marvel Universe interests you, you should give this a chance if you haven’t already.
Superior Spider-Man 29 was great. The whole Goblin Nation situation keeps getting worse for Spider-Ock. Everything he’s been building throughout the series is crumbling around him. And now Spider-Man 2099 is in the mix. There’s no telling how they’re going to solve this problem. This Spider-Man series has been brilliant from the start, with only a few hiccups on the way. Dan Slott was born to write Spider-Man.
X-Men Legacy 300 was interesting, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it. It’s a one-off story about an X-Man whose power is to be forgotten. It touches on Age of X and Mimick’s involvement with Christos Gage’s run on the title. If that sounds interesting, it’s worth a read. But really, most of the characters on the cover barely get any panel time.
Batman 29 was good. Long story short, The Riddler has taken over the city and outsmarts pretty much everyone. It also starts the disaster that happened in the Batgirl tie in several months back … weird. I keep going back and forth with my opinion on the Year Zero storyline, but this is an easy recommendation for anyone who’s been enjoying it.
Batgirl 29 was kind of hilarious. Batgirl and Strix (from the Court of Owls storyline) are teaming up against a crazed, murderous vigilante who thinks that the Bat family are all vampires. They’re trying to rescue a kid he kidnapped, who he believes is the queen of the vampires. The end is full of all these crazy yet hilarious twists in an otherwise dark story. This is definitely worth reading, whether you’re a Batgirl fan or you want to check her series out.
Ninja Turtles 32 was very good. It concludes the downtime arc with Leonardo trying to recover from his brainwashing … with a barn-destroying action scene and the turtles’ cover kind of blown. There’s both a lot of solid character work and a lot of great action.
Witchblade 173 was decent. It’s mostly a build-up issue with Sara explaining a bit more about the Witchblade to her former deputy sheriff, while she’s in the middle of a power struggle with the town’s mayor. Everything works well enough, and the build-up is exciting for Witchblade regulars. Strangely enough, the comic is only 18 pages long. Throw in the fact that it’s a quick read and, well … that’s why it’s decent instead of good.
healed1337 
Captain Marvel was really good. I really liked it. I’m sad that we’ll be leaving Carol’s supporting cast behind. Still, I’m interested in seeing this new direction.
AU . . . I won’t go into it.
FF was good. It’s very Hickman-esque, I think. Not really my thing.
X-Force was really good. Very cool stuff.
ANXF was good. The series is finding its feet. The addition of Cypher and Warlock next issue should make it much better.
Black Widow was great. Very exciting action.
ANXM was great, I thought. Lots of tension and drama, interspersed with humour to lighten the mood before ratcheting it back up.
XML was really cool. It was an interesting story. Kinda fun.
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