Comics of July 9, 2014

So my novel is currently in the hands of an editor, and I’m hoping to get some professional feedback sometime in the next week. Also, it’s new comic day, and that’s always nice.

The comics I picked up include Spider-Man 2099 1, Nightcrawler 4, Captain Marvel 5, X-Force 7, Avengers Undercover 7, Amazing X-Men 9, All-New X-Men 29, Blood Queen 2, Justice League United 3 and Batgirl 33. Here are my first impressions, and links to full reviews will be added when they’re posted.

All New X-Men 29 review

Captain Marvel 5 review

Spider-Man 2099 1 review

Nightcrawler 4 is alright. The Xavier school is under attack by an army of robots. Meanwhile, there’s a bunch of magical chaos within that’s causing additional problems. There are maybe a few too many subplots in this issue, and you really need to read the last three entries to know what’s going on. The plots do blend together by the end and the ending feels tragic, but it feels like a mess until the ending. I’d only really recommend this to serious Nightcrawler fans.

X-Force 7 is good. After last issue’s barrage of action and major reveals, this one sort of takes a break to explore X-force as characters and their relationships with each other. These scenes are interlaced with Domino struggling in her own fight against a major villain who is selling mutant secrets. The two storylines fit together very well, since they have similar themes. This is shaping up to be the best X-Force book in a while.

Avengers Undercover 7 is alright. There are a few surprises in the narrative, and the character focus is better than some previous issues, but it’s still not as good as either Avengers Academy or Avengers Arena were. Still, if you’ve been reading this far, you might as well read this one and there’s still hope that this series will finish strong.

Amazing X-men 9 is just fun. The Wendigo situation is even worse than the last, with much of Canada being evacuated, an army of mythical monsters rivalling the hulk storming through the nation, and Wolverine starts the comic fighting for his life. By the comic’s ending, it appears the situation can’t get any worse. If the quality keeps up, this is the series Wolverine’s side of the X-Men has been waiting a long time for.

Blood Queen 2 is alright. The first issue did a much better job at setting up the plot. This one is mostly about Elizabeth gaining trust with the royal family, and there isn’t much else to say about it. Without acknowledging that Elizabeth is based on the worst serial killer in recorded history, there’s not much to gain from this issue. That’s not to say it’s bad, and there are several very ominous moments, but this will likely read better once more issues release. Still, this is worth picking up if you enjoyed the first issue.

Justice League United 3 is alright. It’s a bit of a step up from the last issue, but not enough for me to continue with this series. It’s fun, but it feels like just another team book right now. It’s a shame, because I both like some of the writer’s previous material and several of the characters on the team. That and it takes place in my home country … when it’s not in space that is. I wouldn’t recommend this issue, and it might be my last.

Batgirl 33 is great. We learn exactly how brutal Knightfall’s plans are for Gotham City. There’s also a lot of build-up for the conflict in the next few issues. The tagline on the cover reading “the battle for Gotham begins” is kind of an understatement. If you’re interested in any of Batman’s side-characters, you should at least read this issue.