Comics of July 16, 2014

It’s new comic day, and there are several big releases this week. The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier begins in Uncanny X-Men, the Cyber Force/Aphrodite IX crossover begins, Supergirl rids herself of the Red Lantern ring and the new Ms. Marvel’s first team up kicks off. With most of this week’s comics being so good, I’m not even sure which one is my favourite yet. Let’s get started.

The comics I picked up include She Hulk 6, Ms. Marvel 6, Magneto 7, All New X-Factor 11, X-Men 16, Uncanny X-Men 23, Aphrodite IX/Cyber Force 1, Supergirl 33 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 36. Here are my first impressions, and links to full reviews will be added as they’re posted.

Uncanny X-Men 23 review

Ms. Marvel 6 review

She Hulk 6 is good. It explores the aftermath of last issue’s chaos, but it doesn’t progress the story that much. The dialogue is strong as usual, and the fight scene is fun. It’s probably my least favourite Charles Soule She Hulk issue so far, but considering how much I’ve loved this series that’s not really a problem. It’s still a competitor for my favourite comic of the week. This series remains a very easy recommendation for anyone interested in a legal thriller/superhero hybrid with bits of comedy thrown in. It’s possibly the most unique of the All New Marvel Now books, and it’s been utterly fantastic so far.

Magneto 7 is fun. Magneto intentionally gets himself captured by a cage fighting arena and fights a mutant hunting Predator X. There’s really nothing else you need to know. So far this series has been hard to write a full review on because most of the issues are straight forward, but it’s Magneto killing those who kill or torture mutants. If that interests you, or you’re a Magneto fan, you should check this title out.

All New X-Factor 11 is great. The quick story involving Georgia and her parents comes to a tragic end, but not without Peter David’s entertaining dialogue to help balance it out. The fight scene is really intense and utilizes every member of the X-Factor team. It seems that Peter David has now hit his stride, and those who enjoy his writing shouldn’t be disappointed.

X-Men 16 is fun. The X-men are heading out to rescue Jubilee from the man claiming to be her newly adopted son’s father. At last, the Jean Grey students involve themselves in the main fight. To say much more would spoil the issue’s fun, but there’s a lot of action involving some of the most dangerous plant life they’ve ever encountered. This feels like a classic X-Men book, and it’s an easy recommendation to X-Men fans in general.

Aphrodite IX/Cyber Force 1 is alright. While it’s written in a way that makes it easy for new readers to understand, it mostly acts as a recap for those who have been reading both titles while it begins to link them together. In terms of content, you’re certainly getting your money’s worth for the $6 price tag at least, with 27 pages for the main story, a 6-page short from a talent hunt contest runner-up, and the usual science class portion that always made the Aphrodite IX comics more interesting. This is worth picking up if you read either title; just be aware that it’s mostly a setup issue.

Supergirl 33 is alright. The fight between Kara and the Worldkiller is alright, showcasing Supergirl’s power and strategic abilities while also giving her a legitimate challenge. On the story front, it does remove the Red Lantern from Supergirl, but otherwise it leave her in the exact same emotional place that Michael Alan Nelson’s run did, making the whole Red Lantern story feel kind of pointless. I’d only recommend this if you’ve read the rest of the Red Daughter of Krypton storyline. I’ll give Tony Bedard a few more issues to win me over, but I’m considering dropping this until another writer takes over.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 36 is good. It brings in a character completely new to me, the Rat King. He forces Splinter and Leonardo to confront themselves and their biggest current weakness. Dramatically it works, but the story felt kind of weird to me. Maybe it’s just personal taste or not really being an expert on the Ninja Turtles, but the Rat King just didn’t do it for me. Still, this is worth reading if you’re a Ninja Turtles regular.

Also, I’m totally stealing Xmenxpert’s awesome song thing, so at the end of my first impressions post, I’ll link to a music video of sorts. This week’s song is one of Weird Al’s new music videos, Word Crimes.