Comics of September 10, 2014

The story of Wolverine’s death is half-way through, and I’m increasingly excited for it. Again, it’s not because I dislike Wolverine, but I’m looking forward to having a break from him. And with yesterday’s Charles Soule interview on Comicbookresources saying that X-23 will have a significant role in the aftermath, my excitement has only grown.

Besides Death of Wolverine 2, the comics I picked up include Amazing Spider-Man 6, Nightcrawler 6, Captain Marvel 7, Ms. Marvel 8, X-Force 9, Magneto 9, Avengers Undercover 10 (last issue), Velvet 7 and Superman Unchained 8. I also picked up Death Vigil 3, but I haven’t read it yet since I don’t have issue 2 and would rather wait until I can read it first. It easily wins the cover of the week though.

Here are my first impressions, and links to full reviews will be added as they’re posted.

Death of Wolverine 2 review

Captain Marvel 7 review

Ms. Marvel 8 review

Amazing Spider-Man 6 is good. The last issue ended with Spider-Man sort-of captured and about to be de-masked on live television. How it plays out is quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve seen in a comic this week. The rest of the issue is alright, but it doesn’t live up to this comic’s opening. Silk continues to be a fun addition to the Spider-Man franchise, but Black Cat’s villainy is starting to stretch itself. Either way, Dan Slott was born to write Spider-Man and if you still enjoy Marvel’s webhead, check it out.

Nightcrawler 6 is fun. While the quality isn’t quite there, this issue feels reminiscent of Chris Claremont’s classic X-Men run more than any previous Nightcrawler issue. It’s basically Nightcrawler and Scorpion Boy rescuing a young, genius mutant and a bunch of scientists from their attackers. If there is a flaw it’s that this comic is a bit overly cheerful, but with all the dark storylines going on it feels refreshing regardless. If you’re a Nightcrawler fan, this series is worth checking out.

X-Force 9 is fun. MI-13 and X-Force team up after having the obligatory fight, against Dr. Nemesis’s request. There’s a lot of smart humour in this issue and some great character moments. It’s hard to follow the story if you read it too quickly though, which I kind of did. This is shaping up to be the best X-Force series yet.

Magneto 9 is good. Magneto decides to take on Red Skull, who is hiding in Genosis. There’s some great action and a bit of a hardcore cliffhanger. It’s also very dark. I’m not sure how much of an Axis build-up issue this is (and I’m not yet sure whether I’m reading Axis or not), but it does a good job at standing on its own. This is at least worth reading for Magneto fans or those excited for Axis.

Avengers Undercover 10 is decent. Considering the scope of Zemo’s takeover in the last issue and the various scenes depicted in this issue, it doesn’t feel like everything is really solved in AU 10. That said, for such a dark story-arc that’s taken place through both Arena and Undercover, the ending is kind of nice. Arcade’s not dead, most of the teenagers have been forgiven and the final panel will bring a few laughs. I’d only recommend this for those who have read the rest of the series so far. I was considering doing a full review as a sendoff, but I kind of don’t care at the moment.

Velvet 7 is great. For the first time, the Velvet series is written from the perspective of someone hunting Velvet. It delves further into both of their backstories, ending in the present time with kind of an awesome cliffhanger. It’s Ed Brubaker writing a creator-owned espionage series – what more could you ask for?

Superman Unchained 8 is alright. The bulk of this issue is Superman fighting Wraith, a similarly powered being who is stronger and absorbs solar energy faster. Its’ a decent fight and shows Superman relying on his wits more than his strength, but the story kind of feels disconnected. Maybe it’s because of how chronically delayed this series has been, but it’s starting to become dull. I can’t really recommend this unless you’re somehow invested in the story.