This is a thick week with a lot of comics for me. Black Vortex enters its third chapter with Legendary Star Lord 9, Kamala meets Loki in Ms. Marvel 12 and a lot more is revealed in Generation IX 2. Of the comics coming out this week, the most notable for me is the 12th and final issue of Charles Soule’s She Hulk run. While all evidence points to the series being planned for 12 issues from the start, it’s still sad to see it go.
The comics I picked up this week include those mentioned, plus Wolverines 7, Rocket Raccoon 8, Black Widow 15, Magneto 15, Uncanny X-Men 31, Bitch Planet 3, Batgirl 39 and Supergirl 39. I also intended to pick up Red Sonja 100, but my local store was shorted. I’ll pick that up whenever I can, but with a thick week as it is I probably would have saved it for later anyway. Here are my first impressions, and links to full reviews will be added when they’re posted.
Wolverines 7 is good. After an intense couple of issues in Mr. Sinister’s lab, this one takes its time to explore a couple characters, most notably Mystique and Shogun. Watching them work together is fun … almost as fun as watching Mystique manipulate everyone both behind the scenes and openly. The ending cliffhanger is a bit of a surprise if you haven’t been paying attention to the solicitations, and will likely lead to a good fight in the next issue. The first few issues were a bit rough, but this series continues to improve with each entry.
Rocket Raccoon 8 is fun. The previous issue left Groot poisoned and dying on a strange planet. This issue starts where the last left off, with Rocket searching for the cure along with a native. Their interactions remain fun, and this series continues to be delightful. In short, you should pick this up if you need a comedic title to break up the usual darker storytelling that Marvel often brings.
Ms. Marvel 12 is fun. In some ways this is more of a Loki one-shot than a Ms. Marvel comic, but it still brings character development for Kamala and her supporting cast. The writing is delightful as always. Loki’s antics are also fun, and the guest artist, Elmo Bondoc, does a great job at making this an enjoyable comic to look at. Whether you like Ms. Marvel or Loki, this issue is an easy recommendation.
Black Widow 15 is intense. Natasha’s battle against Chaos is now in full swing, with the spy facing off against a secret organization much better prepared than she first thought. The fighting is intense, the plot is intriguing and the ending only makes the whole comic more exciting. Espionage fans should be picking this series up – it’s so good.
Magneto 15 is fun. Magneto uses strategy, connections and surprising allies to take on SHIELD after surrendering to them at the end of the last issue. His methods continue to be dark and brutal, but that’s what makes this series work in the first place. By now, you should know whether you want to pick this series up or not; it stars Magneto on a rampage, what else do you need to know?
Uncanny X-Men 31 is good. It finally concludes the whole Matthew Malloy story arc that, while good, has admittedly been going on for too long. Consequentially, it also ends The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier story arc. The consequences for Eva Bell’s actions are still unclear, but this comic’s ending suggests a change in direction for the X-Men is coming soon, for whoever is taking over after Brian Michael Bendis leaves. The build-up toward Uncanny X-Men 600 is becoming more exciting. Some won’t enjoy Bendis’s slow burn style, but the payoff is more often than not worth the wait. That said, the cover showing Havok is very misleading – he doesn’t show up in this issue. If you haven’t given his X-Men run a chance yet, you should.
Bitch Planet 3 is great. Continuing the trend from the first two issues, this one focuses on a specific character. Enter Penny, the large woman from the first two issues. Bitch Planet 3 delves deep into the way this world works, with the rampant sexism and “ideal” body image criticising much of today’s advertisements and the fashion industry at large. The comic manages to be both fun and emotional. If you’re looking for a subtle satire of sexism, this won’t be for you. Otherwise, check it out.
Batgirl 39 is fun. It’s hard to talk much about this issue without spoiling what happens, so let’s just say there are several major reveals, repaired relationships and some good action. It ties everything together from the start of Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher’s Batgirl run. Batgirl fans should enjoy this.
Supergirl 39 is good. Like Batgirl 39, it’s easy to spoil this issue unless I don’t talk about the plot too much. The last issue ended with the Crucible Academy fighting drop outs over the fate of Superboy. This issue continues off exactly where issue 38 ended, and the situation grows much worse by the end. Several supporting characters make brief and welcome appearances, but otherwise this is an intense issue in both action and plot development. If you want to check out Superman’s teenaged Kryptonian cousin, look no further.
healed1337 
Star-Lord was good. A nice action issue after a couple debate-heavy issues.
Ms. Marvel was great. Hilarious. I love it, as always. Loki was really cool, and Nakia’s awesome.
She-Hulk was a really cool finale to the series. I’m sad to see it end.
Wolverines was OK. Some interesting stuff. But Soule’s issues aren’t as good as Fawkes’.
Rocket Raccoon was good. Really fun, some good humour, and some very sweet stuff.
Black Widow was dark and intense, as usual.
Magneto was good. Much better than usual. Dropping the melodramatic narration did wonders for the issue.
UXM finally finished an arc that dragged on too long. It was an OK end to the arc, but not great. Could’ve been better, and didn’t really justify the extra time it took.
Bitch Planet was awesome. Penny Rolle is a great role model, I think. And subtle is overrated anyway.
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