It’s the first Wednesday of August. We’re now well into Marvel’s Secret Wars event, and unless it’s delayed again, we’ll leave it behind in October to enter the new Marvel Universe. But first, a quick update on my writing. I finished the first draft of my longest book yet with a marathon finish, where I wrote 8,370 words in one sitting. The draft’s total length is 114,266 words, and my previous longest first draft is 83,864 words. It’s book 8 in my series so if I do get it published, it’ll be a while before you see it, but still, I’m excited to have finished it. Also, I’m in the middle of reading Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, and at this rate, I’ll finish tomorrow and hopefully write a blog post about it by the end of Friday.
Anyway, the comics I picked up include Age of Apocalypse 2, Siege 2, Guardians of Knowhere 2, Civil War 2, Giant-Size Little Marvel AVX 3, Ms. Marvel 17 and We Stand On Guard 2. Lots of number 2’s this week. Here are my first impressions, and links to full reviews will be added when they’re posted.
Guardians of Knowhere 2 review
Age of Apocalypse 2 is good. The first half is an intense action scene, and the second half expands on the story and characterization. There’s some good stuff, and the rising tension with an upcoming plague is only making the comic more intense. That said, it doesn’t feel like we learn all that much about the story itself. It’s mostly about the players, which is fine, but I would have preferred a bit more balance. This feels like a good version of the Age of Apocalypse story, capturing the basic themes and mood of the original. If that interests you, check it out.
Siege 2 is great. It continues building up to the day that the Shield wall falls, while exploring both Shield’s history further and how its politics work. Of all the Secret Wars tie-ins, this already feels like the most essential tie-in to the main story. If you’re reading the main event, or just like watching Abigail Brand be hardcore, this is an easy recommendation.
Civil War 2 is good. The first issue suggested that things will get intense in this one, after an attempted assassination of Captain America kills one of the few peacekeepers left in this torn country. While there’s a good fight involving one of Captain America’s strike teams, most of this issue further builds on the twisted politics of the Civil War domain of Battleworld. This is basically “what if Civil War escalated”, and for that, it’s pretty good. Check it out if that interests you.
Giant-Size Little Marvel 3 is awesome. In this issue, the X-Men and the Avengers take turns trying to bring the mysterious twins into their numbers. It brings Scottie Young’s usual sense of humour, referencing all sorts of little thing in the Marvel Universe. The ending brings in a whole new team that tries to bring the kids into their numbers. This mini-series just keeps getting better and better, and this is probably my favourite comic of the week. Just get it.
healed1337 
AoA was great. Doug’s narration is really good, and the story’s very interesting.
Siege was awesome. So much awesome stuff. Fantastic spreads, badass moments. Even a pretty cool take on Kitty Pryde.
Guardians of Knowhere was pretty OK. Not great, but OK.
Civil War was pretty good. Lots of interesting stuff. And always nice to see a badass Storm.
Little Marvel was adorable and hilarious. It’s just a delightful comic.
Ms. Marvel was exactly as awesome as one would expect.
LikeLike