There’s one week left for this year’s Nanowrimo, which means it’s time to really ramp up you’re writing if your prospects for winning are tightening up. For me, I’ve been taking it relatively easy since the 15th, when I finished my main project for the month. Without directly talking about my word count, let’s just say I’m not the least bit worried about failing to win. For the rest of November I’m writing novellas and short stories, and I finished the first novella last night. Also, I really enjoyed the Overwatch free weekend. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed online only shooters, but I’m probably going to pick it up by Friday. But enough about that stuff – it’s time to talk about comics.
The comics I picked up today include The Ultimates 1, All-New X-Men Annual, Death of X 4, Captain Marvel 10, The Mighty Thor 13, Batgirl 5 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 64. I also planned to pick up Star Wars 25 and Detective Comics 945, with Civil War II 7 on my maybe list. I planned to pick them up, but the shipping company once again failed to deliver everything to my local shop on time. This isn’t even the first time this month. Last week one of the boxes was somehow sent to Montreal. That’s about an 8 hour drive from where I live. Anyway, here are my first impressions, and links to full reviews will be added when they’re posted.
The Ultimates 1 is good. This is mostly a setup issue, and parts of it are referring to the end of Civil War II, which we haven’t seen yet because of delays. It’s a good setup issue with some good drama thrown in, implying that Captain Marvel feels guilty about stuff that hasn’t been revealed yet, and there are serious conflicts between different team members. If this issue and the previous volume are anything to go by, this series should be great.
The All-New X-Men Annual is good. The main story features Idie going on a bit of a date. In typical X-Men fashion it turns into a bit of a situation, but there’s a good balance between action, drama and fun. Some of the characterization for other team members feels a bit weird though. The backup story is all about Dani Moonstar seeking out Lady Mastermind, while also talking with Magik a bit. It’s a good story, and it’s nice to see Dani around again. If either of these stories sound interesting, this annual is worth picking up.
Captain Marvel 10 is good. It finishes off Captain Marvel’s Civil War tie-in with the Alpha Flight traitor revealing himself, an intense battle between this villain and Carol, and an ending that implies that Carol feels a lot of guilt over some of her actions during Civil War II. Judging by the solicitations, this will be explored a lot in the next Captain Marvel volume. The art is a bit of a downgrade though. This is well worth picking up if you’ve been reading this series up to this point.
The Mighty Thor 13 is great. The War of the Realms intensifies and the League of Realms kind of reforms, but without permission from any of their leaders. This issue feels a lot more straight forward than the more complex stories lately, making it easier for new readers to jump in. There’s also just the right amount of humour thrown in to balance everything out. If you’re the least bit interested in Jane Foster taking over for Odinson after he became unworthy, you should check this series out.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 64 is good. This concludes a large story that’s been building for a while between the Foot Clan and the Street Phantoms, with a couple dark reveals at the end. I won’t spoil it, but the ending brings a major turning point in the Turtles’ family dynamic. TMNT fans should be reading this series, whether they usually read comics or not.
healed1337 
CWII was pointless filler. Gorgeous filler. But filler nonetheless. Just stupid, pointless padding that didn’t need to be here.
Ultimates 2 was fantastic. So good. Ewing does a great job with the characters, highlighting their humanity in excellent ways, while also bringing big crazy cosmic ideas. The art is gorgeous. I loved this.
ANXM Annual was really good. The Idie story was sweet and cute. The Dani story had a really cool idea, with the anxiety and panic attacks, and good writing on Dani, but I do think the art should have done more to really convey an anxious feeling.
Death of X was good. The “twist” was great.
Captain Marvel was great. The Master of the World! But he’s cool now! That fight was done really well. And the use of Stewart Caldwell was fantastic, as a commentary on Jim Shooter’s treatment of Steve Gerber.
Thor was good. Fun. I’m always happy when Angela shows up somewhere. I wish Sera was with her. But Angela’s a delight, as always.
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