Comics of March 29, 2017

I loved the Mass Effect trilogy. I even defended the Mass Effect 3 ending a bit, even though I acknowledge that the un-extended ending felt rushed. So what are my thoughts on Mass Effect: Andromeda? I haven’t played it yet. After struggling to get into Dragon Age: Inquisition, and then discovering The Witcher 3 a few weeks ago, I just can’t be bothered to pick up the new Mass Effect. The bad animations that are easily found on YouTube don’t help either. I’ll play it eventually, but that could be a while from now.

Anyway, the comics I picked up this week include X-Men Prime 1, The Mighty Captain Marvel 3, Ghost Rider 5, Black Widow 12, Spider-Woman 17, All-New X-Men 19 and Batgirl Annual. A number of these issues are the final issue in their series, so it’ll be hard to pick and choose what to review. Because of this, as much as I try to review at least one non-Marvel comic a week, unfortunately the Batgirl Annual is getting the shaft. I feel bad about that because it features Supergirl as well, but … you know. Here are my first impressions, and links to full reviews will be added when they’re posted.

X-Men Prime 1 review

Spider-Woman 17 review

Black Widow 12 review

The Mighty Captain Marvel 3 is alright. I don’t know what it is, but I’m just not enjoying this volume of Captain Marvel as much as the previous volumes.

Ghost Rider 5 is alright. This issue focuses more on Ghost Rider than some issues, but since it’s mostly one big action scene, there’s not all that much dramatic weight to it. The other members of the “four on the floor” team barely have any dialogue. Although in Laura’s case, her dialogue has been so bizarre in this series that it’s a good thing. Overall, this run feels more like a crossover mini-series than a solo book. That’s not the best way to write a solo title. That said, if you enjoyed the previous four issues, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

All-New X-Men 19 is mostly good. This issue almost entirely focuses on the original 5 X-men. Now that Beast has solved their time travel problem, they travel back to their past, only to find out that they’ve somehow been replaced by copies of themselves by the Universe itself. I can think of an easy explanation for this – Secret Wars. In any case, they’re likely here to stay in the modern era, and I’m fine with that. There are a couple panels that exemplify every problem I have with All-New Wolverine’s characterization in this series. Basically the art shows her slicing open throats when she’s supposed to be trying not to kill anyone. Even the dialogue in one of the earlier issues of All-New X-Men said as much. That’s a minor part of this issue – the main focus is on the original 5, and it’s all well-written from a dramatic standpoint. That’s especially the case when it touches on Cyclops and Jean Grey’s relationship, and how they both think it’s a bad idea when they know where it leads, even though they still love each other. It’s kind of a tragic moment, but it works very well. Whether you’ve enjoyed this series or you plan on picking up X-Men: Blue, this issue is worth checking out.

The Batgirl Annual is great. There are two stories that are both long enough for an issue on their own. There’s a Batgirl/Supergirl team up that’s more than enjoyable enough that I hope to see them work together again soon. It makes good use of their skills and abilities while telling a somewhat mysterious and dramatic story. The other story catches Barbara up with her friend, and puts them in a situation that Barbara is forced to solve without revealing that she’s Batgirl. Batgirl regulars will likely enjoy this, and the first story is at least worth a read for Supergirl fans as well.