Avengers vs. X-Men #0

*This review was originally posted on Bleedingcool.com.*

Before I start, let me give a quick introduction. My name is Chris Miller, and I manage Illusions Games and Comics in Salisbury, MD. I've been collecting comics for thirty years, and even owned my own store for six years. I love this industry and everything about it. But hey, you're not here for me, you're here to get an early peek into Marvel's biggest event of the year: Avengers vs. X-Men!

This zero issue is split into two chapters: the first (written by Brian Michael Bendis), focusing on the Scarlet Witch, and the second (written by Jason Aaron), focusing on the mutant messiah, Hope. Both chapters are drawn by one of today's best "good girl" artists, Frank Cho.
We open with the Scarlet Witch making a go at being a solo superhero, as she foils an attempt by M.O.D.O.K. to kill an ex-A.I.M. scientist. Eventually Wanda is joined by Ms. Marvel and Spider-Woman, and the trio dispatch M.O.D.O.K. and his crew. After the dust settles, Ms. Marvel convinces Wanda to come back to Avengers Mansion to catch up with her former teammates. Once arriving there though, not everyone is excited to see their old friend. The Vision immediately confronts Wanda, and a very emotional exchange is had between the two. It's a confrontation that has been brewing since the beginning of Bendis' work on the Avengers. After Wanda leaves the mansion, we are left to wonder if this emotional state is the reason the Phoenix could be drawn to her. The dialog between the ex-lovers is where Bendis shines in his part of the book. People either love or hate Bendis for his copious amounts of dialog, but I really don't think there will be any denying the impact of this sequence. To me, the raw emotion the Vision emits is the most pivotal part of this entire issue.
The book closes with a story about Hope trying to find answers to her purpose for being. She confronts Cyclops about the Phoenix. She knows all about it's history with Jean Grey and what it did to her, and that it's on it's way to Earth. Scott can offer no answers, so Hope storms off to respond to a call from a police scanner. The call is about an attempted bank robbery by the Serpent Society. Hope surprisingly has little trouble taking on the crew single-handedly. But when you think about it, D-Man could probably stop them by himself. It's the Serpent Society, for crying out loud! The fact that Hope could take them down so easily isn't the point here, it's the ferocity in which she does it. Is this the dark side that the Phoenix is attracted to? Is this the reason Hope should be possibly feared more than lauded? Jason Aaron has a great grasp on the nuances of the different X-Men. He has quickly become one of the few writers today that I trust with my beloved X-Men. I think that's what makes he and Bendis the perfect choice for co-writers to begin this whole event. Frank Cho's art compliments their writing style perfectly. He obviously draws beautiful women, and those talents are on display in the first story. But his energy in action sequences is equally exciting, which excels in the second story. It's almost like you can see the crackle of electricity in his pages. I like to think of him as a summer blockbuster artist.
All in all, AvX #0 is an enjoyable opening act. It doesn't exactly answer anything, like why the Phoenix is no longer attached to Jean Grey. I could've sworn I read somewhere that this issue was supposed to give that closure. I either misread that, or Marvel switched gears. What it does however, is set up the two characters who will have the most impact on this entire event. An event that should be a fun read. I say should, because who knows anymore? There's top talent across the board on this project, with all of Marvel's top characters involved. It just seems nowadays that these big events always start out well enough, but eventually deteriorate into "is it over yet?" I don't want to feel that way. I love the X-Men, and am a big Avengers fan thanks to Bendis. I am just going to sit back and see where this story takes us. I've heard the rumors of what might happen post-AvX, but until anything is confirmed, I'm not going to let possible outcomes cloud a fun beginning. This issue starts everything heading in the right direction. I'll be sticking around for what has the potential to be an extremely wild ride.

Avengers Academy #23

I wanted to review this issue when it first came out, but things kept coming up, and issues kept coming out, to the point it felt too late. But with the recent press it's gotten again over the past few days I felt the need to review it still.
My review is only going to focus on one part: the fact that Striker comes out as being gay. This series has always done an exceptional job of portraying young super heroes trying to learn who they are in a world that needs saving. But in this case, the book excels at showing how even heroes have doubts as to who they are. And that fact makes them just like us; human. I have always said that comics, movies, tv, and music help us get through ordeals that talking to people sometimes can't. It's not that we don't have people we can turn to, it's more the fact that unless you're in that person's shoes, you really can't get a feel for what they're going through. But when you see it on film, or hear the lyrics in a song, or read it on the page, your problems are outlined for you. You can see that there's a path out there someone has already walked down, and it gives you hope that you can travel those miles as well.
Striker's case is a common one in today's society. Are the conflicting feelings you have right? There are no right or wrong answers for this. There are only emotions. There will be people that think emotions are wrong. Those people are misguided. You have to decide for yourself what is right for you, not what anybody else says is right for you. This is what Striker learns.
This issue should be commended for treating the subject material in an open, honest way. It doesn't sugarcoat anything, nor does it present a clear-cut answer. What it does is present it in a way that allows you to connect with the character, whether you are straight or gay. A way that hopefully people can turn to and realize that there is hope for every single one of us.

Fables Volume One: Legends in Exile

Admittedly, Fables is a book I was never interested in reading. Fantasy just does not appeal to me, which is funny because of how much I immerse myself in comics. But after thoroughly enjoying ABC's Once Upon a Time and NBC's Grimm, I figured I'd try out the book that influenced those shows. Some would say those programs flat-out ripped-off Fables, but that is not for me to say. If those shows get people to read Fables, then the reader can make up their own mind.
If you've never heard of Fables, the premise is basically what if the characters of the stories we were told as children were real, and they lived in our world after being forced from their own. It's not as straight forward as you think, though. To adapt to our world, these iconic characters have changed their looks to blend in with modern society. So there are no talking wolves or a trio of pigs running around freaking everybody out (they get shipped up north of the city to live in seclusion). They've even set up their own community called Fabletown. Half the fun of each book is trying to figure out who the characters are before they're revealed. Some are obvious, some unfold in time.
Bill Willingham himself has said his idea isn't exactly an original one, but I feel the way it's presented surely is. He gives each well-known character a new attitude that makes each seem new to us. Some have very unexpected modern attitudes. The art in volume one by Lan Medina is an exquisite mixture of childhood tales brought to life with modern stylings. Elegant is a word that fits so many of the pages, especially two-page spreads.
The opening arc ended up being a bit predictable, but I'm not entirely sure if that's because I had heard how it ended already or not. After all, this is not a new series. I hear the series picks up mightily around volume three or four. Sufficed to say, volume one was enough of a treat to keep me coming back already.

Winter Soldier #1

Winter Soldier, or Bucky Barnes to you and me, is a character who has gone through more changes in the past few years than any other character in comics. He was found to be not dead since WWII, he was brainwashed into working for the Soviets, he broke free from his captors, became the new Captain America when Steve Rogers died, and then "died" again during Fear Itself. But he didn't really die. Not everyone in the Marvel Universe knows that fact though. And that brings us to the point of this new series.
Bucky is now hitting the underground, trying to right the wrongs he did as a puppet of the Russians. Along to help him is his current gal pal, the Black Widow. The book is full of the espionage and intrigue you'd expect from the best James Bond movie. Ed Brubaker has taken a character he did not create, and turned him into one that should not be written by anyone else. Bru has such a take on Bucky that fits more perfectly than any writer with any character today. Bru's backed on art by one of his best partners-in-crime, Butch Guice. Butch always fired on all cylinders when he drew Captain America, and he hasn't slowed down one bit here. In fact, he might have even stepped up his game. The book has that atmospheric feel that makes you believe this spy tale could actually happen in our world, even with all the fanastical aspects of the book (you'll see what I mean when you get to the last page). A lot of that atmosphere is in part due to colorist Bettie Breitweiser's amazing talents. Colorists, much like inkers, don't get enough credit when it comes to how well a book looks. The color palette Bettie uses matches Guices moody pencils in a perfect manner. The color plays an important role in this book because you can't have spies believably sneaking around in the light, but you can't also make the pages so dark that the reader can't tell what's happening. There's a perfect blend here.
Winter Soldier is a return to form for Brubaker to me. His current Captain America series has just not clicked with me since the relaunch. This book on the other hand, is exactly what I think of when I think of Bru. To me, Bru + Bucky = brillance.

Ultimate Comics X-Men #6

I've lost a lot of desire for the Ultimate line over the past few years. When Ultimatum came and killed a ton of major characters, I figured that would be a good place to end the line. But Marvel continued with it. The readers, on the other hand, did not. So Marvel decided to redo the line for a third time, this time killing off Spider-Man, and bringing in a lot of new up-and-coming creators. It still hasn't clicked all that well. I used to get the entire line, but with this third outing, I just stuck with my X-Men. It was an easy call for me since I get anything with an "X" on it, and Nick Spencer is writing it. But even that hasn't helped. It just doesn't hold much interest because these aren't the "real" Marvel characters. There's no "Oh no! So-and-so died!" That's why I didn't understand the huge outcry over the new Spider-Man being of African-American/Latino heritage. It wasn't Peter Parker, so why the fuss? This is the perfect universe to do something like that. It's a just big ol' What If?

But this issue is where everything finally clicked. There's been a big plan all along. One that reaches as far back as Ultimatum. And that right there is where the genius of the new blood creators comes through. They're not the type of writers to just give you all the answers on the first page of the first issue. And they shouldn't. What's the point of reading a story if you know how it ends before it starts? That's why so many prequels get it wrong. This issue finally brings some of that grand arc to light. It's a pretty bold one, too. I didn't see it coming. Maybe I should've, but I was caught off guard by it. It's going to be interesting to see how broad this idea is taken. We've seen a slightly similar story in the main Marvel U, but it can never go so far as it can in the Ultimate U.

So if you've been disappointed in the direction of the current Ultimate Comics line, I think this might be the beginning of some very interesting, and very big, developments. Let's just hope the payoff is worth the long build-up.

The Li'l Depressed Boy Volume 0

The Li'l Depressed Boy is one of my top three favorite comics currently. More often than not I can see myself in his shoes. It's a quality that makes you, the reader, care for the character in a way that isn't present in most books. It also has the distinction of being the only book to ever publish one of my letters, so it'll always have a special place with me.
This volume collects the stories that were released as a webcomic years before it became an Image comic. It's rough around the edges, but you can see where LDB grew from. The fact that you can see LDB drawn by a myriad of artists is a unique treat. Each one gives their own special take on our lead, and each style fits the emotions of the particular strip.
LDB is a very emotional comic. Frankly, it's not for everybody. But it should be. There's not a person on this planet that hasn't felt like him or found themselves in one of his situations at least once in their life. He's a character you want to succeed, because if he does, then maybe, just maybe, so will you.

Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #1

If you are a fan of the main Wolverine and the X-Men series, then you should not miss this side series. It lets Quentin Quire shine brightly, where he doesn't get the full attention in the main book. Quentin's always been a jerk (to put it "kid-friendly"), but that's what makes him a great character. You can't have every character be your obvious hero, or run-of-the-mill villain. Is Quentin a hero? Nope. But he's not a clear-cut villain, either. That's what makes him interesting. You want to see what mischief he starts.
The mischief he brings about in this series is completely directed at Wolverine, someone who he has a huge problem with currently. Quentin traps Logan and Armor in Logan's mind, for a reason that is yet to be fully explained. Sure, the simple answer is simply to screw with Logan, but nothing is ever simple when it comes to Quentin Quire.
It's good to see Brian Wood back at Marvel. It's been probably over a decade since he's written anything for them. He's still got a great grasp on characters that he has never written before, or written very little of in the past. He immediately makes Quire his own. The story fits it amazingly well with Jason Aaron's main series.
I am torn on the art. I love Mark Brooks' art, so the psychic parts of the story work well. The multitude of inkers is a little jarring, but not distracting. Just...noticeable in certain panels. But, I do not like Roland Boschi's art on the present day parts. I've seen better from him before, so it's disappointing he didn't bring his A game to such a high profile book. I really hope it gets better in subsequent issues, or quite frankly, it could be a huge detraction from the overall series.
But for now, the book is a worthy read. It leaves you with just enough story to satisfy, but also enough "I don't get it" so you'll come back for the answers.