X-Men #5

            This series has been “disappointingly average.” When two things like mutants and vampires are out together in the same arc, and the mutants are X-Men, I get high expectations. If this arc isn’t great then I am discouraged. So far that is exactly what this series has been, and I have been disappointed.

            In this issue the vampires siege Utopia. Cyclops puts all of his “hard skinned” people out front. Like Emma Frost, Colossus, Ice Man, and archangel. Cyclops also stays out side, and all the other people go inside. The vampires then release the vampired Wolverine. Cyclops then reveals that he temporarily shut down Wolverine’s healing gene, but then he turns it back on, and gets the vampirism out of him. So the mutants beat the vampires. Then Dracula comes back and takes control of the vampires.

            This is a good issue. In X-Men 3: the last stand there was a moment where they were about to battle the brother hood where it felt like the movie was holding its breath. This issue had the exact same feeling before the vampires. It’s hard to do that in a comic, but Gischler did it very well. Other than that the comic was almost entirely a fight scene, but a very entertaining fight scene. Except when Xarus lost, his defeated attitude and expressions really showed that he felt powerless. I still don’t know what happened to Janus, I expected him to show up around issue two or three, but I still just have no idea what happened to him. It’s a loose end that no one has tied up, if he appears now it will be pointless because he was on the run from Xarus, and now he’s not in charge any more, so I just don’t know about him.

            This arc isn’t over yet, but now I’m genuinely exited for the next couple issues, and the next arc. I wouldn’t call this a must buy issue, but it’s definitely in that range.

Grade: 8/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Uncanny X-Force

          I had never liked these X-Men spinoffs, actually (recently) I've never really liked any of the X-Men series, nor did I like Deadpool. (which is kind of X-Men) But when Angle, Wolverine, and Deadpool are all in the same series I had to check it out. I'm just saying now that I've had no experience with Fantomex, or Psylocke.
          The series starts off with Deadpool going on some covert mission to a cult sort of thing, well, until he was knocked unconscious by a giant statue. Then we see Psylocke's dream, she dreams that Angle is arguing with Archangel, and Archangel is killing both of them. Angle and Psylocke both wakeup and argue about lying to each other when they get a call, not really sure what about, probably Deadpool. Then there is a competition between Fantomex and Wolverine, and Wolverine wins. I was then a little confused when the X-Force just kinds of meets with no lead up. They go to where Deadpool was and they get attacked by the giant statue, after they overcome that and rescue Deadpool, you see Apocalypse as a small boy, and Angel declares that he's going to kill him.
            I found this issue confusing. I don't know who called Angle, or what about, Angle later said something about how Deadpool was gathering info about something for years, and I don't know what, and most importantly I don't know what brought the X-Force back together. (Although I Fantomex just decided to get them all back) But as I was reading I barley noticed, what I did notice was great writing, great art, and the best written Deadpool I've ever seen. It's like the way Bendis writes Spiderman, Remender writes Deadpool like I've always wanted to see him. Another character that is done really well in this series is Fantomex, he had a very nice classiness about him, but I still don't know anything about him. (I'll be sure to look him up so I'm prepared for next issue) Angle, Wolverine, and Psylocke were also written well, but not as well as Deadpool and Fantomex. For a series like this I would usually comment about "starting in the middle of the series," but the trailer for this series took that thought right out of my mind.
           This was a really good issue, with great art, and great writing, there were just a couple of holes in the plot, most of which I would consider irrelevant.



Grade: 8/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Wolverine #2

        At first I was skeptical about "Wolverine Goes to Hell," I thought it would be just another Marvel event to make comic headlines, while they are simultaneously doing "Curse of the Mutants," and "Shadowland." I thought it was going to be a publicity stunt, that is only written half heartedly. After I read the first issue, I thought I was right. It was only written okay, and the plot was confusing. In the series defense, I didn't read Daken or X-23 (although I gave X-23 some thought) because I've never really liked the whole family of Wolverine thing, so I don't know how well those were written, but in Wolverine issue one, it was not good.
         In this issue Wolverine is fighting every single person that he had ever killed. (in Hell) Nazis, ninjas, and Omega Red, he is fighting and killing (again) all of them. He has no powers and no adamantium. The Devil keeps telling Wolverine he can stop if he lets out one little scream, but Wolverine simply replies: "Keep 'em comin', Bub." Wolverine's girlfriend (who was rescued by Mystique last issue) calls Yukio. (Wolverine's former girlfriend) While on the phone Yukio is killed by Wolverine's demon possessed body, and goes to Hell, where the devil makes her whip Logan until he screams. At the end of the comic you see two people planning to use Wolverine, one who was small would use him to escape Hell, the other would use him for a hidden agenda.
       Right after I finished this comic I knew that it was a good one. My original assumptions about this series were wrong. The comic was filled with emotion (on a wolverine scale) between fighting Omega Red, and being tortured by his ex girlfriend. To be very blunt "it's been a ruff day for Wolverine."  This issue was written very well, the writing had an almost poetic way about it. Which was also reflected by the fantastic art. My only real complaint with this issue was that Aaron didn't use Saber Tooth enough. Wolverine is in Hell, in pain, emotionally compromised, if Saber Tooth had come out, and had a dialogue while he was fighting that would have topped off the issue and made it from great to amazing. In fairness Aaron did kind of do that with Omega Red, but Saber Tooth would have been better. I also have to point out how Melita called Yukio of all people, opposed to like Cyclops or Beast, it just looked like away to bring Yukio into the story, that's what it was, but it just looked a little forced.
       This was a great issue, but it could have been better.
      




Grade: 8/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

X-Men #4

             I always look forward to this series, I just resized I never reviewed X-Men issue three, so I'll give it a grade right now Grade: 9/10. I had stopped liking Marvel for a little while, because they destroyed Hulk to the point where I can no longer read it, and I wasn't a huge fan of what they did to Spiderman's villains (Doc Oc, Vulture etc. but it did grow on me later) but now I love Marvel again, this is just a great series.
              In this issue Blade and Angel hunt down some vampires and then realize they have to run away from them because there are too many. Xarus then confirms that there is no chance Wolverine is healing off the vampire gene, and gains his trust. Xarus then calls up Cyclops and uses Wolverine to intimidate him, so now the vampires are going to invade Utopia.
              I'm just waiting for the moment when Wolverine says "ha ha I'm not a vampire."  I guess that adds suspense, but that is canceled out by predictability. I do think that Jubilee should stay a vampire, because now that she isn't a mutant her character has become a annoyance, and this is a way to give some conflict to the X-Men and purpose to Jubilee.
              I don't think that Blade is being used to his full potential, six pages were devoted to Blade and Angle (two of my absolute favorite characters in any comic universe) but they didn't do anything. They found vampires and ran away. Blade is one character that can pull the Punisher thing off well, and there making him a "sissy."I do have to complement the cover which is just very realistic and very cool, although, the art inside the book is just okay. (like green arrow it's nothing special) This issue does open the gate for many good issues in the future, but only if Gischler uses Blade, and Jubilee to their full potential.
              While this issue wasn't the best thing I've ever read, I still love the series and am looking forward to future issues.
            




Grade: 7/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Avengers #4

          This has been a solid series. Although It has been a little confusing, but when there is a brake in the time stream, thats all you can really expect. I'm very happy that John Romita Jr. is drawing this series, I  love his work, he's a great artist. I do like this arc, but I'm exited for the next story arc, when things have calmed down a little.
          In this issue Wolverine, Noh-Varr, Captain America and Ironman are in the future, and the rest of the Avengers are in the present. The man who appeared last issue is apparently an old friend of Spiderman named John Killraven, who was shot back in time and now is slowly coming back. The team that went to the future are knocked out and brought to the old Hulk, and an old Tony Stark, Hulk is holding Ironman and the future Ironman is about to stab him.
         First off, I have to address the cover, nothing was bad about it, it's just so close to the cover of Secret Avengers #4 (review coming soon) If that was done on purpose, cool, if it was done by accident, I guess it's still cool.
        In every issue that has been in this series so far, Bendis writes an okay comic, and then at the end he has a scene that makes the comic so much better. This one definitely had that. The rest of the story was okay, it was just one weird thing after the next, and when that happens there are to many thing going on the plot gets to complicated, I get confused and suddenly the comic doesn't live up to its potential. I could have done without  John Killraven, and just getting rid of that would have made this comic, and this series much better.
        So right now there is a huge, uncontrollable battle in the future, and there is a huge, uncontrollable battle in the present. I wish that Bendis would focus on the future more. His sections about the present were dull. They should be there, otherwise people would wonder what happened, but I just wish Bendis would focus just a little more on the future.
        This issue was a disappointment, last issue was the best issue in the series, and this I'm afraid is the worst one. The future stuff was good, actually it was great, there just wasn't enough of it, and the rest of the comic was complicated and boring. Buy this one if you really, really want to, but otherwise don't waste your money.
       Just one more thing, on the next issues cover there is a picture of Vision, I really hope he's not just on the cover and then doesn't appear in the comic, but if he does appear in the comic, it's going to be really good. I'm very exited for the next issue but this one was a disappointment.



Grade: 5/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Wolverine #1

            I like the X-Men, I always have. Among my favorite characters is Wolverine. Although to be honest I wasn't too exited about this series but I saw it at the comic store and decided to pick it up.
           There are so many Marvel events happening I have difficulty keeping them straight. There is Curse of the Mutants, Shadowland, and now there is Wolverine Goes to Hell. There is one good thing about having all of those events, and that I like all of them. Shadowland is flawless, Curse of the Mutants is really good, and now I'm going to talk about Wolverine goes to Hell.
            In this issue Logan pays weekly visits to paster Wraith, and one day he doesn't come. Instead his demon possessed body comes and burns down the church that Wraith worked at killing several people. Wolverine's sole is in hell, and a bunch of people came after Wolverine's girlfriend , who is then rescued by Mystique.
            I do like this arc, but if I were Jason Aaron I wouldn't start with an arc where your main character is already dead. Other than that  this comic was pretty good.  The art was very well done, it had a sort of "sketchy" feel to it that made the comic more enjoyable. I liked that Wraith was in this issue, the only time I've seen him before was in Wolverine Origins, and I really didn't like that movie, so this was a good, successful redemption move. On top of all that I thought Guedes depiction of a kind of classic hell was done really well, I've seen it before when artists try to over complicate demons or hell and it ends up looking really bad, but this was done well.
        So this issue was good, not great, good. It was good for Wraith, and the art was amazing, the story was okay but placed badly, and the actual Wolverine was barely in the issue. Again it was good not great.




Grade: 6/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

X-Men #1

           I absolutely love the X-Men, I love the idea of them, the characters, just everything about them. I also liked the Death of Dracula one shot. I could see why putting them together would be appealing, but this is another case of starting in the middle of the series. (I'm sorry that I mention this a lot, but it will stop after the first story arcs of all these new series end) Marvel should have held off doing this until around the fourth or even fifth story arc. Just not right away. I am happy to see that Marvel is bringing Blade back. I've never actually read a comic about him, but the idea of him always was cool. (and the movie was pretty good) In this issue (what I think I'm right in assuming was) a vampire walks into the middle of a out door restaurant where Jubilee was having lunch. He takes off his coat and explodes, getting blood all over Jubilee and everyone around her. In the infirmary the Doctors find out that Jubilee is showing signs of becoming a vampire. This is after she explains what really happened, how there was no bomb. Wolverine goes to investigate, he finds a warehouse of sleeping vampires and starts to fight with them.
           When Jubilee says "There was no bomb. He just tore off his coat and his skin started sizzling." How did Cyclops know that it was Sun Light, stranger thing have happened in the Marvel Universe, but Cyclops knew that "Flesh...burns in day light" Instead of oxygen, or he took some chemical. Other than that my only complaint was starting in the middle of a series, but I already went over that . I loved the art, and the writing, and the fight between the vampire and Wolverine was done really well. I thought the suicide bomber thing was perfect, it modernizes the vampire and makes it less swords and steaks but more like a terrorist organization which is perfect for what Marvel is doing here. I was a little disappointed not to see Janus in this issue, but he has to turn up sooner or later.
             So this issue is not what I expected, but it was still pretty good.



Grade: 7.5/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com