Here are today's Guest Reviews by John McCubbin from Imagination Centre for Marvel's; Avengers #19, Indestructible Hulk #13, Mighty Avengers #1, and Wolverine #9. I have also added my rating after each review. If you have any questions about my rating or want to discuss anything just leave me a comment.
Avengers #19 - Avengers Universe II: Building Towards Collapse
INFINITY TIE-IN – “AVENGERS UNIVERSE: II”
The Avengers, prisoners of war!
One last desperate plan.
Betrayal in the Galactic Council.
Preview
Captors
So far Infinity has been outstanding, and truly one of the better Marvel events in a while. It has seen some fantastic developments so far, with this, and the New Avengers tie-ins being perfect companions.
Plot
Whilst half the Avengers are captured by the Builders, the rest try to form a plan of action.
Review
This was a brilliant issue, and although not quite as good as the main Infinity story so far, another great tie-in. Jonathan Hickman is doing a really great job of this event, and I've loved how he's managed to keep both the Avengers, and New Avengers series in the same tone that they were prior, whilst having the event be a lovely merger of the two. This issue Hickman managed to add a lot of drama, and suspense, as although there wasn't any proper action, there was still a lot of excitement, with some of the sequences being very intense. I also loved how Hickman managed to once again write an exciting issue, without giving to much development away from the main Infinity series.
The art in this issue was simply phenomenal, and Leinil Francis Yu really out did himself this time. The detail in his artwork was simply outstanding, and his work on this so far could very well be the best that I've ever seen from him, as he manages to make the complex settings work perfectly, only loosing a bit of detail in the background characters. Yu also manages to show the characters emotions, and expressions perfectly, adding so much depth, and drama to the story, making it feel more alive. Yu also handled the small explosive sequence perfectly, as although I'd have loved it if Yu had drawn more action in this issue, this was enough, with the emotion, and depth of the rest of the story making up for it.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 3/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 5/5
Story - 5/5
Verdict - 4.4 - (Pre-Order Avengers Prem HC Vol. 04 Infinity) SAVE 20%
Indestructible Hulk #13 - Agent of T.I.M.E., Part Three
"HULK AGENT OF T.I.M.E." PART 3!
Guest-Starring the BLACK KNIGHT!
CHRONARCHISTS in the time of Camelot--with MERLIN at their command!
BRUCE BANNER is running out of time--literally!
Preview
To Camelot
This has been overall a very consistent series so far, as although like everything there are issues that are better than others, none have been bad. Mark Waid has also done a brilliant job of making some use out of the disappointing Age of Ultron storyline, with this story looking to become even more interesting.
Plot
Hulk continues his quest to correct the timeline, travelling to the 6th Century, encountering King Arthur, and his Knights, facing of against another Chronarchist named Valdar Ahd.
Review
This was an outstanding issue, and this storyline is really starting to kick off now. Mark Waid just did an amazing job of this issue, and his work on Hulk in general has been astonishing. What I liked most about Waid's writing in this issue however was how well he managed to balance the pace of it, as well as having the right tone for the setting. I also loved how well Waid once again managed to show the difference between Hulk, and Banner, as although we see the differences all the time, it's much more interesting in this due to them both being in the same sequence. Waid also managed to add great drama, and brilliant action to this issue as well, with it being very intriguing, whilst also extremely interesting.
The art on this issue was also very good, and both Matteo Scalera, and Kim Jacinto did a great job. Now I'm still not a huge fan of Scalera's art, but I have to say I much preferred it over Jacinto's. Both artists styles were similar, with the the odd jarring moment, but Jacinto's art went to another level when it came to jarring faces, making me appreciate Scalera's art a lot more. I did however enjoy how both artists drew the Hulk himself, and especially Scalera, who does an amazing job with the big angry giant, also producing some outstanding fight sequences that explode out the page. I also really liked the layout in this issue, as during both Scarlera, and Jacinto's artwork it added a lot of tone, and depth.
Read the rest of John McCubin's Review on Imagination Centre
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 5/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 5/5
Story - 5/5
Verdict - 4.7 - (Pre-Order Indestructible Hulk Prem HC Vol. 3 Smash Time) SAVE 20%
Mighty Avengers #1
INFINITY TIE-IN! new ongoing series!
FROM THE BATTLEFIELDS OF INFINITY COMES THE MIGHTY AVENGERS!
The Avengers are light-years away in space, contending with the Builders! Thanos' marauders ransack the Earth, doing as they please! Who will stand in defense of mankind?
Luke Cage! The Superior Spider-Man! Spectrum! The White Tiger! Power Man! And a mysterious figure in an ill-fitting Spider-Man Halloween costume! These unlikely heroes must assemble when no one else can-against the unrelenting attack of Proxima Midnight!
Preview
A World Without Avengers
I wasn't originally planning on getting this series, as although I am happy to see Luke Cage back in a major comic book series, I couldn't fit it into my budget. I have however since been able to get the first couple of issues and hope to get the series at least during Infinity, but probably won't be getting the series on the release date.
Plot
Luke Cage has been working with the Heroes for Hire, but when Thanos' army attacks the Earth he must form a new team of Avengers... Mighty Avengers.
Review
This was a very good start for the series, as although it wasn't outstanding, it did a brilliant job of re-introducing the characters for this series. Now Al Ewing isn't a writer that I'm familiar with, so I didn't know what to expect. Ewing would however show throughout this issue that he has an understanding for the characters, as well as a good imagination, even if some of the developments were a little too weird. Ewing also did a decent job of fitting this in with the Infinity crossover, as a lot of new series can be ruined due to events, whereas this one handles it in a calm way, with it naturally progressing into the events developments.
The artwork in this issue was also good, as although I'm not a huge fan of Greg Land's work this has to be some of his better work, showing that he can be a good artist. The issue does however still have the regular Land problems, with every woman looking like a super model, and smiles looking as awkward as possible. Land did however produce some amazing layouts, which were very dynamic, adding a lot of depth to the issue. The layout also helped to make the action sequences more exciting, also helping the issue to flow a lot smoother. The backgrounds however were a bit plain, but I could easily live with that as it wasn't a huge problem.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 4/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 4 - (Buy Mighty Avengers #1) SAVE 10%
Wolverine #9 - Killable Part 2 of 6
Wolverine takes a road trip into the valley of death with Kitty Pryde!
But there's a hefty bounty on Logan's head, and every villain and mercenary is popping out of the woodwork to try to take him down.
First up: Batroc the Leaper!
Preview
After Mystique
This has been a very inconsistent series, as although it has started to show signs of promise, it has still to pay off. I do however still have faith that this series will become consistently good, and would be even happy if it became brilliant.
Plot
Wolverine rushes back to the school to confront Mystique to find that she has left, taking a sword that belongs to him, and goading him into a fight, but as he goes to face Mystique he is stopped in his tracks by Batroc.
Review
This was an amazing issue, as although it was slightly slow near the start, it managed to pick up pace half way through, becoming a really exciting issue. Paul Cornell has had an interesting take on Wolverine to say the least, as although this hasn't been the best we've ever seen, it has shown some very interesting concepts. I was however slightly disappointed with the start of this issue, as the story seems to be pick up a lot of pace, to be halted in it's tracks at places where it should be explosive. Cornell did however do a great job of showing how Wolverine's attitude has changed a bit, and how he doesn't care about his own problems quite as much any more, turning him back to the focused character he should be.
The art in this issue was simply phenomenal, and Alan Davis once again produced some amazing artwork. The detail in Davis' art is simply outstanding, and his style suits Wolverine perfectly, being gritty when needed, yet fairly lighthearted the rest of the time. Davis also once again did an amazing job of showing the characters emotions, and especially Wolverine, as the mixture of emotions was easily noticeable. I also really enjoyed Davis' layouts as they added a lot more depth to the issue, and worked perfectly with the tone, and emotion. The action in this issue was also very exciting, being the best thing about Davis' artwork, as it was extremely dramatic.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 3/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 3/5
Layout & Flow - 5/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 3.7 - (Buy Wolverine #9) SAVE 10%
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