Written by J Michael Straczynski and illustrated by John Romita Jr and Scott Hanna

Published by Marvel Comics

With the exception of Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Girl, both of which took place outside the ‘regular’ Marvel Universe, the Spider-Man line had sunk as far as it possibly could. Enter Paul Jenkins and J Michael Straczynski, two established writers ready to take on one of comic’s most popular characters. While Jenkins has been doing an admirable job on the Peter Parker title, most of the focus has been on Amazing Spider-Man, JMS’s book. It’s a good book. It’s one of the best books that Marvel’s publishing. However, it’s not without its flaws and some have become more glaring than others.

There are a few things that bothered me, particularly the idea that Peter was somehow pre-destined to receive these powers, but they became a little more glaring with this issue. Ezekiel seemed like a completely different person in the beginning of this issue and even though things appear to change, it seemed a little too melodramatic for my tastes. But my faults with the book lie in a few other instances, which I’ll get into first.

A lot of criticism regarding the Ben Reilly era of the Spider-Man books came from the fact that with Ben, you couldn’t show Peter Parker’s supporting cast of characters like Flash Thompson or his co-workers at the Daily Bugle. (for more information on the infamous Ben Reilly era of Spider-Man, please check out the ‘Life of Reilly’ column, written by myself and former Marvel Editor Glenn Greenberg at www.comicbookgalaxy.com) During JMS run so far, we haven’t seen any of those familiar faces make an appearance. All we’ve had we a few panels of Aunt May, who should have never been resurrected after JM DeMatties masterfully written death in Amazing Spider-Man #400. During the Ben Reilly era, I could understand stepping away from the familiar supporting cast for a while, since it was supposed to be a new beginning. JMS’s run was supposed to be a back to basics and yet there’s nothing basic about it.

Another problem ties into the aforementioned Ben Reilly. During a great fight in this issue, Spider-Man comments on how, after he’s joined in battle by Ezekiel, that it’s a new experience to rely on someone with similar powers to his own. Eh? Spider-Man and Ben Reilly (as the Scarlet Spider) teamed up on several occasions. While I can understand the reluctance of having Ben Reilly come back at this point (and possibly confuse new readers) they can at least acknowledge the existence of a character that played a crucial part in the history of the character. Chalk it up to being punch drunk from Morlun or a momentary lapse of memory, but saying that that moment was the first time Spider-Man fought alongside a similar person is just the case of a writer doing bad research.

But JMS is able to remember and give props to his own work just fine, which leads me to my final complaint of the issue. In a throwaway scene meant to be a gag but offering nothing more than a waste of a panel, there’s a moment where a few characters talk about Babylon 5 (the television series JMS created, for the uninitiated) Now writers and artists have thrown in joke here or there about another project they’ve worked on before. It’s nothing new. But here it seems so blatant, so forced, and so groan inspiring.

So you’re all going to be shocked when I tell you how much I liked the issue and that I’m scoring it a 9, right? The fact of the matter is it’s a very good story. It’s suspenseful, it’s action packed and it has a coolness factor of 10, which is what people hope for with a Spider-Man story. This battle with Morlun is taking on a quality of its own, conjuring up memories of Spider-Man’s classic battles with Firelord or the Juggernaut. The past two issues, dealing with the Spider-Man/Morlun face off have some of the best fight moments of any superhero book that I can remember. It’s definitive Spider-Man here, using all his strength against an apparently unbeatable, unrelenting foe.

The past 2 issues have also showcased John Romita Jr’s talents (and Scott Hanna’s) more than ever. My favorite JRjr run was on this same title back in the mid 1980s. I’m happy to say that the man has outdone himself. He appears to be outdoing himself each and every issue. With the past few issues being one, long, extended fight scene, it falls on the art team’s shoulders to make it work. If they can’t deliver on paper, you could have the greatest story ever being told and it’ll look like crap and be regarded as such. Romita Jr and Hanna need to be commended for doing the best work of their career and making this title one of the best looking titles on the racks.

Particular problem plot points aside, the writing is pretty solid, too. You can’t deny the book’s page-turner appeal and JMS continues to draw the reader into the story, furthering the mystery of who or what Morlun is and how he’s tied together with Spider-Man and Ezekiel. There were a couple very good scenes where Spider-Man’s humanity comes out a bit more than it has in the past few issues. He’s been fighting with blind survival instincts lately and the ‘phone call’ scenes, as you’ll discover, are very appropriate given the context of the story.

Even with its problems, the series continues to thrill. The Ezekiel soap opera can’t go on forever and when the mystery is resolved once and for all, that’s when we’ll truly find out what this creative team is made of. The past few issues have introduced some intriguing characters and contained many great moments of comic storytelling. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t seem like a Spider-Man book. It becomes all the more glaring when you look over at the wonderful creation that is Ultimate Spider-Man and realize how far off our favorite wall crawler has gotten off course in the core books. I’m very anxious to see if JMS and JRjr can infuse Amazing with the same sort of energy and excitement when it comes time to write about Peter Parker and his supporting cast of characters. Nevertheless, this issue is a more than solid read, as the mystery deepens and the excitement gets even heavier.

Score: 9 out of 10

On Sale August 15th

Banner #2 (of 4)

Written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Richard Corben

Published by Marvel Comics

I really hope people don’t avoid this mini-series thinking it’s more of the same after the less than stellar ‘Hulk Smash’ mini-series from earlier in the year. Banner is the first mini series from the ‘Startling Stories’ imprint in which Marvel Universe characters are taken, used and abused at the whim of some of the industry’s best creators, in an alternate universe style setting, like DC’s Elseworlds.

The funny thing is, while the first issue dealt more with Bruce Banner and his way of dealing with the fact that he turns into this huge, green destructive force called the Hulk, this second installment seems very similar to the previously mentioned ‘Hulk Smash’, but in tone only. It begins with a very believable resolution to the cliffhanger of the previous issue and picks up with the Hulk tearing through the desert with Doc Samson and company right on his tail. One of the major reasons for the improvement in this story over the earlier mini-series is the caliber of the villain. While Doc Samson’s been portrayed as an ally and friend to the Hulk in the regular Marvel Universe, he’s pretty much a cold hearted, megalomaniac here and that makes for a much more interesting and formidable opponent for the Hulk.

Being one of the strongest characters in comics, the Hulk isn’t likely to be taken down by force, so the opponent is going to need to be intelligent or crafty enough to trick him or submit him to a barrage of attacks in the hopes that a weak point will be discovered. It’s evident from the first issue that Samson is just such an opponent and this issue expands the depths of this character to such a point, that you may even end up second guessing the character’s motives in the core series because of it. As he did with Bruce Banner in the first issue, Azzarello concentrates on creating layers around Samson’s character.

Corben is the surprise star of the show here. Never has the Hulk looked more maniacal or threatening. We’re so used to seeing the ‘savage’ Hulk played up as a dumb brute who likes beans for God’s sake, that it’s assuring to know that a team can make him as frightening as such a character should be. Corben’s art plays a huge part in this, giving readers another stunning opening sequence with images of furious Hulk ready to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting world. He also adds that constant smirk or smile on Samson’s face that makes you want the character to meet an untimely end even more. Bad enough that this guy is acting like a jerk in this series, but the fact that he appears to be reveling in it makes you hate him even more. Nice touch by Corben.

Because it deals with the Hulk battling against the military and subsequently turns into a 22 page fight, the book’s a pretty quick read. I’m still impressed, overall, but the first issue was definitely better. Knowing the creative team on this series, I’m sure we can look forward to a great mix of drama and action in the next two issues. Banner is still a worthy first edition to the Startling Stories line and it’s good to see that yet another ‘Vertigo’ writer can make the transition to superheroes pretty effortlessly.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

On Sale August 29th

Captain Marvel: ‘First Contact’ Trade Paperback

Written by Peter David and illustrated by ChrisCross, Ron Lim, James Fry, Anibal Rodriguez, Walden Wong, Mark McKenna and Nelson DeCastro

Published by Marvel Comics

This nicely put together Trade Paperback includes the 0 issue from Wizard Magazine, as well as the first 6 issues of the regular series. The phrase, ‘perfect jumping on point’ is thrown around too often with comics, but this trade deserves the banner. Spinning off of the wildly successful ‘Avengers Forever’ mini-series, Captain Marvel tells the story of Rick Jones (sidekick to Captain America, the Hulk and the original Captain Marvel) who’s become ‘bonded’ with Genis, the son of the original Marvel. There’s even a short section in the end of the book that briefly summarizes the history of Rick, Captain Marvel and how they became one. It’s a great way to bring new readers up to date with the major players of this series, although I think it would have been better to put the section in the beginning of the book for just that purpose.

Captain Marvel is a very cool, very different character in that he’s two different characters in one. Half of him is made up of Rick Jones and the other half is made up of Genis, the artificially aged son of the original Captain Marvel. During the Avengers Forever mini-series, their atoms were bonded, a process that also enabled them to have ‘cosmic awareness’. The cosmic awareness ability isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes the reality they see is taking place in an alternate universe, so they act on it on our Earth when there is really no problem. It makes life even more difficult. The new Cap also has an appealing new visual look. His costume is still the same as the original, but his ‘skin’ is made up of open space, complete with star effect.

Rick Jones was a character that didn’t become interesting until David started using him in the Hulk. He’d been around the block several times and most of the Marvel Universe knew who he was, but the character didn’t seem like anything more than a dope who went somewhere he wasn’t supposed to (which caused Bruce Banner to become the Hulk) and made a career out of being places where he should have been. In the Hulk, David added some great dimensions to the character and continues to do so with the Captain Marvel series. David’s wry sense of humor is a treasure on the book. He doesn’t go for the belly laughs, but you’ll find yourself chuckling uncontrollably several times during the course of a David read. Right off the bat, there’s a great in-joke about the use of ‘Shazam’. A lot of the humor in the beginning of the story comes at Captain Marvel’s expense, with Rick setting him up time and time again, like telling him his battle cry is ‘O-Wha…Tagoo…Siam’.

ChrisCross is the regular series artist, but some segments of the trade include the fill in work by Lim and Fry, who do an admirable job but can’t quite match the unique style of CC. Lim’s work on Image’s Randy O’Donnell is the M@N is a much better indication of his artistic talent than what’s shown here. The art chores by ChrisCross give the trade it’s best looking moments. Lim and Fry fill in adequately, but considering that this only encompasses the first half year of stories, it’s unfortunate to have to use fill-ins already, especially in a TP format. A new reader could be coming onto the book and finding that the art changes midway into the story, which may or may not sit well with them.

If you’re a fan of Peter David’s ability to write moments of great drama only to ease the mood with some laugh out loud, outright silliness, you will not be disappointed ‘First Contact’. David is back to writing the kinds of stories which made his run on the Hulk so beloved and this trade is a great package that will be sure to entertain even the most jaded fan.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

On Sale August 29

Rogue #1

Written by Fiona Avery and illustrated by Aaron Lopresti and Randy Emberlin

Published by Marvel Comics

Like the Cyclops mini-series, Rogue’s sole purpose for existence is more than likely to offer X-Men movie fans a chance to see more of their favorite characters. If that doesn’t work, X-titles tend to be paper gold anyway so the minis should do well. While Cyclops (which hits stores this week) takes place in the present day, Rogue is a tale set in the past, when she first joined with the X-Men.

I didn’t know much about the character’s origins other than the fact that she used to be a villain and then somehow reformed and joined the X-Men. This first issue does a very good job of setting up the rest of the series by introducing readers to all the major players. Most of the major X-Men appear in the issue at one point or another and their powers and situations within the team are explored in detail enough to bring even the novice of readers up to speed.

Lopresti seems like a good match for Avery’s writing. His art is crisp, clean and he isn’t afraid to fill his panels with a lot of detail. I don’t remember seeing anything by him before, but if enough people pay attention to the book, he deserves a chance at a regular gig. It’s tiring to see artists who rely on gimmicky styles continue to get work, while others who actually know how to draw people anatomically correct get left out. He definitely gets points for his work on this book.

The story seems influenced heavily by the film. There are some moments that seem to be borrowed directly from the film, while other panels allude to it, which isn’t a problem. My main criticism of the book would be that it moves along too slowly. The concept of an orphaned girl who happens to be a mutant is interesting enough. Her power to absorb the energy or powers of other people, mutant or otherwise, also is appealing in that it makes her even more of an outcast. She can’t even feel the touch of another human without worrying about possibly killing them. It’s intriguing, but the book plods along dealing with even the most miniscule details at the expense of holding your interest. I really enjoyed a scene where Professor X tries to teach Rogue to control her memories and use the power of her mind, but it dragged on a bit too long.

As a setup for the rest of the mini-series, the book works well. As a stand-alone issue, it drags just a little more than it should. While I do applaud any effort by a company to tell more stories with female leads, I hope the rest of the series picks up the pace.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

On Sale August 22

War Machine

Written and illustrated by Chuck Austen

Published by Marvel Comics/Max Comics

Marvel’s new Mature Reader imprint, Max, has gotten quite a lot of people talking and chiming in with their opinions. It’s interesting to see how people can become ‘critics’ regarding things they haven’t read or watched or listened to yet. Take for instance the Max line. Brian Michael Bendis’ Alias series was pegged as being exploitative and gratuitous in its use of sex. As people who’ve gotten a first look at the book can attest to, the loudmouths were all wrong. But being proven wrong was never enough to quiet the storm of ignorance so attention turned to War Machine, which was pegged as being the gratuitously ultra violent book. Sigh. We’ll be doing an overall review of the first 4 issues here, but if someone can explain (when they read it) where this book is gratuitous in any way, I’d appreciate it, because I don’t see it. It’s either that or those dirty, influential Loony Toon cartoons desensitized me and now I’m hopeless.

But onto the business at hand: War Machine. War Machine is Marvel Max’s new black and white, weekly series (only $1.50 per issue) and that feels weird even to type it. Marvel publishing a weekly black and white series for a mature reader line? What has the world come to? Anyway, the series stars James Rhodes, as War Machine. While that’s similar to the way things were in the regular Marvel Universe, it’s pretty much the only similarity between the two.

In this story, there aren’t many meta-humans or superheroes, like there are in the regular Marvel or even the other Max book, Alias. There’s Tony Stark/Iron Man, War Machine, Nick Fury and another surprise character that no one is expecting, but with an added twist. The real world feel gives the book a much more dramatic edge in terms of storytelling and as the series progresses, that becomes much more evident.

The series begins with Tony Stark holding a press conference to announce that he’s ceasing the creation of weapons and munitions for government contracts, which includes the newly created War Machine armor. Stark’s had a crisis of faith recently and has seen how devastating his creations can be, so he decided to keep the War Machine technology for himself, adapting it into a personal defense system for his own protection that he’s nicknamed the Iron Man. After swearing that the public will never see the War Machine technology again, the story cuts to a scene showing a typically busy LA freeway with an atypical occurrence: a woman has been kidnapped by AIM terrorist agents who are fleeing in a massive armored truck. They aren’t prepared to run into Rhodes, who has taken the War Machine armor out for a spin for reasons unknown at that point. What follows is one of the coolest action disaster sequences in comics. Believe me, the first issue is worth checking out just for the ‘crash’ alone. Reluctantly, War Machine has to engage the AIM agents if there is any hope for the hostage to survive. The ensuing battle shows that the difficulty in trying to do right when thrust into the spotlight and the first issue ends with a great shot of the armor and a terrific quote from Rhodes.

Rhodes has to soon face reprimanding for taking the armor out for a joyride and Stark is more than happy to provide the penalty for disobeying orders. This event leads to one of the most enjoyable moments in these issues, a very uncomfortable moment between Rhodes and a security guard. For those of you who were unaware, Jim Rhodes is an African American. Race plays a small, but integral part of the first few issues due to some of the actions that have occurred and the race of those who’ve been involved. Austen doesn’t want to beat anyone over the head with lessons on race relations, but the moment with Rhodes and the elderly Caucasian is awkward, humorous and honest at the same time.

Rhodes then meets up with Parnell, who he knows very well. For reasons you’ll discover in the series, Parnell tries to kill Rhodes. The two scuffle and then it’s discovered that they’re both wanted by the same man: Nick Fury, from Shield. A lot of governments desire the War Machine technology and several imitation designs have been popping up. Shield itself has some versions. Fury has a specific purpose for abducting Rhodes and Parnell and the explanation both makes perfect sense and sets up the rest of the story. And what a story it is.

I only know Chuck Austen from his art on the new Elektra series and this is the first time I’ve read anything he’s written. He is definitely well suited to handling double duty on this series. I don’t care much for his style on the Elektra series, but for War Machine is looks perfect. It’s as if Marvel is doing a Manga series and that’s the way these four issues feel. His ‘people’ look great but the inanimate objects is where his art really shines. From the armor to the vehicles and buildings to the great images of the Shield Helicarrier, it’s just awe inspiring, as if you’re seeing cells from a big budget animated feature film. His writing is of equal strength. The series is meant to be read quickly and in chapters, which is why the weekly format helps so much. The first issue is a great setup and then things slow down a bit before getting back to a fast pace in issue three and then getting into high gear again in issue four. It would have been grueling to wait four months to read the first four chapters, but when you do so in a month, it works so much better.

All of his characters are fleshed out and handled with realism. The Tony Stark portrayed here is a bit harder edged than what we currently have in the Marvel Universe and he’ll probably remind most people of the way he was during the 80s. Nick Fury comes across as being one of the ones who benefits the most from this news series. Like Jim Rhodes, he seems the most real and I’m looking forward to seeing how Ennis handles the character in the upcoming Fury mini-series from Max. Most important to the series thus far is the relationship between Parnell and Rhodes. They have a similar background and they’ve both made mistakes (although drastically different ones) that have forced them to end up in the company of Shield.

War Machine is a high tech, action thriller with a touch of espionage and intrigue wrapped around a world of corporate crooks, racists and terrorists out to take advantage of the few noble people that are left. It falls under the Max line for some strong language and some moments of violence, but they don’t detract from the story. It’s a quality book with great art and writing from a very talented person and future superstar, Chuck Austen. Pre-order this now.

Score: 9.5 out of 10

On Sale Weekly Starting in September

Magic Pickle #1 (1of 4)

Written and Illustrated by C. Scott Morse

Published by Oni Press

Reviewed by Barry Wolborsky of Gray Haven Magazine

Magic Pickle is the story of Weapon Kosher, a super-powered vegetable who has been in hibernation for 50 years and is suddenly reawakened to find that he’s returned to a strange new world. A little girl’s bedroom. That’s right. The secret laboratory housing our heroic Dill was hidden underneath the bedroom of young Jo Jo Wigman, who suddenly has to deal with the fact that there’s more to life than going to school and wanting to kiss Danny Johnson on the lips. But the Briny One has more serious matters to contend with, as he soon finds out his old nemeses, The Phantom Carrot and The Brotherhood of Evil Produce are also back in action and ready to cause more mayhem and destruction. So what’s a Pickle to do? Save the day, of course!

Morse is the same cartoonist who has taken us from a Godfather-like gang war in his other Oni Press series, Volcanic Revolver, to a space and time-spanning mythical adventure saga in the Soulwind graphic novels, also from Oni. Now he gets silly with Magic Pickle, poking good-natured fun at the superhero genre, most notably Marvel Comics’ Captain America. Morse’s background as an animator suits him perfectly on Magic Pickle, as the comic reads and feels very much like an animated cartoon, with lots of action and constant motion. Not to mention humor and silly puns, which are in abundance. Jo Jo’s reaction at seeing a floating, talking, pickle in her bedroom and the ensuing conversation between girl and produce is priceless, and easily one of the funniest scenes in the book.

It’s pretty obvious that I loved this comic book, and with good reason. It made me laugh out loud more than once and had me eagerly anticipating the next issue when I was done. If you want action, adventure and a good chuckle, you should definitely pick up Magic Pickle #1. It’s a fun, good-natured comic book that can (and should) be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Highly Recommended: 10 out of 10

For a sneak peak at Magic Pickle, check out Oni Press’ Web Exclusives section at CLICK HERE!!!

Can’t find a comic store in your area?

Call the Comic Shop Locator Service: 888-266-4226