Review: Secret Avengers #1

Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Mike Deodato

Well, I just put it down and I feel like I need to read it again. Maybe after I post this.

'Secret Avengers' is another series that has spun out of 'Siege', and unlike 'The Avengers' isn't a return to the norm in a sense. The newly formed team is run by Steve Rogers (former Captain America, current Steve Rogers) and includes the Black Widow (Natalia Romanova), Beast, War Machine, Moon Knight, Valkyrie, Nova and Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady), with Sharon Carter (Ex- S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent/former hypnotised murderer of Captain America) in a consultancy position. Now, to me, almost half the team are heroes I don't really no much about. Beast i've read some of in Joss Whedon's 'Astonishing X-Men', War Machine guest starring in Matt Fration's 'The Invincible Iron Man' and everybody knows the Black Widow and Captain America; but Ant-Man, Moon Knight, Valkyrie and Nova are relatively new characters in my eyes. While this leaves me in something of an uncomfortable position, I'm also kind of excited to see how they operate in a team environment. It might even inspire me to look into their titles.

Our story begins in Dubai, with the eveil energy corporation Roxxon in possession of something obviously dangerous, and after Valkyrie blows the mission, we find out it's a crown with tentacles that as Beast says seems to only move between moments. Weeping Angels, anyone?

From then on we get to see the different elements of the team coming together. Beast as their scientist, Black Widow on espionage, War Machine for firepower and as a pilot, Ant-Man and Moon Knight as infiltration and Nova as their off planet powerhouse/spy/possessor of cool helmet. Now everything isn't going super smoothly as the Shadow Council begins to follow our Avengers as soon as they leave with the creepy artifact, and Nova, as Steve tells us, has dropped out of communication on Mars after trying to find out what Roxxon is doing up there. So as Nova is consumed by another creepy snake/octopus crown thing, and Sharon Carter is attacked by the Shadow Council (whose leader looks like Nick Fury?), issue #1 closes and leaves me wanting more. now I just need to make it a month to get my fix...

Secret Avengers, the concept is viable enough, an Avengers team formed off the radar to handle pre-emptive strikes against enemy forces. Sounds good to me. But why are they going to Mars? The leap that was taken in this first issue definately surprised me, I was expecting a pretty simple 'let's show the reader what these guys can do to protect us' storyline, not to say that it hasn't piqued my interest. Ed Brubaker has achieved immense success with his 'Captain America' and 'Daredevil' (and 'Immortal Iron Fist') and obviously Marvel thinks he can handle his own team of Avengers, and I have to agree. While I have yet to see the individual power sets of some of the characters, the already established heroes seem in form (Brubaker should be able to write Steve and Sharon), except for Valkyrie's outburst. Isn't a black ops team all about seamless deception/inception/extraction? If she's going to be that volatile every adventure, Steve might want to rethink her as a team member.

Mike Deodato's artwork... I can take it or leave it. Having experienced it in 'Dark Avengers' I wasn't really expecting much, his renderings of the characters sort of freak me out. It's hard to explain but in some scenes they just look too plastic. Black Widow and Valkyrie's lips look like they're about to leap off their faces at some points. Some panels are fine, others make me squirm. Sorry Mike Deodato, but once again I want to see Oliver Coipel handle an Avengers title.

In summery, I was really happy to read this issue of what will no doubt be a very popular title. With a strong cast, and the talents of Ed Brubaker and Mike Deodato at the helm, i'm looking forward to the future adventures of the Secret Avengers.

Review: The Immortal Iron Fist, issue 7 'The Story of the Iron Fist Wu Ao-Shi: The Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay'

Story by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction
Pencils by Travel Foreman, Leandro Fernandez and Khari Evans

Bet you thought i'd forgotten didn't you?

As I went to the comic shop to purchase my monthly comics last Wednesday, my lovely friend... let's call her... Rebecca Petraitis, pointed out IMMORTAL IRON FIST BACK ISSUES. Enter my Kryptonite. Of course, getting a mint copy of issue 7 jolted my mind into remembering to write these reviews, so here we go.

Once again, issue 7 is scripted by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction, but has a trio of artists employed to handle the pencils. Travel Foreman takes care of pages 1 to 6, Leandro Fernandez wrestles 7 to 13 and Khari Evans wraps up the issue with pages 14 to 22. All colours are beautifully added by Dan Brown.

Besides the insight we got into Orson Randall's tenure as the Iron Fist in the first arc, this issue gives us our first story of another member of the 66 people who possessed the chi of Shao-Lao before Danny Rand. Wu Ao-Shi grew up in Kun-Lun and might not have made it past the age of 10 if not for the intervention of the Thunderer, and why did he? All we get is he saw something in her, and for me that's all I need. That's how much I love the character of the Iron Fist.

This story gives us something we don't see much in the series, a love story, and Brubaker and Fraction handle it tremendously. The mystery surrounding her husband finding two perfect silver rings while gutting a fish is just the kind of things we expect from Eastern fables, and it does't detract from the martial arts madness in the slightest. As the writers note, Wu Ao-Shi defeated Shao-Lao faster than any challenger before her (girl power, am I right?), but can never forget the fact that her husband chose to leave her as he could never bear to lose her to the fate of an Iron Fist: Death.

As she leaves K'un-Lun to search for her beloved, the action only intensifies as she chooses to become a mercenary to fund her search. Wu is a very ruthless character, and knows what she wants, something that many of the Iron Fist's seem to possess as well. She proves herself a capable martial artist by defeating the pirates who occupy Pinghai Bay (where have I heard that before...), and an important element to the legacy of the Iron Fist; the first person to charge a held weapon with the chi of Shao-Lao, in her case firing arrows from a bow to blow up enemy ships. Yes, blow up enemy ships. Take a look at Orson's Gun Fu for further examples.

The writing of this issue is really witty and quick, a trademark of the series. It never forgets its humour as the story progresses, no matter how dark it gets. The artwork for this issue is fantasticly graceful, and the cover is simply stunning. The colours in this issue blend vibrants with subdued, and David Aja's design for Wu Ao-Shi and her costume is great. Not only does the traditional green/gold colouration and mark of Shao-Lao, but Wu's eye make-up mimics the scar Iron Fist Bei Ming-Tian received from the famous dragon, further tying the Iron Fist legacy together.

In closing, a great issue, almost a one shot but one that ties in with the overall continuity and run. it almost makes my mind explode. Rush out and get this comic, it is well, well worth it. Now!

My Comics for the Month of May, 2010 [UPDATED]

It's finally happened. I've gone over to the dark side. I've gone full nerd. I've started buying comics monthly.

Already i've got my entire year planned, yet in no other way than which comics are coming out for which month of the year. And it breaks my heart. Truthfully I had to restrain myself, the Heroic Age (which I think fully justifies capital letters) is just about here, everything is right in the Marvel Universe once more. The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad. No more Green Goblin running a worldwide security task force; how the president of the United States ever let that one slide I will never know.

And so we come back to probably the biggest hoo-hah in something nearing a decade. The Avengers are back. Not the New Avengers, not the Mighty Avengers, and thankfully not the Dark Avengers. The REAL Avengers, Earth's mightiest heroes. Captain America, Thor, Iron Man; the triumviate of awesome are back at the helm of the heroes, and everything just feels right (except maybe for the fact Bucky Barnes is wielding the shield and not Steve Rogers, but we'll get into that at another point in the near future).

So here I am, humbly awating the 19th of May, when Avengers #1 hits stores (theoretically), and i'm excited. Genuinely excited. Hawkeye, my 3rd favourite comics character, is coming back AS HAWKEYE mind you, not Ronin, Goliath or some kind of Clint Bartron (a robot, obviously). No; Clint Barton, the original Hawkeye is back and not only back with the Avengers, he's back with Mockingbird. Naww. Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1 hits shelves in June, and yes, i'm excited.

So, onto business, my picks for this month. This is going to bankrupt me, I just know it:

Angel #32 - Last issue we got to see Illyria bust the titular hero out of his plaster and reinforced steel body-cast, and now he's asking where his son is, what's been done with his blood and for a pair of pants. Bill Willingham has been providing some quality writing for his stint, and the artwork is really fantastic. I've often complained about IDW's seemingly odd choice of 'Angel' illustrators, but finally Brian Denham has provided what I was desperately hoping for: artwork that actually looks like the actors from the tv series! Talk about taking a page out of Dark Horse's book.

Angel: Barbary Coast #2 - David Tischman is helping IDW provide us with yet another 'Angel' miniseries, and this one is shaping up to be pretty good ('Angel: Only Human' never really did it for me, might have been having Illyria and Gunn as the leads...). In issue #1, we found Angel brooding about in San Fransico, looking for a Chinese medicine man to remove his soul so he could become a killing machine without the guilt. Isn't that what we all strive to be, really? last issue also left us with a bit of a puzzler, everything seemed to be okay until a mysterious woman of the Orient flashed the twins at our favourite vampire, and knocked him down with the magical crucifix on her chest. I know I want answers. Franco Urru provides the reliable artwork, which many readers will recognise from earlier installments of 'Angel' as well as 'Spike: After the Fall'.

Avengers #1 - The Avengers are back! Yay! Everything is good again, until Kang turns up and ruins the world. Again. Bastard. With a new line up of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman and maybe more Assemble! and take on all the evil that's thrown at them. Eisner award winning, superstar writer Brian Michael Bendis is going to take the team all over the place and defend you, me and everyone else for quite some time to come, I cetainly hope. John Romita Jr. is handling the art for the revived series and ha proven himself to be a capable artist time and time again. Personally I wouldn't have chosen him to illustrate a series with the kind of gravity that the Avengers have (I've always felt his artwork is a bit cartoony) and would have opted for someone like Oliver Coipel, but this is the series that could, and probably will, prove me wrong. I know I want the Romita Jr. cover for my #1.

Avengers: The Origin #2 - A good little miniseries that helps to explain how the Avengers first came together to deal with Loki, Thor's evil half-brother. Stars Thor, Iron Man, The Hulk, The Wasp and Ant-Man (What?! No Captain America?! no, he got defrosted later) as well as a guest appearance from Rick Jones, singer, songwriter, sidekick. Written by Joe Casey and with artwork by Phil Noto, this miniseries is great fro younger Avengers fans who may be in the dark about how the team came together. or ASSEMBLED! heh...

Black Widow #2 - Welcome to the Soviet Union, we hope you enjoy your stay. 'Black Widow' is the new ongoing series featuring everyone's favourite Russian ex-pat, Natalia Romanova. Marjorie Liu spins us a tale of communist hijinks as someone is after the Black Widow (more specifically, something in her stomach), and they almost killed her to get it. We had get appearances from Captain America (the Bucky Barnes version, currently her b-b-b-b-boyfriend), Tony Stark and Wolverine in issue #1, and now Natalia's out for some answers in issue #2. I'm really enjoying Daniel Acuna's artwork for this series, his cover for issue #1 was fanstatic, combining lots of red (yay soviet union) with some old allies and espionage themes. I will kill for the variant cover of issue #2, it's awesome.

Daredevil: Cage Match #1 (one-shot) - Andy Diggle has described this one-shot as a fun little side story, basically, who would win is Luke Cage fought Daredevil, all I can say is I think we needed a lighthearted Daredevil yarn after everything he's been through lately. But htis could also be the downfall of Diggle, are people used to a much darker, more realistic portrayal of Daredevil thanks to the fantastic runs of Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker? Is there room for magic and sparring matches in Diggle's work? Only time will tell. Personally I think he is doing very well, and there's always going to be a very discerning eye on a new writer when a critically acclaimed run ends. Good luck Andy Diggle, i'll still buy your comic books. This one-shot bridges the month long gap we get between Daredevil #506 and #507 to give us a taste of our friend from Hell's Kitchen and keep us from tearing apart our own cities out of boredom. So far it's working.

Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1 - Something I forgot to add on this list the first time around, is the first issue of this 4 part limited series. Amadeus Cho is one of those great characters that started as sidekick and is now blossoming into a hero in his own right. After recently losing his best friend in the form of The Incredible Hercules, Amadeus has been tipped by Athena (Herc's cunning sister) to be the greatest hero of the new age. As the seventh smartest person on the planet and a fiercely loyal friend, Cho is a great lead for his own miniseries and I can only hope that his search for Hercules and his little sister goes well.

New Avengers: Luke Cage #2 - Luke Cage. Hero for Hire. Dad. Thunderbolts leader. New Avenger.
Another miniseries form Marvel, this time a three parter, chronicling a side story of Luke returning to Harlem to investigate why one of his old proteges is in hospital, nearly beaten to death, and yet saying he deserves worse. This miniseries is chock full of guest stars such as Spider-Man, Ronin, Jessica Jones, Mr. Negative, Hammerhead and the Hippo. BUT WHERE THE HELL IS IRON FIST?! HE'S LIKE, CAGE'S BEST FRIEND!!
I'm sure he'll pop up soon. He better... John Arcudi is writing this mother, with Eric Canete providng the artwork. I really like the rough style he uses to portray the characters, especially being able to see Spider-Man's nose in the mask. I always wondered where that thing went. Oh yeah, tigers!

Siege #4 - This is it folks, the final chapter. The Sentry/Void has ripped Asgard a new one and it's put up or shut up time for the Marvel Universe's heroes. Brian Michael Bendis has handled this Event miniseries spectaculary, every issue has had you wondering what the final result is going to be, although all the Heroic Age images and teasers kind of make it obvious that the good guys win, as usual. Oliver Coipel, I love your artwork, I mean who can deny that seeing Ares get ripped in half, way back in Siege #2, was awesome? Well, maybe Alex from the Secret Warriors, but still. Where is Iron Fist during all this though? He may not be the most powerful hero out there but look at the Hood's losers, they still made it to the fight. Anyway, this issue is the last and final one of Siege, despite a few one-shots and miniseries wrapping things up in the coming months, so be sure to check it out.

Well, that's all for May of 2010, look out for this segment again in June. Hopefully something Iron Fist related will have surfaced by then...

Review: The Immortal Iron Fist, issues 1 - 6 'The Last Iron Fist Story'

Story by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction
Pencils by David Aja

The first arc of Brubaker and Fraction's 'The Immortal Iron Fist' brings the character of Danny Rand back into the spotlight of the Marvel Universe in style, after a popular supporting role in Brian Michael Bendis's acclaimed 'New Avengers'. After his heyday in the 70s when kung-fu was king, and being teamed with the Hero For Hire Luke Cage (another character rejuvinated by Bendis in recent years), Danny seemed to fade into the twilight of the Marvel Universe, popping up from time to time to help the Avengers and occasionally save the day.

The first six issues of the series begin to establish the line of the Iron Fist as a force that has lasted for centuries, always helping to keep the rest of the world safe and sparing the lives of those without the strength to do it themselves. Classic superheroing that will be returned to in reviews to come.

Danny is immersed in the middle of a company takeover as the ongoing series kicks off, while his alter ego Iron Fist is swept up in the stress that the Superhero Registration Act has placed on the super-community (see Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's 'Civil War' miniseries). While being pursued on both sides by the hordes of HYDRA and Wai-Go Industries, Danny is shocked when the chi of Shao-Lao (the mystical dragon that the power of the Iron Fist stems from) begins to weaken as someone else draws on it, something that only another Iron Fist could acheive.

This is where Brubaker and Fraction's narrative begins to show the markings of a must read, with the introduction of a brilliant new character. Orson Randall (now my favourite comic book character) an Iron Fist long thought dead, makes a devastating appearance, unwillingly causing destruction while defending himself from Bangkok to New York Chinatown seeking the help of Danny. Initially seen as an enemy, Danny attacks Randall, where it is revealed for the first time that Orson mentored Danny's father in the martial arts and helped establish the Rand family fortune.

Davos, the Steel Serpent, makes a strong return working with powerful forces that are seeking to punish K'un-Lun (the mystical city where the legacy of the Iron Fist began and strives on), and attacks Danny and Orson in the Rand Corporation building after they just survived an attack by HYDRA that destroyed the last legacy of Orson's father. With the help of Luke Cage, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing (long time supporting characters of Iron Fist comics past) Danny fights off the attack but cannot stop Randall from sacrificing himself and allowing Davos to kill him, giving Danny the chi that Orson retains and ready him for the trials that are about to confront the current Iron Fist.

As Danny is about to confront Davos for killing his newst mentor, the Steel Serpent disappears while Lei Kung, the Thunderer (Danny's childhood mentor) and Yu-Ti (ruler of K'un-Lun) appear and summon Danny, setting up the next arc by revealing the upcoming tournament he will be unable to refuse entry in. Danny departs from the chaos surrounding him, leaving Jeryn Hogarth (Danny's long time business partner) to tackle his mother's kidnapping (making him effectively powerless to resist Wai-Go's takeover of Rand Corp.) and Luke, Misty and Colleen surprised by Danny's attitude towards Orson's death, the recent attack by Davos and his mysterious crane girls, as well as Danny's own willingness to return to a city that in some ways, he had never wanted to go back to.

The first arc of the latest Iron fist helmed series opens strongly with fantastic artwork and great developments in the history of the Iron Fist mythology. In past stories, the city of K'un-Lun and other facets of the Iron Fist history have only been touched on, while Brubaker and Fraction dive right into the unseen corners of the story. A great part of the entire series is the names of the techniques emplyed by Orson and Danny: 'Strike of the silkworm's tooth', 'Burning dove chop' and 'Good fortune thunder kick' to name a few. The characters introduced by Brubaker and Fraction continue to get more entertaining and universe expanding as the arcs progress, and I will go further into them as I post the reviews of future arcs.

To conclude this review, definately make the effort to go out and read this series or even buy it (I have my hardcover omnibus next to me for references and spellchecking). You'll definately enjoy just as much as I did.