Marvel Action: Avengers #3 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Marvel Action: Avengers concludes a big part of its initial story-line in this months issue as Iron-Man finally breaks free of the mind control that has caused him to fight his former teammates.

Continuing on from the previous issue, the Avengers find themselves having to try to subdue an AIM controlled Iron-Man, whilst fighting the giant alien dragon Fing Fang Foom. Fing Fang Foom seems to be an antagonist that Marvel doesn’t use in their comics that much, so to see him fighting the Avengers is a nice change, and has some great visual moments, particularly when he’s fighting against Captain Marvel and Thor.

Whilst Fing Fang Foom fights against the stronger Avengers, the AIM Iron-Man is left to fight the more human members of the team, such as Black Widow and Black Panther. Despite all of the action in the issue it actually comes as something of a surprise that it isn’t the fight, or one of the other Avengers, that eventually frees Tony from his mind control, but the AIM agent that originally attacked him.

The twist that an AIM agent has a conscience, and does the right thing in the end, is one that tends not to happen in comics all too often. Usually the hero will overcome the mind control them self, or one of their allies will do it. It might not seem like a big thing to go against this trope here, but this adds depth to what would normally be a background character, and makes this a story that is a little more memorable than the average adventure.

With Tony breaking out of his mind control one would think that the story would come to an end, however, the final pages of the issue reveal that this may actually just be the beginning of an even bigger story, with a mystical ruby being stolen from the collar around Fing Fang Foom’s neck, before it is delivered to the evil villain Count Nefaria. With Nefaria being one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel universe this surely means that the Avengers have barely begun their adventures.

This issue seems to be acting as something of a bridge, wrapping up one story-line whilst setting up another. As a result of this, some aspects of the story are a little glossed over, such as the capture of the AIM agents by the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.. Despite this, the issue is generally entertaining, combining both over the top action in the fight with Fing Fang Foom, as well as smaller character focused scenes, like when Tony remembers the deaths of his parents.

Not the best issue of the series so far, however it does introduce some interesting new elements into the mix.


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Marvel Action Spider-Man #2 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

After a very long break (two issues of Marvel Action Avengers have been released in the gap) Marvel Action Spider-Man finally returns to continue the story of Spider-Man, Miles Morales Spider-Man, and Spider-Gwen meeting and teaming up in this new universe.

Thanks to a handy catch-up on the inside front cover readers can jump straight back into the action, as Miles has to process the fact that Spider-Man has discovered that he has powers. Instead of just having Peter remove his mask or come out-right and tell Miles who he is, the episode teases the reveal, having Peter chicken out of going through with it. It’s a good choice, especially as it helps to remind the readers that these aren’t the adult versions of the characters that we’re used to seeing, but teenagers that are still figuring out how to be heroes.

The main body of the book is given over to Miles teaming up with Spider-Man to investigate another of the mutant animals that they had previously encountered, which leads them to a mysterious abandoned lab and giant mutant raccoons. Any Spider-Man fan would immediately make the jump to The Lizard as soon as mutant lizard DNA was mentioned, but the appearance of Dr Kurt Connors makes it even more obvious that the story is probably going to end up with our heroes facing off against the iconic Spider-Man villain.

This second issue has a much bigger focus on action than the first, spending more time on the fight with the mutant raccoons than it does with the characters, and their journeys. As such, it doesn’t feel like it has as much depth as the first issue, and it seems to come to an end very quickly. When you add in that Gwen Stacey is only on the last two pages, and only in four panels, it does feel like a let down after such a strong start. Hopefully, the next issue will return to the character driven story that made the first issue more of a pleasure to read, giving the story arc the conclusion that it deserves.

Thankfully, the artwork by Fico Ossio remains stunning, with the relative simple art style that was established in the first issue. Uncomplicated, yet containing wonderful detail, it evokes the look and feel of Mark Bagley’s Ultimate Spider-Man work. The final page reveal of Gwen in her home-made version of her costume is particularly pretty, and is a look that I can’t wait to see more of in issue three.


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The Near Witch – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

V. E. Schwab has published more than a dozen books in the last eight years, crafting stories in a range of genres, becoming an international best-selling author. The latest release in her bibliography, The Near Witch, is actually her first novel, republished for the first time in a gorgeous hardback, giving her fans across the world the chance to experience her original book.

The Near Witch tells the story of the isolated village of Near, and the young woman Lexi that lives there. Eager to follow in her fathers footsteps, to travel the moors and explore nature, and to be more than just a wife and mother.

Near is an idyllic town that’s kept to itself for years, possibly decades, one where the people live a simple existence. The setting feels very real, with the village and the moors that surround it as much a character as those who live their. It feels real and lived in. So when a stranger suddenly arrives in the village it feels wrong, even as a reader that has spent so little time there it isn’t right.

It’s a testament to the skills that Schwab brings to plan here in her first book, that she manages to create this sense of unease so well, one that will not only last for the whole experience, but will turn to full blown horror as events unfold.

The gradual disappearance of village children over several nights is disturbing in itself, but when Lexi learns more details, windows unlatching themselves, and her younger sister hearing whispering voices in the night, things take an incredibly sinister turn. This is the horror of The Near Witch, an invasive sense of dread that keeps intensifying as more children vanish and the reasons why become more apparent. The Near Witch reminds me a great deal of The Woman in Black, and the slow building towards answers and a terrifying encounter with an otherworldly entity.

Lexi is an interesting protagonist to follow, mainly because she comes to the story with her own separate conflict that feeds into the situation the village now faces. The daughter of the previous village protector, she grew up learning the skills needed to track the missing children, and the wisdom to know that the unknown isn’t necessarily evil. Unfortunately, Lexi is dismissed because of her gender, and must fight against those who feel she is overstepping her bounds.

Whilst the focus is on Lexi, the arrival of the mysterious Cole is a big part of the story, with his identity and motives questions that are slowly revealed. In some ways he’s more interesting than Lexi, though this is down to his unwillingness to open up, and the strange abilities that he possesses. However, the two of them work incredibly well together, not only becoming an incredibly capable team, but managing to draw the best out of each other.

A lot of the mystery of Cole gets revealed in the additional short story included in the new hardback edition, The Ash-Born Boy. Whilst this story gives the reader answers, and adds more to the few things we do know about his past, it doesn’t ruin the character as can sometimes happen. Instead, Cole is made more interesting, more human, and more relatable in the main story.

The Near Witch might be V.E. Schwabs first story, but it’s crafted with a level of skill and elegance that many authors fail to achieve across their whole career. A slow building and subtle horror, filled with mystery, intrigue, and emotion, The Near Witch is sure to enthral, whether you’re a first time reader of Schwab’s work or a long time fan.

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5 – Top 5 Episodes

Originally published on Set The Tape

The fifth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was easily the boldest in the shows history, embracing the extreme sci-fi side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for what was almost their final season.

Whilst the series as a whole is one of the best, with a stunning story that spanned the entire 22 episode run, five episodes stood out amongst the rest for their amazing quality…

5. Episode 05 – ‘Rewind’

With almost the entirety of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team transported to a future where the Earth has been ripped to pieces and the remainder of humanity survive in the remnants thanks to brutal Kree overlords ‘Rewind’ jumped backwards in time to the present day to tell us what happened to Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) after he got left behind.

Despite the fact that we’ve already seen Fitz in the future, and know that he will eventually get to his friends, the episode is full of excitement and tension as Fitz is arrested by the government due to the actions of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the previous season.

This isn’t the same old Fitz, however, as he remembers everything that happened in the Framework from season four, making this a combination of the meek and caring scientist we love, and the brutal, ruthless leader of Hydra. We see some of that come through here as Fitz will do whatever it takes to find out what happened to his team, and to rescue them if possible.

The return of Nick Blook as Hunter is a surprising, yet wonderful addition to the season. He might just be here for one episode, but it really reminds the audience of just how much fun he was, and makes you think of how different the last season and a half would have been if he’d stuck around. His chemistry with Fitz is absolutely spot on, and makes for some great light touches in what has has been a particularly dark season.

‘Rewind’ gives a lot of answers to questions that have been playing out over the first few episodes, such as who or what Enoch (Joel Stoffer) is, and why the team were sent to the future, yet manages to keep enough mystery, mainly with the introduction of the murderous General Hale (Catherine Dent).

4. Episode 10 – ‘Past Life’

Episode ten sees the end of the first major arc in the season, with the team returning to their rightful place in the past. As such, this is very much a finale in a lot of ways, and goes all out to build excitement and throw spectacle to the fore.

One of the highlights of the episode, and something that feels great after ten episodes of build-up, is the final fight between Mack (Henry Simmons) and Kasius (Dominic Rains). It might have initially seemed like a strange match up, especially as Kasius had more of a history with Daisy (Chloe Bennett), May (Ming-Na Wen), and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) by this point, but getting to see Mack let lose and have a brutal fight is a great culmination.

The fight might not be one of the best the series has given us in terms of fancy choreography or special effects, but it’s brutal in a way that we’ve not really had before, with a level of intensity that elevates this over some of the more technically proficient ones. The added fact that Mack witnesses the murder of a future version of Yo-Yo (Natalia Cordova-Buckley) makes it all the more harrowing.

The inclusion of the future Yo-Yo makes the episode particularly dark too, not just as Mack has to watch her die horribly, but the past Yo-Yo discovers that her future will be a life of torture and repeated death at the hands of Kasius, as well as the knowledge that the future cannot be changed. Season five has had some very dark points so far, but this is easily amongst the darkest.

3. Episode 14 – ‘The Devil Complex’

There are a few important plot points in this episode that move the main story forward, particularly with Coulson (Clark Gregg) and General Hale facing off against each other, and whilst this is all great stuff, the thing that makes this one of the best episodes is Fitz. I’ve said before in these S.H.I.E.L.D. look-backs that Iain De Caestecker is one of the best actors in the series, and this episode displays that in heartbreaking ways.

The previous episodes have dealt with the breach in reality caused by the destruction of the monoliths, a breach that resulted in people’s worst fears coming to life. Despite apparently closing the breach fears have continued to manifest when The Doctor, the evil Hydra version of Fitz, appears and attacks several members of the team.

The reappearance of The Doctor is incredibly chilling, and Fitz’s reaction in coming face to face with the manifestation of his darkest impulses is terrifying. The worst moments, however, comes when The Doctor has Daisy tied to a table and effectively tortures her in order to remove the power dampening device implanted in her neck. This isn’t the worst because of how awful the scene is, but because of the heartbreaking revelation that there is no Doctor, that it isn’t because of the breach, but part of Fitz’s broken psyche.

It’s not all sadness, however, as we get an incredibly moving and emotional ending when Deke (Jeff Ward) reveals to Simmons that he’s her grandson. It’s a small moment of light in the darkness that shows her that all might not be lost for Fitz, that they still have a future together, and the man she loves so dearly is still inside him.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has done some brilliant twists in the past, but few pack the emotional punch that this carries. De Caestecker sells every moment of this tragedy, and it breaks the heart when he and the audience realise what’s happening. ‘The Devil Complex’ is one of the best acted and written episodes the show has ever given, and the chills it gives will stay around long after the episode ends.

2. Episode 12 – ‘The Real Deal’

The 100th episode of the series manages to exceed expectations. Whenever a show hits this landmark it tries to go big and do something impressive, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. does this in more than one way.

The reveal that the destruction of the monoliths has created a crack in reality to a fear dimension capable of bringing peoples worst fears to life makes for a great way to bring back a number of previous villains, including Lash, and Hive, in a way that doesn’t feel forced or contrived. It also means that we get some insight into our characters and how far they’ve progressed over the course of five seasons, and what fears they’ve conquered, and which ones still haunt them.

‘The Real Deal’ also saw the return of J August Richards as both Mike Peterson, in a hallucination that’s trying to convince Coulson that the entire show has been his death dream after being stabbed by Loki in Avengers Assemble, and as arse kicking cyborg Deathlok. It’s always great to have Deathlok turn up on screen, and seeing him and Coulson kicking butt together was brilliant, but he also knocks it out of the park when he’s a hallucination, bringing a very earnest and deep performance into something that could have been very dodgy if done badly.

The 100th episode isn’t just about action and remembering old villains though, as it also saw the long overdue wedding of Fitz and Simmons. An incredibly sweet moment that feels more than earned, and the justification that they need to do it as soon as possible before something drags them apart again is a nice nod at just how much the characters have been through. The reveal to the audience that Deke is also their grandson is brilliantly subtle, so much so that not everyone made the connection straight away.

Without a doubt one of the best episodes of the series, balancing together action, drama, emotion, and character development in beautiful, wonderful ways. The perfect celebration of 100 episodes.

1. Episode 22 – ‘The End’

Written as a potential end for the series as a whole if they didn’t get picked up for a sixth season (spoilers – they have been and the series is back this summer!), ‘The End’ is the highest moment of the fifth season, and possibly Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a whole.

With General Talbot (Adrian Pasdar) having gone completely mad with power and taken on the identity of Gravitron, the team have to go into a fight that they know could lead to the destruction of the planet that they saw in the future. Thanks to having saved a great deal of the seasons reduced budget by having a lot of episodes filmed on sets and reusing a lot of locations the show runners are able to splash out on this final episode, having a giant spaceship smash into Chicago, a city under siege, and a full blown super powered battle.

Whilst in the majority of season finales for the show where the fate of the world is on the line we now have a definitive reason as to why they don’t call the Avengers to help, because they’re in Wakanda fighting Thanos. Knowing that the protectors of Earth are facing off against two world ending threats at the same time adds heaps of drama to the proceedings, even though we know the Earth doesn’t get ripped in half at the end of Avengers: Infinity War.

The fight between Daisy and Gravitron showcases their powers brilliantly, with the moment where Daisy uses her tremors to fire herself down the street a great new use of her abilities. Whilst the fight isn’t hugely long, the revelation that Coulson has hidden the Centipede syrum inside her gauntlets makes the final moments heartbreaking, as Daisy has to use it to save the world, condemning Coulson to die.

The fact that the episode doesn’t wimp out on the promise of Coulson’s death is a good choice, as it would have felt like a hell of a cheat to undo it at the end. Whilst we don’t get to see him die, it really genuinely feels like his story comes to a close here, with him spending his final days in Tahiti with May, the two of them finally admitting their love for each other.

Despite all of these already great moments, the farewell to Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D. coming to save the city with a suitably heroic speech, and Daisy beating a world ending bad guy, the moment that makes the episode, and breaks hearts, is the shocking death of Fitz. Crushed under rubble as he tries to save people inside a collapsing building, his death comes completely out of nowhere. His final moments are beautiful, and some of the best acted in the show. Having him die with Mack, a character that he’d butted heads with more than once this season, is a bold choice, having Simmons miss out on the moment. Whilst we do discover at the end of the episode that the team intend to go and find the other Fitz, the one who is frozen in space and hasn’t lived out the events of the season, takes away a little of the tragedy of the moment it still doesn’t stop his death from reducing you to tears (and I genuinely did bawl my eyes out when I watched the episode).

‘The End’ may not actually be the end of the show, but it feels like the perfect final chapter to the series, one that wouldn’t have left fans feeling cheated if there had been no more episodes. Thankfully, as well as wrapping up so many things so perfectly it still leaves enough open that the sixth season looks set to be just as good as season five, though it will be tough for any of those episodes to be able to compete with this one.

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Captain Marvel: Starforce On The Rise – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

The Centum books that tie into the new Marvel Studios film releases have been a great way of getting more information on the build-up to these big events, we get to see what Captain America, Thor, and even Thanos were up to before Avengers: Infinity War, for example. Their latest offering, Captain Marvel: Starforce On The Rise, as the name suggests, gives readers an early insight into what to expect from the new Captain Marvel movie, as well as some interesting background on the Kree aliens that Carol Danvers finds herself fighting alongside.

Being a book designed for younger readers Captain Marvel: Starforce On The Rise isn’t too difficult a book to get through, and most adult readers will be able to get through it in a single sitting. For those that need a break, however, the book is nicely split into two parts as it takes the reader through two missions that Carol Danvers finds herself on.

The first part of the book sees Carol and her Starforce teammate Minn-Erva sent to the planet of Aphos Prime to investigate a possible Skrull sighting. With the Skrulls being a hugely anticipated addition to the MCU it’s great that the book jumps straight into their war with the Kree Empire. Whilst there’s not a huge amount about the inner workings of either society on display here, and it’s very much soldiers down in the (literal) mud fighting it out, it tells you all that you really need to know. Both sides have been fighting for decades, and the Kree hate the Skrulls more than any other race in the galaxy.

Whilst the action on Aphos Prime is fairly small there’s a great underlying mystery that is slowly uncovered through these chapters, one that ends up being incredibly creepy, and at times down right disgusting.

The rest of the book sends the whole Starforce team into a covert mission to the planet of Sy’gyl, under the control of Xandar. As people who have already watched Guardians of the Galaxy know, the the Kree and the Xandarians were once at war, but a peace was made between their two empires; this being the driving force for the villain of the film. This mission is set prior to this peace, and has Carol and her team infiltrating a military outpost to steal weapon plans. The mission goes horribly wrong for the team due to Skrull intervention, but thanks to some sneaky backroom dealings inside of Nova Corps, and the help of John C. Reilly’s Roman Day, Carol is able to complete her mission.

Despite showing some of the inner workings of the Kree Empire, it’s history of conflict with other galactic powers, and how Starforce operates, the main drive of the book is about focusing on Carol and how she interacts with the team. Whilst it’s clear to those who know a little about the character that she’s a human that has gained fantastic powers she very much believes herself to be a Kree in the book, as does everyone else. It’s only through very human idioms that it’s obvious that she has a past on Earth, even if she doesn’t know that. How it came to be that she ended up as a super-powered being in space with false memories is sure to be explored in the film, but the small teases here just makes me more eager to find out what’s happened and to get those answers. If the book is designed to garner interest for the film it’s certainly working.

The book also spends a great deal of time establishing the relationships between the members of Starforce, showing how some members like her but sometimes don’t understand her, whilst others such as Minn-Erva absolutely hate her. It’s not clear from the small pieces of information we’ve received about the plot of the film is Carol is going to have to end up in conflict with her former team, but if she does knowing how these characters think and feel about each other before going into the film will make any confrontation more exciting.

Captain Marvel: Starforce On The Rise isn’t a long or complicated book, and is written in an incredibly accessible way, yet is more than just a simple adventure story. It helps to build a new and exciting part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it gives readers important character information, and gives tiny clues to one of the films central mysteries. It might not be vital to read the book before going to see the film, but it will certainly add to the experience.


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