Marvel Action: Spider-Man #9 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Issue nine of Marvel Action: Spider-Man sees the team having to work through their differences as they come up with a plan to stop the bad luck-inducing Black Cat.

Marvel Action: Spider-Man continues to be my favourite book in the Marvel Action line. The way that Delilah S. Dawson writes the three spider-heroes is easily the best part of the book, and they have such fun chemistry that an issue of just the three of them hanging out, not having to fight villains, would still be an awesome book.

In this issue the three heroes kind of have it our with each other following the interpersonal drama that started a few issues ago, in part thanks to the way Black Cat has been messing things up for them. Peter admits that he feels that he deserves to be the leader because he’s older and has been a hero for longer, and that he views Miles as ‘Spider-Man 2’ because that was his name first, but he comes to see that whilst he might have more experience they’re a team together, and others feelings matter a lot too.

Gwen thinks that the boys don’t like her assertiveness and wanting to rush into situations because she’s a girl, thinking that she’d be listened to more and liked if she was a guy. Miles explains that he feels like he’s often overlooked, and that the others discount what he has to say and brings to the team because he’s not the first Spider-Man, or different enough from him like Ghost-Spider.

Despite having a big chunk of the story given over to three teens arguing with each other, the book doesn’t make it annoying or un-entertaining, and you really actually want the three of them to have this conversation so that they can move past this. The characterisation is that compelling that even when they’re having a silly fight you’re engaged and want a good outcome for them.

Thankfully, the three of them are able to put most of these issues to bed and come together as a team to stop Black Cat from breaking her dad out of prison. It’s good to see the three of them working together so well, and using their smarts to beat her despite her bad luck powers still affecting them.

Throughout the time we see Black Cat in this issue too she mentions Kingpin a lot, and I genuinely thought that this was slowly being used to set up for the villain for the next story arc. However, come the final panels there was no hint of the Kingpin being around or that he would appear anytime soon. The preview cover for the next issue actually makes it definitively clear that he won’t be the next focus, however, as Venom is front and centre. Whilst I’d have loved to have seen what Dawson would have done with the character I have to be honest, I’m a little more excited for Vemon.

Fico Ossio continues to provide artwork on the book, and as per usual it’s beautiful. The fight scenes between the spider-heroes and Black Cat are full of dynamic movement and action that helps to make this book stand out from some of the other Marvel Action titles. Even the ‘boring’ scenes where there are no superheroes are so full of energy and fun that every panel is a joy to behold.

Marvel Action: Spider-Man is a great example of how good the Marvel Action line is, and showcases some of the best work that IDW and Marvel are bringing readers.


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Titans (Season One) – Who’s Who and their Comic Counterparts

Originally published on Set The Tape

The popular television series Titans hits homes with the release of the season one on DVD and Blu-ray. Based upon the popular DC Comics series Teen Titans, the show has a huge array of characters to draw upon, but who are they, and what are their comic book counterparts like?

Dick Grayson/Robin (Brenton Thwaites)

A former circus acrobat who was taken in by Batman following the death of his parents and trained to become the crime fighter Robin, Dick is now a detective for the Detroit Police Department, following a falling out with his former mentor. Trying to step out of the shadow of Batman, he finds himself the leader of a new group of heroes.

The comic book version of Dick shares a similar origin to the series, and spent years as Robin, as well as the leader of the Teen Titans. Following a disagreement with Batman he gave up the title of Robin, becoming the hero Nightwing instead. Over the years Dick has been a member of the Titans, Teen Titans, The Outsiders, and The Justice League, as well as briefly taking on the mantle of Batman for a time. One of the most respected heroes in the DC Universe, Dick commands the respect of dozens of heroes.

Koriand’r/Starfire (Anna Diop)

A woman with strange powers and no memory of her past, she learns that she is the princess of the alien world of Tamaran, sent to earth to stop the destruction of the planet by dark forces.

Koriand’r ascended to the throne over her elder sister, Komand’r, when her sister developed a disease that robbed her of her powers. Angry at losing her position Komand’r helped an alien race to invade Tamaran, and put Koriand’r into slavery. Eventually escaping and fleeing to earth she encountered Dick Grayson and the Teen Titans. Joining the team, she took on the title of Starfire. Over the years Starfire fought alongside the heroes of earth against dozens of threats, including her own sister. She and Dick also developed a romantic relationship, and were even close to becoming married.

Rachel Roth/Raven (Teagan Croft)

A young empath with mysterious powers, on the run from a strange cult, Rachel learns that her father is the demon Trigon, and that his followers want to use her to create a portal to allow Trigon a path to earth.

In the comics Raven is the daughter of the demon Trigon, taught to keep her emotions in control so that she does not become possessed by her father. Raised by mystics, Raven possesses an array of magical abilities. She initially approached the Justice League to help her stop her father coming to Earth, but was refused when Zatana sensed her demonic heritage. Knowing that she would need heroes to aid her, she actually formed the second incarnation of the Teen Titans, and has been an active member of the team across various incarnations since.

Garfield ‘Gar’ Logan/Beast Boy (Ryan Potter)

Living in the Congo basin, Gar contracted a mysterious disease and we left for dead by doctors. Discovered by Niles Caulder, leader of the Doom Patrol, Gar was cured, but was left with green hair and the ability to transform into any animal.

In the comics Gar lived in Africa with his scientist parents who were trying to develop reverse evolution to bring back extinct creatures. When he contracted a rare disease called Sakutia his father managed to cure him with serum, though it caused his skin, hair, and eyes to turn green. It also granted him the ability to transform into any animal. Folowing the death of his parents Gar was rescued by the Doom Patrol, and joined the team until their deaths. Brought into the Teen Titans by Raven, Gar finds a home with the other teens and remains an active member of the team for years to come, coming to think of them as his new family.

Hank Hall/Hawk (Alan Ritchson)

A vigilante who targets paedophiles, following his own molestation as a child, Hank Hall took on the name Hawk, whilst his brother Don took the name Dove. The two of them became local heroes for helping to break up a paedophile ring, until Don was killed in a hit and run.

Whilst Hawk in the series is a regular human, his comic counterpart possesses multiple powers, including super strength, enhanced speed, and a healing factor, thanks to powers granted to him by the Lord of Chaos, T’Charr. Over the years Hank has had to battle his inner rage, though he eventually became the villain Extant for a short while before his death. Following the Black Lantern invasion of Earth Hank was raised from the dead as a zombie, and was eventually restored to life as Hawk by the White Light of Life.

Dawn Granger/Dove (Minka Kelly)

The girlfriend of Hank Hall, Dawn took on the mantle of Dove following the death of Don Hall, and joined Hank in his mission to fight crime.

In the comics Dawn was granted the powers of flight, superhuman agility, and durability by the Lord of Order, Terataya, in order to replace Don Hall, the original Dove who died during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Believed to have been killed by the villain Monarch, Dawn was actually saved by magic and placed into a coma until she could heal. She eventually awoke and her sister Holly became the new Hawk until her death during Blackest Night. Following the events of the Blackest Night, Dawn was reunited with Hank, and the two of them became heroes once again.


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Captain America: Dark Designs by Stefan Petrucha - Book Review

'Steve Rogers knows the art of survival better than most. Decades under ice will do that to a man. But the Avengers chipped more than rock-hard morality and super-strength out from under that permafrost. When Cap takes out a terrorist cell threatening to poison the world, he'll discover a threat far more deadly. An incurable virus has hidden in his body for years - and now it's come to the surface. To save the world, he'll have to return to his own personal hell: deep freeze.

'And he'll have to take an old friend with him. Having survived his own death by inhabiting a clone of Steve Rogers, the Red Skull has inherited the virus - and he's a little less willing to play martyr. As the deadly disease shifts and evolves, new patterns emerge. Can Captain America contain the Red Skull before the virus runs rampant?'

Captain America: Dark Designs is the latest Marvel prose book from Titan Books and author Stefan Petrucha, who has previously brought comic book characters to the world of prose having written Spider-Man: Forever Young, and Deadpool: Paws.

Captain America: Dark Designs sees the iconic super soldier having to face an enemy that he's no equipped to beat, a virus. After a routine mission to stop the launch of a deadly pathogen Cap is examined on board the S.H.I.E.L.D. hellicarrier, where it's discovered that he is playing host to a virus that could wipe out all of humanity.

To make matters worse, the Red Skull, who is living inside a cloned body of Captain America, also has the virus; though his has activated. The Red Skull launches an assault on Cap using a series of Nazi robots. Now Captain America must try to find a way to stop these deadly machines whilst not triggering an extinction level event.

One of the biggest draws to comics is the artwork, and they way that it's used in super hero comics to create a level of action and spectacle that sometimes the written word can find difficult. Action scenes in books are great, but can sometimes feel like the weaker part of a story as the author tries to describe the amazing feats their characters are making. This is something that comics can sidestep, displaying amazing scenes across splash pages and dynamic panels. The problem when you take characters that we're used to reading in this one format and moving it to another is that you run the risk of the action becoming the weaker part of the story.

Whilst Stefan Petrucha is able to tell great action scenes, and there are some great moments of action to be found in this book, it does feel a little like he's fallen into this pitfall here. The succession of different robot foes, and eventually the Red Skull meant that towards the end of the novel I started to find myself becoming a little tired of the action scenes and just wanted to skip over them. This isn't the best thing when writing action stories.

However, this doesn't ruin the story in any way. yes, it means that there are duller moments every now and then, but the core story was so engaging that I was able to forgive these dips in my engagement. Seeing Captain America stuck within isolation was such an interesting take on the character, especially when he was faced with the possibility of having to go into cryogenic suspension in order to stop the virus. We get to see the internal struggle he has with this idea, of having to be frozen once again and potentially lose everything and everyone he knows and loves a second time.

Captain America lost out on having his life once already, of seeing family and friends, the woman he loved. He missed out on settling down and having a life with Peggy Carter because of becoming frozen, and it still haunts him. Seeing him knowing that he will have to go through that all over again, but volunteering to do so to save other lives shows how admirable and good a character he is.

This is one of the benefits of telling this kind of story in prose form over a regular comic, as we're allowed to have these scenes of personal introspection and deeper conversations as the writer isn't trying to write to a pre-set comic issue page length. It also means that some of the side characters get more of a spotlight too. Doctor Nia N'Tomo is one of these characters, a disease specialist who is working to cure Cap. We get to see a very real and somewhat sweet relationship develop between her and Cap across the novel, and I was often finding myself wanting to see more of the two of them together in scenes.

The standout character of the book, however, was doctor Winston Kade. A much older and more seasoned disease specialist than N'Tomo, he;s the man who first discovers the virus inside Cap and predicts that it's possible for it to destroy the human race. Initially just seeming to be a bit of a brash and grumpy man there turns out to be a lot more layers to the character than initially expected, and the more I learnt about him and his past over the course of the book the more I found him to be fascinating. He's a character that definitely sits within the grey between good and bad, who has only the noblest of intentions but will go to extremes to meet them, his arc was by far my favourite part of the story.

Captain America: Dark Designs is an interesting Captain America story, one that I don't think would have worked as well in comic form as it does here. The longer time with the characters and their inner minds were a highlight, and helped to keep me interested between the action scenes. A great read for any Marvel fan, and a must for anyone who loves Captain America.

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X-Men: Dark Phoenix – 5 X-Men Books To Check Out

Originally published on Set The Tape

X-Men: Dark Phoenix might be the swansong for the Fox era of X-Men on the big screen, trying once again to adapt one of the most popular X-Men stories. Whilst the X-Men films have been a very popular series they’ve often avoided some of the bigger stories from the comics, with the exception of X-Men: Days of Future Past. With it potentially being a long while until we have more X-Men in a live action film, here’s a list with some of the best X-Men books to go check out.

Days of Future Past

As already mentioned, this story was the basis for the popular film of the same name, and tells the story of a future world where the mechanical Sentinels have taken over, killing thousands of mutants and herding others into internment camps. The few surviving members of the X-Men, which include Wolverine and Shadowcat, form a plan to send the mind of Kitty Pryde back into her younger body in order to stop a mutant from assassinating a US Senator, thereby preventing the rise of the Sentinels.

Though a short story, originally published across just two issues, Days of Future Past is widely considered one of the all time classics, and has been adapted across many different incarnations including the live action film, the 90’s animated series, Wolverine and the X-Men, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., and Ultimate Spider-Man. Differing a lot from the film version, even those who are familiar with the story will find new and interesting things in the original version.

Astonishing X-Men

Written by Joss Whedon, Astonishing X-Men was an ongoing series that told a number of important stories. It dealt with the fallout of the death of Jean Grey (which would remain in place for many years), the blossoming romance between Cyclops and Emma Frost, and the return of Colossus after his death years. The series slimmed down the number of ‘core’ characters, focusing on a small team so that it could tell more personal stories. Despite this, Whedon also crafted an unfolding narrative that put the fate of the entire earth on the line.

The Whedon run introduced a number of characters that would go on to remain a part of the X-Men universe, such as Blindfold, Danger, Armour, and Dr Kavita Rao. The first story arc, dealing with a potential cure for mutants, not only won the 2006 Will Eisner Award, but was also part of the basis of X-Men: The Last Stand cure subplot.

Second Coming

Second Coming is the culmination of years of storytelling that began with the near extinction of mutantkind. Forced to band together, less than 200 mutants came to live and fight against the outside world under the leadership of Cyclops. Even former villains such as Namor and Magneto would go on to follow Cyclops, serving as trusted advisors. Second Coming tells the story of Hope Summers, the only new mutant since the events of House of M, and her adoptive father Cable, returning from the future.

Hope’s return brings a number of villains out of hiding, including Bastion, the Purifiers, William Stryker, and Bolivar Trask to name but a few, all intent on killing her to prevent the return of the mutant race. Every mutant must come together and fight to the death in order to secure their future in this event that involved every X-book. Villains fight alongside heroes, long time fan favourite characters die, and the very future of the mutant race is put on the line in the dramatic conclusion to one of the darkest and most dynamic eras in the X-Men history.

New X-Men

Written by Grant Morrison, New X-Men ran for a number of years and encompassed several story arcs, where it shifted the focus away from the X-Men as a superhero group, instead taking a look at the running of the Xaviers School. The series would introduce a number of characters that would remain part of the X-Men series for years, including Cassandra Nova, Beak, Quentin Quire, and Fantomex.

The series dealt with a number of important storylines, including the outing of Professor Xavier as a mutant, the destruction of Genosha, Emma Frost joining the team, and the return of Magneto. The series also took a different look in art style, taking the team out of their iconic costumes and adopting a look that was similar to their movie counterparts.

Mutant Massacre

The X-Men would become used to death and disaster over the course of their run, probably more than any other Marvel book. Mutant Massacre is a prime example of a story where even when the heroes stop the villains, they don’t really win.

When the villainous Marauders attack the mutant community of the Morlocks, the X-Men and X-Factor teams rush to their aid. Whilst they manage to stop the Marauders many Morlocks are killed, and a number of heroes severely wounded as a result. Colossus is left as a quadriplegic thanks to injuries sustained to his metal form; Kitty Pryde is trapped in her phased form which almost kills her; Nightcralwer is put into a coma; and Angel is literally crucified, which eventually leads to him losing his wings and becoming the villain Archangel.

A sobering look at the X-Men universe, and one that would play into a lot of future stories, this darker tone would become something of a staple for the X-Men books during several of their big events, and many X-Men have ended up severely wounded or killed over the years, probably more so than any other superhero team.


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Marvel Action: Black Panther #3 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

The third issue of Marvel Action: Black Panther concludes the first story arc in the title as T’Challa and Shuri battle to save Wakanda from deadly disasters.

Continuing from the literal cliffhanger ending in the last issue, T’Challa, Shuri, and Ashei are left to travel through the jungles of Wakanda to reach their downed plane and the cure they need to stop the malaria outbreak that’s threatening the population. The journey through the jungle is a little bit of a disappointment, as the trio don’t really have any difficulty in reaching their destination, despite a moment of thinking that things could have gotten exciting when Ashei trips over a giant snake. Sadly, the snake does nothing and its inclusion in the story seems like more of a tease rather than anything else.

Fortunately for readers, things do go a little wrong for the heroes as the plan to stop the malaria outbreak is interrupted, forcing Shuri to confront her fear of Piranha Cove by having to jump into the piranha infested waters to lure the infected mosquito swarm to their deaths. We also learn why this is a big thing for Shuri, as Queen Ramonda explains to her royal guard that one of her friends got hurt as a kid. Whilst this explanation is almost a throwaway moment it does show how Shuri has been living with trauma for years. Her diving into the cove isn’t just her doing what needs to be done to save the day, but overcoming her own childhood trauma.

The story also sees a surprise revelation about a long time Black Panther villain, in a twist I genuinely didn’t see coming, and which shows how much care has been taken by writer Kyle Baker. The book also boasts a lot of great artwork by Juan Samu, who really manages to put a lot of expression and character into the artwork; even masked characters like Black Panther are capable of showcasing more range than you’d initially believe possible. The previously mentioned giant snake was also a highlight in the issue, despite its all too brief appearance, thanks to how Samu draws it. More of the snake would have been good not just from an action point of view, but I’d have loved to have seen more of what Samu could have done with it.

A fine conclusion to the first story that touches upon some little known Black Panther history. However, the story really pushes Shuri into the forefront, and whilst I like that her character was given things to do it did feel like Black Panther himself was almost not needed. Hopefully T’Challa will be given something more to do in future issues.


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