Comic Book Day: June 26 Comic Book Reviews

My pull for this week was a little smaller in terms of newer issues. But even without new issues lining my comiXology shopping cart, I still managed to spend $25 on comic books in one sitting. Mainly because I decided that I was going to catch up with Matt Fraction's Hawkeye book because I was so freaking excited about the Pizza Dog issue that came out. I still have a few titles that I desperately need to catch up on (Captain Marvel, Avengers and All New X-Men mainly) but I decided to focus on the three newest issues that I deemed most important to me at the moment. So without further ado, my reviews of the latest in Young Avengers, X-Men and Hawkeye! As always there will be SPOILERS.

Young Avengers Vol. 2 Issue #6: The Toll 

Young Avengers #6 cover by
Jamie McKelvie & Matthew Wilson
Courtesy of comicvine.com

The first thing I have to say is that Tommy is back! We finally get to see a little but of what Speed has been up to since the end of Children's Crusade. He and Prodigy, a former mutant, band together to take on the ultimate teenage task: working a boring temp job. With this being the beginning of a new story arc for Young Avengers, Kieron Gillen is setting up a new plot with a new, sinister villain materializing out of Tommy's past to contend with. I was slightly upset that we didn't get the wise-cracking, sarcastic Tommy we had been left with, but the new characterization by Gillen does seem promising. I'm not as familiar with Prodigy, but I did love the opening sequence with him answering phones as a tech assistant. I have no idea where these two actually work, but it seems perfectly suited to their respective abilities. Gillen has done a masterful job at capturing what a day job for a super hero actually could be. This book also featured the artistic talents of Kate Brown. It's definitely not the same art as the first arc, but it embraces the style with its own flair. It looks a little darker, but Brown has done a great job of capturing the dynamics between the characters. The art doesn't pop off the page as much, but it still works to tell the story in a dynamic way. With the exciting and mysterious finish to this book, Gillen and his team seem to be promising exciting things to come in this arc.
Verdict: 9 out of 10. there are definitely exciting things to come with this arc. I feel it in the Force.

X-Men Vol. 4 Issue #2 

X-Men #2 cover by
Olivier Copiel & Frank Martin
Image courtesy of comixology.com

In the last issue there was a lack of action and violent destruction of buildings (which I said was actually a good thing for a first issue). In this second issue, however, we are starting to see more violence, and definitely more teamwork between the new X-team line up. The wonderful thing about Brian Wood, is that he doesn't sacrifice the storyline for a few bits of combat. You can see as Rogue and Kitty fight Arkea in the Jean Grey School, the story continues to move forward. We learn more about the enemy in the fight sequences than we would if they were just explained to us in conversation. Because the action of the panels, and the visual aspects of the book help to drive the story forward. While Rogue is swinging away, we get chilling quips from Arkea coupled with the glare of Karima Shapandar's deadpan eyes. The art once again is stunning, dark and dynamic. Olivier Copiel matches the style of the panels perfectly with the tone of the characters. Not only do we get to read about Jubilee becoming a more stark and grown up character, but we get to see it as well. Copiel brings the care and devotion that Jubilee has for this baby (now known as Shogo) to life on the page. This issue was jam packed full of goodies, with great art and the driving storyline that had a pretty sweet cliff hanger. I honestly can't wait for the next issue to come out in July.

Verdict: 8.5 out of 10. Wood and Copiel are stepping up their game, showing that this book and these ladies are not to be messed with.


Hawkeye Issue #11: Pizza is My Business 

Hawkeye #11 cover by
David Aja
Image courtesy of comixology.com

OK everyone, let's be honest with ourselves. Who wasn't excited as hell for an issue of Hawkeye entirely dedicated to Pizza Dog!? We have gotten comics about super hero pets before, but this is definitely my favorite one to date. I can't help but smile like an idiot while following Pizza Dog's adventures around his home. With very little (understandable) dialogue, the book still allows for the story to move forward. This book couldn't have been as interesting as it was without the amazing art by David Aja. I absolutely adored every single page while reading. The way Aja captured the mundane abilities a dog has, like the heightened sense of smell and hearing, was brilliant. This issue didn't need dialogue to keep the action moving simply because each panel told a story that fit so well together, dialogue would have bogged it down. And the story itself fit neatly into the last issue, with a little bit of closure on Gil, and picking up from the final scene of #10. And Pizza Dog gets his own action scenes as well, which was fun and interesting. During one of the scenes I vowed to never buy another book if they killed him. There is no doubt that Aja and Fraction are delivering an outstanding series right now. Hawkeye has easily moved up to the  top of my reading list due to the fantastic storyline and the beautifully, unique art. No other book I am reading looks like this one and I love it!

Verdict: 9.5 out of 10. Pizza Dog delivers just as much punch and adorableness as Hawkeye does. Can we have another? 

My Blog is Powered by Teenage Delusions & Other Thoughts From Young Avengers #5

 Young Avengers Vol. 2 issue 5 was released yesterday, May 22. This issue was the end of the first story arc written by Kieron Gillen and featuring the artistic talents of Jamie McKelvie. This arc consisted mainly of the attempts of Kid Loki to assemble the complete team of the Young Avengers and defeat the inter-dimensional parasite brought into the world by Wiccan. With the first story arc completed and the next issue set to be released June 26, it's time to talk about the relaunch of Young Avengers. 

Young Avengers #1 with cover art by Jamie McKelvie.
Photo courtesy of The Guardian.com

Like many of the comic book fans that I know (both on tumblr and IRL) the original series of Young Avengers, written by Allan Heinberg, was one of the reasons I got into the comic book world. I was incredibly happy when Marvel announced the relaunch of the series with a new creative team. I didn't know much about Gillen's other work but I decided that I would go into the experience with an open mind and ready to embrace the possibility that it wouldn't live up to my expectations.

Overall, I have enjoyed Gillen's opening arc. I felt that each character had a distinct voice and that it was an interesting shadow of how the original Avengers were indirectly formed by Loki. Although, this time Loki is right there in the middle of everything, directly affecting the rest of the team. McKelvie's art is wonderful to look at as well. Each panel is engaging, and dynamic. I absolutely love the design of when Marvel Boy bursts into the night club and takes down the guards around the rest of the team. Coupled with Gillen's story and character voice, the two make a great pair.

Gillen does a great thing in picking up where Children's Crusade left off. Which was to be expected, but I love the way he does it. At the end of that miniseries, we have a team of teenagers who are otherwise broken. They've lost a member of their team, sworn to never put on the costumes again, and for the most part gone their separate ways. Gillen took those characters and showed where they had come from and how they were healing. Nowhere is this seen more, than in Billy (Wiccan). In the beginning we see the Wiccan we were left with, hurting and blaming himself for Cassie's death. He even screams at Teddy when he finds out that Teddy was sneaking out on patrol without telling him. But as the parasite takes over, and they are under a greater threat, Billy accepts his role, and steps back into the costume. We are reminded that Billy and the rest of the team are teenagers, and that by accepting his role, he is accepting the responsibility to work for something grander than any normal teenager would be able to. Gillen does a fantastic job of pulling these characters up, and causing them to rise to the potential they have always had, but have shied away from because of the rocky road that led to that place. This growth of character, not just in Billy but in the whole cast, is how Gillen is proving himself as the writer for Young Avengers.

Not only the characters, and the story itself are refreshing, but Gillen does a great thing in using the comic as a comment on society as a whole. It's nice to be able to see Billy and Teddy (Wiccan and Hulkling) express their love for each other in a more conventional way. In the original series, it felt as if there was a space that couldn't be crossed between the two. While it was an intimate space that was finally crossed with the big kiss at the end of Children's Crusade, it still left me wanting for more between the two, romantically. In the new run, we see more intimacy passing between the two of them, and Gillen approaching their relationship as something that doesn't need to baulked at.

Kate Bishop (Hawkeye, not the Hawkguy) also plays into the comment on society in a small way. Gillen even mentioned this in one of his questions that he answered in the back of one of the issues. Kate and Noh-Varr (Marvel Boy) are first seen after hooking up. But Kate doesn't let her hook up with Noh-Varr phase her. She shrugs it off, and continues on with her day. In an age where women are told to feel ashamed of sexual encounters of any kind, Kate owns her sexuality and let's it go. In Kate (and Miss America but I'm trying not to write a novel), we find a strong female character that exudes more than just the conventional strength seen in comic books. She's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, and goes head first in fighting for feminism.

I've heard a lot of fans of YA saying that they have been disappointed with Gillen and that the run isn't the same as before. In all honesty, this is quite a different beginning than the original YA story. That world was darker, more draconian. In the new volume we see a lighter side of the Young Avengers story, with the same conflict as before. Gillen has brought a new light to YA, one with jokes, witticisms, and music. Yes, it changes the tone and the direction of the books, but so far that direction has been excellent. It's not the same book as before, that's for sure. We may never have that original feel to Young Avengers. But Gillen is definitely bringing something new to the YA-verse, and I'm excited to see where that goes.

Also, I can't wait for Tommy to come back in issue 6.