REVIEW: What If? #1 vol. 1: Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four

Writer:  Roy Thomas
Pencils: Jim Craig
Inks: Pablo Marcos
Colors: Janice Cohen
Review: Cody "Madman" Miller

I’m not sure how many of Marvels’ “What If…?” books I’ve already reviewed for the HCB, but it’s more than a few. What can I say, I totally love them. I can say with utmost certainty that I have greedily purchased every single issue that has crossed my path since my humble beginnings as a Marvel fanboy,

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago, in a random used bookstore in Indianapolis, that I finally crossed paths with the holy grail of What Ifs. Not only does this gem of a book obviously contain the FF and Spidey, but this also is Patient Zero. This is where it all began…the origin of What If?, the very first issue.
And boy is it fantastically amazing, or is it spectacularly fantastic? I’ll let you decide, but I did indeed let out a primal, “Hell yeah”, when I pulled this book from the long box of obscurity.

The book's title question is kind of moot at this point in time. Spider-Man did indeed join the Fantastic Four after the Human Torch’s death about six years ago when they did the whole rebranding as the Future Foundation. It only took 50 or so years for it to actually happen but, hey, better late then never I guess. It was, in fact, in Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1963) when Peter Parker, a broke ass high school student, tried to join up with the Fantastic Four in the hopes of making a buck or two.          

REVIEW: Avenging Spider-Man #12

Writer: Kevin Shinick
Art: Aaron Kuder
Color Art: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Review: Art Bee

We all love Spider-man…but not always. A couple of years ago I caught the Spiderbug from Madman and began reading Superior Spider-Man. Then Marvel killed my interest with Spiderverse but I still like the one-line spittin’ web-slinger. So while at my LCS, thumbing through boxes, I found a couple issues of Avenging Spider-Man from 2012 and thought to myself, “oooooo…before the screw up AND Deadpool…SOLD!”

This issue proves that Marvel is having creative issues. They are completely out of interesting, original ideas, so they start writing ideas in mustard on pickle slices, throw them at the wall, and let them race for the win. This issues winning pickle: the movie Inception.
Great movie if you can wrap your mind around the science of it. The movie is based on a dream with layers, so the plot has layers.
This issue is about Peter Parker’s dream with layers, and the plot…not so much.              

REVIEW: Captain America #387

Story: Mark Gruenwald Pencils: Rik Levins Inks: Danny Bulanadi Letters: Joe Rosen Colors: Christie Scheele Review: Will Dubbeld

The Superia Stratagem, pt. 1 O Captain, my captain... Back once more in the halcyon days, days when The Star-Spangled Avenger was a character to be admired and not a vehicle for a hack writer/failed politico's ham-fisted commentary. Because what better way to celebrate Jack Kirby's centenary than turning Captain America into a Nazi? But let's disembark from that hate-train for a bit and get on with the task at hand... The year was 1991, the month: July. The first of a six-part story that fell somewhere in the CapWolf and Streets of Poison era of Mark Gruenwald's epic 10-year run behind the shield. The Lee/Claremont X-Men was nigh and the West Coast Avengers were tussling with the Overlords of the Pacific Rim. These were great days. Marvel was still riding that 1980s wave before grim and gritty took over; before the Image exodus and before chains were every goddamn where. One of the last shining points in comic history of the Big Two.