REVIEW: The New Mutants Annual #7

“The Kings of Pain Part 1”
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciler: Guang Yap
Inker: Dan Panosian
Colorist: Brad Vancata
Letterer: Joe Rosen

“The First Cut (The Killing Stroke Part 1)”
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciler: Kirk Jarvinin
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Colorist: Mike Thomas
Letterer: Joe Rosen

“Close Encounters of the Mutant Kind”
Writer: Judy Bogdanove
Penciler: Jon Bogdanove
Inker: Hilary Barta
Colorist: Mike Thomas
Letterer: Joe Rosen

Review: Art Bee

Recently my daughter requested to pick out the next comic to review from the back issue boxes at my LCS. When she does this it is quite the mystery as to what will be grabbed. This time The New Mutants Annual #7 made the draft, bringing a look of bewilderment to my face as I know very little about the group. This is strange to say since I have been an X-Men fan for a long time and the groups are closely tied together.

Considering the issue was 64 pages long, I knew this would be a chore to read and review, but what I didn’t know was this issue would be difficult as well. 

This annual had three stories within. The first and main one was the kickoff for an arc called, “The Kings of Pain”, which took up the majority of the issue.
A few of the characters were known to me, but most of them were unfamiliar.
Cable was the leader, and who doesn’t like Cable?
Your answer had better be, “nobody”.   

REVIEW: Mephesto Vs. The Fantastic Four

Writer: Al Milgrom
Penciler: John Buscema
Inks: Bob Wiacek
Color: George Roussos
Review: Cody, the Miller’s Son

First off, I have to say: what an amazing cover.
Just looking at it makes my brain beg for the sweet, sweet innards of this funnybook... Well, that and the fact I haven't read a Fantastic Four comic in forever...thanks Marvel!
On that note I'm pretty sure, at least as far as I can remember, One More Day was the last thing I have read involving the Big Red Baddie....so, yeah, I think I'm overdue.

This here issue is the first book of a four issue limited series, but it's a little confusing as to whether or not the Fantastic Four are in the next installment. The lead in to the second issue simply says, "Next issue Mephesto confronts X Factor in: Sympathy for the Devil.”
 I don't know what the hell is going on, but I guarantee I'm going to track down the other three issues and find out. The reason I'm hung up about it is one of the FF members is still trapped in Hell or whatever Marvel calls Mephisto's realm...so how does said member get rescued?
Maybe she doesn't; maybe this is just a farcical yarn in which the bad guy wins just for the sake of the bad guy winning?   

REVIEW: Jack Kirby’s Secret City Saga #0

Created by: Jack Kirby
Developed & written by: Roy Thomas
Penciled & inked by: Walter Simonson
Lettered by: John Workman
Colored by: Gregory Wright
Reviewed by: Will Dubbeld

Ah, Topps Comics. Not content with flooding the ‘90s with sports cards, the collectibles giant took a crack at the comicbook market in 1993.
Because of course they did. It was the 1990s and every-damn-one started a pop-up publishing arm in the hopes of becoming the next Image.
Consisting largely of licensed properties and movie/t.v. adaptations, Topps Comics churned out a deluge of middling books during the speculator heyday. Unfortunately, all the issues of Xena in the world couldn’t save Topps, and the division folded in 1998.

Early on, however, Topps joined up with Jack Kirby.
Kind of...

Kirby had decades worth of sketches, character concepts, unrealized stories, and preliminary ideas in his portfolio and worked out a licensing agreement with Topps Comics. Topps got a bucketful of Kirby material to develop into comics, and Jack (hopefully) got a big, fat paycheck. He even contributed some art and script, though not as much as I’d’ve liked.
Christened ‘The Kirbyverse’, a handful of titles blazed into the scene and were launched with Jack Kirby’s Secret City Saga #0.   

REVIEW: Marvel Feature Presents, “The Astonishing Ant-Man”, Vol 1 #4

Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Letterer: John Costanza
Review: Madman

I’m not going to lie here; before Ant-Man hit the MCU I never really gave him much thought. I suppose I was way too interested in more exciting heroes with way cooler superpowers. At least that’s what I thought then. I know better now and my understanding and tastes have obviously matured.

I’ve really enjoyed the Ant-Man movie and his appearance in Civil War, so, yeah, you could say a decision has been consciously made to give Ant-Man his due, gather some of his O.G. books, and figure this guy out. None of the previously mentioned points made me actually by this book. I bought it based solely on the astonishingly gorgeous cover. It’s fantastic…a 10 out of 10…super rad. I was hypnotized by all of the awesome that I had no idea that the, “special first-issue guest star”, was, “the one and only Peter Parker…Mighty Marvel’s own wall-crawling wonder!”
Even though the cover says so...   

REVIEW: The Uncanny X-Men #131

Production: Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and Terry Austin
Letters: Tom Orzechowski
Colors: Glynis Wein
Review: Art Bee

The time has come. One of my most favorite comic books is The Uncanny X-Men #131. At one time it was lost to me in the loss of a storage unit, but the issue has found its way back into my possession. It’s not clear whether or not this is the same one I lost, but that is not important. This issue may not be on the top of many comic boys favorites list, but it is on mine. There are several reasons but only three will I discuss.

My first and biggest reason is Jean Grey, a.k.a. Phoenix. Not long ago in the storyline Jean acquired the Phoenix Force. Since the union of these two powerful personas, Jean’s powers had grown immensely, and she liked it. This issue shows us the grandeur of Jean’s power set and the beginning of her descent into the evil of the Dark Phoenix Saga, which happens very shortly thereafter.

The second reason for this being such a great issue is the team up between the X-Men, the Uncanny X-Men, and Dazzler. This makes for a rich story while they are taking on Emma Frost and the Hellfire Club who have taken Storm, Colossus, and Wolverine hostage. Once the hostages are free the X-Men action gets intense. As an added bonus Nightcrawler pulls off his teleporting feat of punching three guys at once for the second time ever…Yay!