Infinity #2 hit the shelves and my pile this week. We get to see the Attilan Throne Room! Here sits in quiet counsel the mighty Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans. I like Black Bolt’s decorative style, as exemplified by the large, illuminated arrow pointing to his throne, as if to say, “King Sits Here.” You know, just in case you weren’t sure where the King sits. It’s definitely here, by the arrow. So you know.
King Sits Here.
Didja catch it? X-Men ‘Battle of the Atom’ #1 came out this week, and despite my facebook assertion that I was “Giving This One a Pass” it somehow ended up on top of the Pile last night. As I read through the compelling story, I scanned down the page and actually gasped–not loudly, or in an overly dramatic way, but I definitely gasped…at the wonderful frame at the bottom of page 22. Here it is:
As ’60s’ Scott is nearly taken out by a not-quite-destroyed Sentinel, Jean calls his name. Now, let’s jump in the Wayback Machine to Uncanny X-Men #137, which I read with baited breath and wide eyes back in the day:
Here of course, is the epic moment when Jean/Dark Phoenix took her own life after the Battle in the Blue Area of the Moon against the Imperial Guard. Knowing that her power was roiling out of control, Jean sacrificed herself that a Universe might live. A beautiful, powerful and touching homage’ to X-Men Canon. Thank you, Mr. Cho.
“Greetings, culture lovers.” Have you been reading the Infinity Event? I have, and it’s shaping up to be the biggest interdimensional cross rip since the Tunguska blast of 1909! I’m digging Mr. HIckman’s Opus, to say the least. I just finished reading Avengers #18, which made its way to the top of the pile via my Avengers subscription. New Avengers #9, which I picked up at Annex Comics, is waiting downstairs, but there were just a couple of things I wanted to point out about the first Avengers full-on installment in Infinity.
1. Still the worst Iron Man mask ever.
2. Shang Chi has a mini-statue of Howard the Duck on his dashboard.
There’s a lot more going on with this issue (like Cannonball hitting on Smasher), but it’s not my job to spoil the read for you.
Hilarious.
Dude…The Marvel Now! Avengers title has been good from the start. The first arc wrapped up nicely but with sinister little eggs laid for future hatching. Issue #5 gave us the origin of Earth’s first Smasher, and that was fine. I figured on more of the same when I saw Captain Universe on the cover of #6…and for the most part that’s what I got, apart from the rather….odd squabbling between Spiderman, Cannonball and Sunspot.
And then ol’ Captain Universe drops a FREAKIN’ RETRO BOMB, reprogramming Tony Stark‘s workstation to correctly translate “Blackveil’s” name.
Nightmask. The White Event. The New Universe. Remember the Summer of 1986? Nightmask, D.P. 7, Star Brand, Psi Force…did I leave any out? Probably, because I write this crap from memory. It’s the New Universe! This doesn’t seem to be some one-off re-hash circa 2006. This is pretty mainstream stuff! Super neato.
1986 Ad for the New Universe, scanned from the back cover of Thor #371
Scan from the cover of Nightmask #1, 1986
So this is a New White Event? Apparently. Nightmask is reborn from Ex Nihilo‘s Adam…I don’t know how that works at all (Builder’s Machine Code notwithstanding), but it’s cool. It’s really cool! Bring it on, Mr. Hickman!!
The New White Event, apparently heading for Earth in Avengers #7!
Sitting atop the pile & ripe for cracking is the AvX Consequences TPB. In the wake of the war between The Avengers & The Phoenix 5 (and to a lesser extent, the X-Men) I see this as a
AvX Consequences Trade Paperback
precursor to the Marvel Now! Uncanny X Men series. Issue one of that arrived in the mail the other day, so I figure I’d better read Consequences first. Despite a long tenure as an X-Men fan, even I’m growing weary of Scott Summers’ incessant moody whining. Will he truly be and stay a Marvel “Villain” now? Gotta put “Villain” in quotes because he’ll never intentionally harm the innocent, but I’m confident he’ll Zzark! any Hero that tries to stand in his way.
I’m just wondering where it is he’s trying to go. Time to crack AvX Consequences!
On the Pile 