This is late... because I was playing Halo 4. More on that Wednesday (more like Wednesday-ish).
For now, this week's Extra! Extra! will take a look at my most recent Pull List!
| Scarlet Spider # 10 (Minimum Carnage Part 2) In this issue, Venom and Carnage meet after Carnage disappeared into the Microverse last issue. At first, things seem to go well, until the Venom symbiote goes batshit insane (my favorite because it reverts to the Eddie Brock style suit) and lashes out at Kaine (probably recognizing him). This fight ends pretty quickly (though is still pretty awesome). It does show that Kaine is willing to do anything to survive, which I'm sure will come in to play soon. After they make up, they jump into the portal to the Microverse, getting separated. Venom finds allies, Scarlet finds a giant monster. Carnage, meanwhile, is being prepped for an assassination, though has some plans of his own... The art, while not as good as Alpha, is still pretty awesome. This issue gets a 9/10. |  |
| Venom #26 (Minimum Carnage Part 3) In this issue, Venom finds out that his allies don't like him very much because the symbiote seems to infect/eat the Microverse simply by being there. He joins with them, however, to help get to their leader, the Redeemer, who just happens to be Carnage's target. Scarlet fights a giant monster while the Redeemer watches. Carnage... Well, does what Carnage does. He kills the villains that freed him and decides to hunt down the Redeemer anyway. At the end of the issue, Venom goes even more batshit insane during a fight against a bunch of random enemies, while Carnage runs into Scarlet and the Redeemer. Next issue should be awesome! I love the issue, but didn't care as much for the art, especially the depiction of Carnage. Issue was definately a solid 8/10 for me, though. |  |
| Amazing Spider-Man #696 As I guessed it, Peter Parker is held hostage to be used as bait for Spidey. The go between is Max Modell, who manages to give Peter the opportunity to escape without revealing his identity, though Max should really be catching on by now. The main event in this issue, however, is the fight between the original Hobgoblin and the New Hobgoblin. They go at it while Kingpin shouts and waves his arms. The end of the issue has them coming to an agreement, however, to recapture the escaped Parker and Modell -- they managed to steal the "Goblin Key" that Spidey stole from the New Hobby last issue. A decent issue overall, and I don't mind a regression to the old using Parker as bait to catch Spidey shtick from times past. I'd give it an 8/10, with a note that at least one point is for the awesome cover. Oh, and if Superior Spider-Man turns out to be in anyway a Doctor Octopus controlled character or the Doc himself, I will be very, very displeased. In this issue, we see one of Ock's bots crawl out of the water, and this one is special because it's a golden snitch gold. |  |
| Avenging Spider-Man #13 This issue is pretty much just a long fight between Spidey and the Hypno Hustler's mind control, with a little bit of Deadpool thrown in on both sides. The only notable thing is the way Spidey and Deadpool choose to team up... A 6/10. It wasn't aweful, I just didn't care for the HH and I don't care for issues in which Spidey is made out to be a bad guy. THAT shtick was done to death. |  |
| Avenging Spider-Man Annual #1 This is another Spidey team-up in which minds are altered. This time, it's due to an alien artifiact a couple of chumps dig up in Central Park. It makes everyone hate eachother and become violent. They try to sell it to a gangster-type while NYC tries to kill itself. Spidey and the Thing also throw down. Of course, Spidey is mostly able to shrug off the effects and finds the source. When the device is damage, everyone begins to love each other... physically. The issue ends in a neat, tidy bow. A relatively fun issue. I didn't care for it, so a 6/10 -- at least the art style and writing kept it interesting. |  |
| Ultimate Spider-Man #16 Miles narrowly avoids getting arrested by Cap when Hydra attacks the base. Miles teams up with Cap and SHIELD to repel the invaders, impression Cap enough to accept his request to join the Ultimates. ... Little sick of Cap needing to be impressed every other issue. The end of the issue reflects the major (and quite startling) major change that comes from the Divided We Fall event -- Captain America becomes President of the United States. Issue is a 7/10. I still don't care for Ult. Cap, but it was good to see Miles in action some more. |  |
| Ultimate Spider-Man 16.1 This issue takes place directly after the death of the Prowler, in which Betty Brant, who is a huge douche in the Utlimate universe, tries to uncover dirt on Spider-Man and find his identity. She mistakenly comes to believe that Miles' father is the masked vigilante, and goes to Jameson with her "proof." Unlike 616 JJJ, the Ultimate version is against A) slamming Spider-Man and B) ruining a family's life just to sell a story. I LOVE Ultimate Jameson. Betty decides to take her story elsewhere, though is killed before she can do so... by Venom! Finally! This issue gets a 6/10, and that only because I liked JJJ and am looking forward to Venom. I dislike Marvel's confusing "Point One" system -- it was launched as a way for new readers to jump in mid-series, and is now a lazy way to say "Hey, we're writing about a story we probably should have done earlier, hope you don't mind! Also, nuts to future collectors who expect whole numbered issues!" I mind. |  |
| Red Hood and the Outlaws # 13 First, the covers of this run have been VERY misleading. It's an old school technique that I don't particularly care for; a cover should have SOMETHING to do with what's going on in the story. Instead of fighting (as most fans might have expected), Starfire and her sister team up (along with the other Outlaws) to take back Tameran. Blackfire gets seriously wounded, but the good guys pull through and the Outlaws decide to head on home. The end shows that Blackfire is aware of the Thirteen and knows they must be stopped, even if she doesn't share that info with anyone. Also, the Joker is shown back on Earth at Starfire's old, crashed ship. He's pulling the original Red Hood's (Joker's first alias) helmet out of a box and laughing... Issue is a 9/10 for me. Really enoying this series, and it's the only DC item still on my pull list. |  |
Because the Wife picked up the Pull List, she ended up picking a few other issues she thought I might like. Thus, we have the Pull List BONUS ROUND!
| Uncanny Avengers #1 I was NOT going to pick this title up. I've never really cared for a team book, especially the Avengers. That being said, I enjoyed this issue! It's just the recruitment issue, showing how Cap, Thor, Rogue, Scarlet Witch, Wolverine, and Havok all wind up on one team, but it shows some interesting character dynamics (especially between Rogue and Scarlet Witch) and has me interested for the next few issues. That being said, I'd rate it an optimistic 8/10. The art on some characters is terrible (what the HELL did they do to Wolverine?), but mostly it was decent and there was a nice scene between the Summers brothers (thought I hate what they've done to Cyclops). We'll see how long this stays on the Pull. |  |
| A+X #1 This is another surprise. I normally dislike team-up titles as a rule and ESPECIALLY hate comics that tell more than one story -- there's not enough room to really flesh out two full stories, and comics don't do short stories well as far as I'm concerned. That being said, I liked both the stories here. The first has Cap and Bucky during WWII teaming up with Cable to stop Sentinels being produced before their time. The enemy, notably enough, is a Trask descendant from the year 2099. Here's hoping we see more of that!! The second story has Wolverine and the Hulk going toe to toe with... Wolverine and the Hulk? Future Wolverine and Future Hulk (called Maestro) fight it out in Avengers tower when the future pair randomly teleports in, hunting for "a Hulk." They don't find who they're looking for and leave quickly. They return to their time (I didn't recognize it, honestly. I'd say NOT 2099, but could be wrong) and wind up in what appears to be the Oval Office, being told that the Red Hulk MUST die by none other than... the Red Hulk himself? What the... So, a pretty interesting issue. As long as the team up pairs are interesting, I'll keep it on the Pull List. |  |
That's all for this time, though keep an eye out for the following Marvel NOW! titles I've added to my Pull List:
Brand New X-Men (can't wait to see the interactions)
Deadpool (just a test run)
Superior Spider-Man (this won't be out for a bit)
Avengers Arena (has some interesting characters)
Thunderbolts (these might not be added to my reviews until I catch up with the past volumes)
Uncanny X-Force (because the current run has gone so well)
Alright, that's all for tonight! Sorry for the late and long post, I'll see you Wednesday with some Halo and CoD talk!
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