Pull!

Alright, we're going to get quick and dirty with this Pull List Review -- I made the mistake of picking up another round of books before finishing my last one and I'm afraid, if I don't make a stand now, I'll never catch up.

The best of the best in this selection will get a small highlight section. The rest will be given their 'arbitrary' rating. If you'd like some more input on a given title, you have but to ask.

Highlight Reel

Hawkeye #1-10 - I spent my mini-pull list hiatus catching up on the current Hawkeye series. They were a bit difficult to find (even though they've been reprinted about 4 times), but I'm glad I did. The stories are all Hawkeye (Clint Barton) and usually Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) when they're not being super heroes/Avengers. That's not to say they don't get into trouble. Issues 9 and 10 are showing the same time span from each of the Hawkeye's perspectives and it culminates in some of Clint's recent adventures coming back to haunt him in a horrifying way.

I've never been a Hawkeye fan, but the art on this book could carry it alone. Seriously, do yourself a favor and pick up a few issues just to look at. The engaging stories are just a nice addition, at this point. 10/10

This totally happened.

Star Wars: Legacy #1-2 - This series is a highlight just for showing up! The original Legacy series ended with Cade Skywalker winning his final battle, supposedly ending the series forever. Fortunately, we've got this interesting revival which follows an as-of-yet unseen family name: Solo. Ania Solo is a young girl and apparent wiz kid with machines. She's also, like any good Solo, poor and living as a scavenger. There are bigger events picking up, though -- the new government is going to have a wrench thrown in its plans as we see a new Sith infiltrating a Republic mission and causing trouble. 7/10

Proof that reading is cool.

Five Ghosts #1-2 - A new series with a new setting. Fabian Gray has been possessed by five literary spirits and is trying to use them to find a way to save his sister. He's possessed by Robin Hood, Merlin, Musashi Miyamato, Sherlock Holmes, and Count Dracula. This means that Fabian, a treasure hunter, can tap into their (normally fictional) abilities to, in general, be freaking awesome.

The issues are a bit broad and unfocused at the moment, but the art is fresh and the quirks of Fabian's gifts keep me reading more than the overarching story, at this point. A highlight for being something new and done well. 9/10

Uncanny Avengers #4-7 - This series has a relatively interesting team coming together and dealing with the political and social issues plaguing human-mutant relations. Oh, and then they have to fight some pretty awesome villains in the meantime. First they went up against Red Skull, who had just happened to exhume Xavier and take his brain, somehow tapping into the dead mutant's psychic powers. Then we saw Thor go toe to toe with Apocalypse back in the day, and now we've seen the Apocalypse Twins kill a Celestial. You heard me -- they killed a goddamn Celestial.

I don't know that enough attention is paid to the characters on the team at the moment, but if they keep an interesting rogue's gallery going, I'm down! 8/10

Superior Spider-Man #6 AU - I'm highlighting this issue in particular because of the art. It's like manga drawn in an american style and I am loving the look. Unfortunately, it seems to be a one time thing with the Age of Ultron tie-in, but I strongly suggest you pick it up, even if you don't normally get behind these comic events. The change in art style is beyond refreshing.

I really can't...

... get enough of this art style!

Speed Rating 

Thor: God of Thunder #7 - Enjoying today's Thor with future Thor, but not too much motion here. 8/10
Superior Spider-Man # 5-9 - I'm not liking the current direction, but it's at least keeping me engaged. 7/10
Cable and X-Force #5-6 - These characters are a mess. Keep 'em coming. 7/10
Star Wars #3 - Spy vs Spy gets really old for me, but there's still hope. 7/10
All New X-Men #8-11 - Things might have just taken an interesting turn again, maybe. 7/10

AoU lacks substance.

Guardians of the Galaxy #.1-2 - Not super familiar with this cast. Nothing amazing, but I'll stick it for a bit. 6/10
Age of Ultron #1-7 - Not as good as Age of Apocalypse. Artist can't differentiate between people of color. 6/10
Scarlet Spider #15-16 - Kaine dies. Again. And comes back. Again. Uglier. Potential on the horizon, though. 6/10
Venom #32-33 - Venom meets a new, slightly interesting enemy. Eddie is wearing Toxin. Don't like Eddie's dialogue  though. Mixing him up with Carnage/Kletus too much. 6/10
Ultimate Spider-Man #21 - I think I just want more from this series, especially when they re-intro Venom. 6/10
Avenging Spider-Man #17-18 - I both kind of like seeing Doc Ock interacting with other characters and hate the way he's changing opinions. 6/10
Red Hood and the Outlaws #18 - Bruce and Jason tenderness, but this series is wallowing. 6/10
Age of Apocalypse #13-14 - A poorly done crossover with titles no one reads. Incoherent without other pieces, which is always a bad choice. 3/10
Constantine #1 - Didn't catch my fancy, but decided I'll be hunting down old Hellblazer stuff instead. 5/10
Nova #1-2 - Somewhat interesting, but I'm going to focus on Guardians for my space stuff. 8/10
A+X #5 - Dropping this, shorts are never really my thing, though these can be funny. 6/10


I've recently picked up some volume 1 trade paperbacks that you can expect me to drool over soon as well: Saga, Fables, and Y the Last Man. Also, I still have some left over Pull List to mull over and two exciting announcements coming right around the corner!

Pull List Review: Gotta Catch 'Em All

This post is going to be a whirlwind storm of back issues that I've yet to review for a PLR. These will be short and sweet -- if you see something you want me to expand upon, let me know in the comments section below:

Err... I have some catching up to do...

Favorites (Best of the best)

All-New X-Men #4 - #7: This series is still going strong, though it has slowed down a bit. My favorite parts are Angel meeting Angel, young Cyke blasting Wolverine, and Jean working with Kitty. I really can't get enough and wish these would come out faster! 10/10
Star Wars #1 and #2: The rebels have to find a new base after Yavin 4 and the destruction of the Death Star while rooting out a spy. The spy bit is WAY overdone in Star Wars Extended Universe, but I'm liking the classic characters and the new roles Leia is being put in. Nice to have a strong leading lady who isn't falling for men left and right. Also, loving the art. 10/10, this is a good book.

Staying Strong (Nothing special, good or bad)

Ultimate Spider-Man #17 - #20: An Ultimate Venom is back and attacking Miles (and his dad). Interesting, Venom looks especially monstrous, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going. 7/10
Venom #29 - #31 - Nothing super special, but Venom is now in Philly and dating Valkyrie. Oh, and being stalked. I do NOT like how Flash is having possessed blackouts, but I guess they won't leave well enough alone. 7/10
Age of Apocalypse #11 and #12: The series is coming to a close. Maybe? Weapon X is deposed, things have been shaken up, but there seem to be more changes on the horizon. An 8/10 for finally getting interesting.
Cable and X-Force #2 - #4: I don't know any of these characters particularly well, but so far seeing their connections and an X-team screwing up royally is always nice. Not sure about the series, but I'll stick with it for some more, I'm enjoying the Cable exposure. 7/10
Avenging Spider-Man #15.1 and #16: Doc Ock being in the shoes of Spidey and teaming up with all of Peter's old pals? Avenging may have just gotten interesting. It loses a point for having a Spidey/Wolverine (my favorite pairing) fight that made me sad :( 7/10
Uncanny Avengers #2 and #3: I'm liking the Red Skull action, the possession shtick is ok, and Wolverine just got his ass kicked by Thor. Yeah, that's pretty solid, and looks like Apocalypse is coming up soon! 8/10
Nova #1: This was a random grab. I know nothing of Nova so am a bit in the dark, but though it was interesting. Reminded me of The Last Starfighter a bit, netting it an 8/10 in my book, and added to the pull list.

Missteps (Series with recent issues being sub-par)

Scarlet Spider #12.1 - #14: Mexican werewolves. Kaine dies again. Kaine comes back all spidery again. This series is too new to already be repeating itself with a death and pointless reincarnation. Also, Spider-Kaine looks really, really stupid. Hoping this picks up soon. 4/10
Red Hood and the Outlaws #15 - #17: The issues aren't particularly bad, but as a tie in to the Death of the Family tie in, they are especially weak in regards to events happening, aren't coherent at all, and don't advance the Outlaws at all, other than apparently Jason getting some face melting at the last page. Hopefully, with the event having wrapped up, we'll see some interesting stories again. 3/10

Dropped Series (Series I've dropped from my Pull List)

Deadpool #1 - #3: The story is funny, but the writers have completely given up on any interesting plot to fill it with camp. That's fine for some, but for me, I don't like sacrificing interesting for funny. 2/10 because I did laugh some.

Thunderbolts #1 - #4: I only got to issue 4 because they came out so fast. Honestly, this would get a low score on the art alone (I HATE THIS ARTIST! Everyone looks the exact same, why does Marvel still employ him!? Every book he touches leaving me feeling dirty after), but compound that with the cliche story and lackluster character choice, and mark this as a 0/10 and the official death of the Thunderbolts for me.

This is a sad day because the Thunderbolts are what prompted the creation for this blog :(

A+X #2 - #4: I don't remember if I actually dropped this yet or not, but it's only being dropped because I've grown tired of the too-quick stories that really won't amount to anything in the end. Still, not a bad series, so it's getting an 8/10 because I DID enjoy them.

Avengers Arena #1 - #4: Marvel's Hunger Games with maybe 3 characters I actually enjoy. Not an awful premise, but drags along too slow to keep my interest. 4/10


Ok, I know this is a really compacted version, but that's just because I've been too lazy to do a PLR on time. This format is what future PLRs will look like, though I would like to go into a bit more issue specifics.

If you have any thoughts or comments to add on the above issues, please post them, I'd love to hear them!

UPDATE: Sorry this post took a bit longer to go up... My PC has died (NOOOOOOO!), and I'm not sure when I'll be able to fix it. I still have a laptop I can use, so the Nerd is down but not out!

Coming up next: First Impressions of Bioshock Infinite. Sometime after that, I'll finally take a look at the Thor: God of Thunder series.

Seriously. It will happen.

Pull List Review: For Better...

First, I'm still looking for suggestions on how to do future Pull List Reviews  Click the link and comment with your thoughts.

Now, here's another chunk of my most recent Pull List. Seeing as how I hope to hit up Joker's Child (which is where my Pull List lives) on Sunday, I should probably get cracking on these last two posts...

This will be the remaining issues I enjoyed, while my next post will be those that hit the mark a bit.

All-New X-Men #1 Beast is changing (again) and this time he knows his body won't handle it. Mutantkind is in turmoil and he isn't going to be there to help fix things. Cyclops, Emma Frost, Magneto, and Magik are seen recruiting new, powerful mutants to their cause -- even if they have to harm humans in the process. The other X-Men are at a loss as to what to do -- they don't agree with Scott's new views and know they need to stop him, they're just not sure how. Beast thinks he knows. He travels back to the time of the original X-men: Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel and Beast himself. Future Beast tells the startled young Cyclops, "I need you to stop yourself from committing mutant genocide." A lot of events happen back to back in this issue and I even feel that Beast's reasoning makes a sort of sense -- he's dying and desperate and just wants things to be how they were. Also, the interaction between the younger team and present Beast is done very well, the art is great, and I'm really interested to see what comes next. This issue is a 9/10 for me.
All-New X-Men #2 Shadowcat and Iceman are wondering what's taking Beast so long (heh), so they decide to search his lab. The notice some odd things relating to Beast's physiology, but can't make much sense out of it. Next they fail at hacking his computer. Beast is trying to convince the X-Men of the past that he is who he says he is and why he needs them. This becomes interesting when he starts spoiling things -- such as Marvel Girl eventually developing telepathic powers (in addition to her telekinetic ones). Or, you know, that Scott killed Professor X. The Hank v. Hank conversations are great, and Past Hank trying to figure out what could possibly drive Present Hank to come to them is actually fairly moving. The young X-Men are eventually convinced and they arrive at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Because that won't be awkward for Past Jean... Wolverine, in the middle of teaching class, smells (Past) Scott and charges out in a beserker rage, stopped from killing Scott by Jean's telekinesis. This draws the attention of some of the other current X-Men (leading to Iceman meeting himself). They present folks being yelling at Beast, who promptly falls into a coma. The two teams of X-Men are trying to aid the ailing Beast. Logan calls the past X-Men out and begins to tell them he's sending them back ASAP. Jean, realizing she DOES have telepathic powers, is able to cause Logan to falls asleep. This is odd because Logan is usually immune (or at least very strong) to mental attacks. Possibly screwing with the time line will have some more adverse effects. At this point, Jean knows she's dead and Scott knows he's gone renegade. They steal a Blackbird and go to confront him -- they know Present Scott is hunting new mutants, so they plan on getting there first. The final panel is Logan saying, "It was her. It was really her. Jeannie." I wonder how Present Scott will react. Also how Present Emma will... I loved this issue, though it was a touch slower than the last. Still, solid art, story, and I'm loving the reactions we're given so far -- they're a bit too abrupt to sink in for long; we'll see how long that lasts. This is another 9/10 for me.
All-New X-Men #3 This issue starts ten days before events last issue. Scott, Magneto, and Magik are overlooking their new base -- the old, abandoned Weapon X facility. Two days later, they are seen attacking a convoy, only something goes wrong -- Magneto is having problems controlling magnetism and Scott can't control the power of his optic blasts (which looks pretty badass). They eventually succeed in freeing Emma Frost, who has no interest of seeing Scott; she blames him for turning on her when they were the Phoenix Force. Scott says that it wasn't him, it was the Phoenix. Then Emma reveals that her powers have changed since the Phoenix as well. Magneto says that doesn't make sense, but Emma reminds him that Cyclops blasted him with a full dose of Phoenix exposure. Scott is determined to make things right, though Emma isn't interested. They do leave together, however, when the authorities arrive at the site of the convoy wreckage. We then pan to a college peace rally. We see a student find they are a mutant when the begin to morph into whomever they're speaking to. Back to Scott, we see him blasting away with his massive optics blast, repeating the word "No" over and over again. Mags comes to knock some sense into him, at the same time as threatening him if his powers, the only thing that made him important, weren't returned. Magik pops up and tells them that her powers have only gotten better, giving her access to the Limbo dimension. Emma joins the club and points them to the changeling mutant we saw moments before. They teleport to the mutants location, only to be intercepted by the young X-Men. Shit will hit the fan next issue, and I for one can't wait. This issue, being focused on the renegades, wasn't as interesting for me and moved a bit slower than I would have liked. I'm still not sure where present Scott is coming from with his New World Order idea, so I'd like to see that more. Most of all, however, I want to see the showdown next issues. This was an 8/10 for me.
Cable and X-Force #1 Cable, Domino, Colossus, and Dr. Nemesis are seen murdering unarmed civilians in some sort of industrial plant. The Uncanny Avengers show up and Havok tries to reason with Cable to understand what's going on. In response, Cable and Co. teleport away, leaving Havok looking like a biased schmuck. Then, as Marvel loves to do lately, we're taken to "days earlier". Hope is complaining about being in public school while Cable stalker-watches her. He then goes back to his secret base (an airplane graveyard) and talks to Forge. He gets a new arm and then starts having pains in his head, which have apparently been a thing as of late. Next up, we see Domino breaking into an A.I.M. facility, only to be beaten to the punch by Hope, who recruits her to find Cable. Cable is busy recruiting Dr. Nemesis to fix his head. Back at base, Hope confronts Cable, complaining about him leaving her (I didn't know that Cable was her father, that's interesting). He tells her he missed her and they hug. Cable gets another headache, causing Hope to catch some kind of vision of disaster. The end of the issue is the vision of disaster appearing on the TV. I'm interested. I don't know much about the characters, but the might just keep it interesting. This issue was an 8/10 for art and interest at the very least, and I'll add this as a recurring issue to the pull list.
Red Hood and the Outlaws #14 Superman shows up at Starfire's spaceship, knocking to be let in. Instead of answering, the Outlaws teleport to Starfire's crashed ship (back on Earth). Red Hood is immediately on the defense, expecting Supes to catch up. He does, of course, and the gang throws down. Superman... Well, let's just say that not a single shit was given that day. Red's civilian friend cuts through the nonsense and tells the group to hear Superman speak. Superman explains that a powerful alien entity, Helspont, approached him with a job offer. Starfire admits she was similarly asked. Turns out other aliens on Earth are getting the same "join or die" speech and Superman wants to make sure that, when the time comes, that they'll band together against the cause. He says he wants to drag the Outlaws back to the states to pay for their crimes, but Batman has vouched for them (woot woot). The end of the issue is Red spending some private time with his lady friend. He takes a shower and comes up to her, almost dead on the floor (via some sort of drug overdoes). This mirror's Red's mother's death. The television ends up revealing the Joker, who is back in action and has set Jason up, which we'll see next issue. My favorite part of this issue is that Superman gets so much shit and is basically looked upon like a tyrant, which is SO unusual from normal perception. The lack of any real story progress does hurt the issue, though. Still, dumping on Supes is worth another arbitrary point, so the issue lands at an 8/10.
Age of Apocalypse #9 This issue starts out with Jean being discovered and reported by Daredevil, while the X-terminated are busy learning from Doom's DNA. They are able to develop a weapon, which the promise to give to Penance, as long as she sets aside a refuge (Australia) for humanity once she takes over Weapon X's energy. Jean and Graydon go on a fancy date. It ends poorly when she brings up Sabertooth one too many times. Then they are attacked by Weapon X's forces and they know their cover is blown. Jean flees into the sewers while her allies cover her. Flash to Prophet releasing Sabertooth to go help. Flash to Weapon X saying he's getting into the hunt. This issue is only a 6/10 for me, but the next one brings it up a bit. I still dislike the art and characters, but the story spikes here and there with being interesting.
Age of Apocalypse #10 Jean is on the run. The weapon, a pill, is created to remove Weapon X's Celestial given power. Jean fights off some random tunnel dwelling mutants. Some maneuvering goes down at the Hellfire club so the X-terminated can find the Shadow King (in an effort to get to Jean, supposedly). Jean meets Logan, but is interrupted by Sabertooth. Jean escapes while Sabertooth gets his ass kicked and blows himself up with a grenade. This is actually a pretty cool moment; Logan says "If it makes you feel better, bub." They both know it won't actually hurt him. And it shows that Logan is still somewhere back there, or at least his personality hasn't been obliterated. I don't feel like looking it up, but wasn't this the Sabertooth in Exiles? Pretty big deal that he'd dead then, even though he's been useless (and wasted) this entire series). Jean is learning that the pill is the weapon and it has to be ingested. Also, she learns that she was being groomed to take over for Prophet (should anything happen_, but now she was conveniently the only one to possibly get close enough to administer the pill. The issue ends with the Shadow King getting surprise visit from Quentin Quire (I assume some kind of clone, because he blew his brains out in an awkward plot filling issue a while back). The pace is ramping up for some big stuff next issue and I'm looking forward to things coming to a close. I'm not sure how much life this series has left in it, but I feel this particular book hasn't been able to keep enough interest and will be wrapping up soon. Or maybe I just hope so. This issue barely scrapes by getting into this post by scoring at 7/10. I'm really hoping the following issue is an interesting climax.

If it wasn't obvious, my favorite series this Pull List (and with Marvel NOW! in general) was All-New X-Men. The past X-men can really stir things up in today's world without ever jeapordizing that past -- if they DO get planted back where the belong, which seems inevitable, Professor X can always wipe their minds (they alluded to as much already). I know the focus is supposed to be some Scott on Scott action, but I'm really hoping Jean Grey finds some way to stick around or at least stir things up. I miss her as Marvel Girl, even though it would be pretty hard to go back to that (you know, besides re-reading some First Class).

I will do a post ASAP on the remaining issues from this month, seeing as how I've already picked up another pull list, which will have some doozies... I'm going to go ahead and switch up the PLR (Pull List Review, let's try and make this stick...) a bit after next post. If you hate it, let me know.

For now, have a good one!