The Wry's Rants/Reviews for Sep 22 comics (Part 1: reviews)

What the-? Holy crap it's been, like, forever since I've been here! Pretty much all my fault, of course. With the weeks of me not picking up my stuff, combined with the other weeks when I can't seem to be able to put a rant/review together, it merges into a LONG time since I was last here. So I'll be reviewing four titles in this part, and in part 2 I'll be ranting on something that's been bugging me for a bit, the choice of artists at Marvel.

Fantastic Four #583

It's the countdown to THREE! (Marvel put it in all-caps, so I figured I should as well) It's part one, by Johnathan Hickman and Steve Epting, and it's about little Valeria coming across her dad's Bridge machine while the team's off to the Forever city. She sees what her dad has done with the Bridge and how he came across the Council and turned down their request to have Reed join them. She also thinks about what her future-time brother told her about "all hope lies with Doom". Speaking of Doomsie, it turns out that he's a little brain damaged after being captured by the Intelligencia during World War Hulks, but guess who offers to make him all better? (you'll have to guess, because I'm not sayin')

This issue is great. I was getting a little worried about this title because Hickman seemed to be pulling a Claremont and having about 8 different plots going on with no real resolution happening. But it looks like he's putting at least some of them together, and I gotta say, after the end of this issue, I'm eager for the next. And isn't that really what their goal is?

The Flash #5

Wow, this title comes out about as often as my reviews. (Self Burn!) It's the world's fastest man on the world's slowest title! I've got more, but I'll wait and save them for the next issue when it comes out in 2011. This is by Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul, and it's contining the story of the future renegades trying to catch Flash for a murder he hasn't committed yet. It also has the current rogues that now have to deal with a Barry Allen Flash, some of them for the first time. Plus the rogues and renegades are fighting each other as well, so it's action a-plenty! Be careful though, it seems one of the Renegades is pulling a *ahem* fast one over on the others, which Flash realizes too late! And by too late, I mean on the last page.

Man, I wish the title was more consistant on the releases. It's a good book, with Johns doing his writing goodness. It would've been awesome if Scott Kolins was doing the art, as it's a rogues storyline, but Manapul kindof seems to have the same style, so that's good. A good title, but of course the major problem is it's lateness, which I hope gets fixed.

Secret Avengers #5

Hey! Who's that Nick Fury-like guy in the previous storyarc that was running around with a dragon emblem on his outfit? If you had trouble sleeping at night thinking about that very question, then this issue's for you! It's by Ed Brubaker and 3 Artists (Aja, Lark, and Gaudiano) that seem to be filling in for Mike Deodato, but it's a one issue back-story, so that's fine. This issue talks about how Max came to be (that's the name he gets at the end of the issue, so go with it), why he was a big deal to S.H.I.E.L.D., and how he ended up with the Shadow Council (the dudes with the dragon emblems).

Like I said earlier, this a back story on Max, so one could say that you really don't need to read this issue to keep up. That being said, if you have a casual interest in the title, I would still recommended it as it's going to be a big deal here. The other Avenger titles, not really. But this title, definitely.

Deadpool Team-up #889

The team-ups with B-listers continues, as this month it's with Gorilla-Man, by Jeff Parker and Steve Sanders. (By the way, the monkey with Gorilla-Man and Deadpool on the cover? Not in the story, sorry) Deadpool is hired by a hottie to protect an island against the Gorilla-Man, a vicious beast genetically engineered to kill her! Of course, we all know different, but we must have the "fighting against each other, only to unite against a common foe" storyline. But hey, that actually works in this issue. As with the other team-ups, it's a one issue story, so it has (gasp) a resolution!

Best team-up issue since the first one with Hercules. I also think any fans of Agents of Atlas would like this issue. Gorilla-Man works well with Deadpool, and they play off each other very nicely. It helps that Parker wrote it, since he's the brainchild of the Agents of Atlas, and Gorilla-Man is on the team. I don't suppose Hickman is writing next issue's team-up with the Thing? No? Damn.