Kaare Andrews

Renato Jones was born into privilege, died because of that privilege, and was reborn again through that privilege, and now he spends his time between being one of the ONES, the top 1% wealthiest people in the world, and the Freelancer, making sure that the ONES still know their place in the world. Making definite nods to Frank Miller (I'm not familiar with Andrews work, so I don't know if his artistic and writing styles are usually this influenced by Miller, but it is quite clear in this show more book), this first volume of Renato Jones is a hyper-stylized, hyper-violent, hyper-sensational free for all that seems eerily prescient of today's political atmosphere. The book is cleverly constructed, with fake ads throughout that mock the ridiculous over the top nature of the super rich in the book. Personally, I'm thoroughly intrigued to see where Andrews is going to take this series so will be following along for sure. show less

It's clear that Spider-Man: Reign echoes a post-9/11 world, if not a blatant observation of the Bush Administration following the terrorist attacks and the war against terrorism. Much like the promises of a madman from Texas to make our country safe, Mayor Waters promises New York protection from super-terrorists. The only cost for this freedom is the citizens' freedom and civil rights - the guy even goes as far as canceling the electoral process until his job is done (which, I wouldn't have show more put it passed Bush to do the very same thing). So while making a Utopia, Waters manages to create the ultimate Dystopia. And who can save the city from itself? Why none other than the friendly neighborhood florist.

Peter Parker finds himself as an elderly man working at a flower shop. His glory days are over. He is a widow. Retired from fighting crime. Slowly awaiting death. On the night he is fired, he witnesses a teenager beaten by the Reign - a military police force that now holds the law in New York. Helpless to come to the aid of the teenager, Parker turns his back on the scene and goes home, where an old friend comes to see him. Even the aging J. Jonah Jameson can put aside old grudges against his former employee and scandal maker. Jonah urges the retired hero to take the mask again and save the city from those in charge because he fears that something much darker lurks in Waters' shadow. Something only a spider can overcome.

Kaare Andrews brings us the Marvel equivalent to The Dark Knight Returns, showing us that no matter how old we get, a hero still lives within us all. It's probably the best graphic novel I've read this summer - outmatching The Age of Apocalypse arc. The art is haunting and the storytelling echoes with genius - the character voices just pop into the reader's head (I wasn't even trying to give them voices, it just happened). Let's not forget that this by far the most political graphic novel I've read since Watchmen. It's a must for Spider-Man fans everywhere and a great read for those literary nuts out there (myself included). show less

What started out as a satire of the current political climate in the US quickly grew into a scathing commentary about where we are probably going as a country. Renato Jones is Andrews way of dealing with the mess that our country has become over the last couple years, and it is brilliant, hyper violent, and continues to be one of my favorite books Image is releasing right now.

I approached AvX with caution since the reviews were all over the place. I was expecting it anotehr Civil War - heroes fighting heroes over a difference in ideology. While there is some of that, this had a surprising depth to it that elevated the story. The hardcover collection has the main event, including the Marvel Point-One, the AVX: Versus issues (hero on hero battles) and issues from the AVX: Infinite (adapted from the digital platform). It is definitely worth the price, especially show more discounted.

The Phoenix Force is returning to Earth and everyone assumes it is coming for Hope Summers, the only mutant born after the Scarlet Witch decimated the mutant population. The Avengers want to isolate and prevent Hope from being taken by the Phoenix (of course Wolverine has a more permanent solution in mind!). Scott Summers thinks that Hope is the mutant messiah and the Phoenix will give her the ability to return what was lost to mutants. What makes the story so good is that both sides not only have valid viewpoints but are emotionally invested in the outcome. The X-Men have been persecuted since mutants became known and the Avengers have done little to help them. On the other hand, Scott is gambling the lives of the entire world that Hope will be able to do what Jean Grey could not - control the Phoenix. When the Phoenix arrives, Tony Stark unleashes an experimental weapon that splits the Phoenix into five hosts, one of whom is Scott. The power of the Phoenix combined with his zealotry to "save" his people will eat away at his humanity, with devastating results.

Where the story strays a bit is with the "versus" aspect of the event. The writers want to give readers those epic match-ups, so they work them into the story by having the various confrontations occur as the two sides search the world for the runaway Hope. It felt contrived, but that doesn't mean it wasn't fun. The main event gives glimpses of the fights, but it is the AVX: Versus section that expands the battles in full. It includes: Magneto vs Iron Man; Thing vs Namor; Captain America vs Gambit; Spider-man vs Colossus; Thing vs Colossus; Black Widow vs Magik; Daredevil vs Psyloche; Thor vs Phoenix Emma Frost; Hawkeye vs Angel; Storm vs Black Panther (what a divorce!); and, Hope vs Scarlet Witch. These were followed by some "quick" fights of just a page or two of match-ups not hinted at in the main event storyline. Not every fight ended how readers might expect, and they were all reminiscent of video fighting games. Each fight included witty "AVX Fun Facts" such as "Black Panther has lots of plans" and "Demons are real." Some of the facts related to the powers of the character, but all were fun and added a lot to the story.

The final, short section was the Infinite part. I could not tell this was adapted from a digital platform (having never seen the Marvel app) so other readers shouldn't have a problem. It mostly expanded on Nova's journey to Earth and was very interesting since I know little about his character.

Overall, I was thoroughly entertained by the AVX crossover and the way it concluded, setting up the site-wide Marvel Now launch. Though not as good as Civil War or Siege, I thought AVX was better than Secret Invasion or even Fear Itself. I can't wait to read the Avengers vs. X-Men Companion with all the tie-ins. My only disappointment is that the hardcover edition does not have the sewn binding that most Marvel omnibuses have. The glued binding just won't hold up to rereading. Never-the-less, highly recommended! show less