Adam Kubert

While the volume (like the previous one) in my eyes frequently suffers from what I feel is a common trait of Millar's work, this being a crassness that feels like it is trying too hard to be edgy and just rings phoney instead, from a plotting perspective this is an adroit weaving of classic X-Men and Marvel elements into an exciting and powerful retelling of the X-Men's origins. In particular, I am very fond of the portrayal of Xavier himself here, perhaps the one character with which the show more added 'edginess' really works, consistently and throughout. show less

Its not surprising that Mark Waid comes out of the gate with one of the best Avengers comics I've read in some time. He has a great mix of characters and uses them well, telling exciting stories that still take time for character development.

Tony Stark and Captain America decide they need to reorganise the Avengers to face threats and dangers that seem to be geeing bigger and badder. Sure enough along come a big bad threat, three aliens on Mars who want to either remake the earth or destroy it based on some ancient fascist eugenics alien programming, the sort of sci fi Big Idea Hickman is bringing to bear in his run but which seems divorced from anything, I dunno, relatable? Can you get away with an alien race sending out show more automated drones to wipe out life on every planet until they finds one that can be perfected? I mean, as a project it sounds inhuman, which is presumably the point, but I dunno, aliens are people too, surely?

Anyway untold billions of deaths across the Galaxy and then they reach Earth and because Earth is a setting in a Marvel comic they get stopped, but not before killing millions of people in a few panels. I'm saying the casual incessantly huge body count bothers me in an otherwise crisply executed comic that manages a large cast and lots of ideas and epic sweep really well. Dunno why, I grew up reading 2000AD, they'd cheerfully off millions every few pages. maybe if I reread them now they'd bother me, too. Anyway, I expect there'll be a lot more of this in volumes to come, let's see how long I can stick it. show less

I have three words and an honorific for you: Nova and Ms. Marvel. Their interactions almost completely made this book for me. With a nice side of Miles Morales (who I am now going to have to find more of), and lady!Thor (who was AMAZING with Sam Wilson, I am right with Kamala on this ship). I loved the tiny nods to Sam's struggle to be accepted as Captain America, and the struggle of the adults to trust the kids while at the same time wanting to protect them. Basically, this book was amazing show more and I will definitely be reading more. show less