Latest Comic Book Reviews (06.24.2011): X-Men Prelude To Schism #3 & Ultimate Spider-Man #160 (Death of Spider-Man)

Two pretty good books from the House of Ideas yesterday.

The dragging Prelude to Jason Aaron's "Schism" event finally shakes up a little bit thanks to Cyclops finally coming up with his decision, and then the death of the one of the most important characters in the Marvel Ultimate Universe finally bites the dust - for good.

All of my reviews after the jump.

X-Men: Prelude to Schism #3
Written by Paul Jenkins
Art by Will Conrad
Colors by Lou Loughridge
Published by Marvel Comics

"About damn time."

After Professor X and Magneto took turns in issues #1 and #2, Paul Jenkins has finally decided to shift the focus of his story to the man of the hour (or week): Cyclops.

And just like his previous Xavier and Erik Lensherr stories, Jenkins uses the same formula here but he puts a new spin by intelligently writing Cyclops' origin as an allegory to the X-Man's own description of himself as a broken man who has been falling ever since he was a kid - that is until he was found by Charles Xavier and joined the X-Men.

Jenkins' writing is fluid and symbolic, often using a lot of metaphors in Cyclops' narrative which I find very impressive. A lot of writers use the same style, but they often fall into a pit of utter nonsense and boring-ness as they go on, but Jenkins' completely avoids that mistake because the clearly understands the complete nature of his subject. He definitely made sure that this issue will be a reflection of how Cyclops evolved as a person/mutant and leader over the years, and I could say that he successful in doing that, one-upping himself based from his two previous gigs.

He also gives an exciting teaser on what is going to happen in the upcoming event by having Cyclops finally step up to the plate and telling everybody his decision. Not only that, Wolverine also got to say what's on his mind like the no-holds-barred character that he is that clearly shows the rising tension within the members of the X-Men, and signals the eventual disagreement between the calm general and his best, but often impulsive soldier.

Will Conrad's art is very likable in this issue, he is able to portray every character effectively without sacrificing quality.  Loughridge's colors does the trick in this book with that impeccable lighting and tone, especially with the red color. A full splash page with nothing but a plane and a red flash of light was impressive, and it totally gets the job done in terms of conveying the tragedy. 

But despite all of the good stuff, readers are still left to guess as to what is this "threat" that is coming that could possibly eliminate the whole mutant species. And from all the teasers that Jenkins provided, I'm not so sure as to what a 4th prelude issue could possibly provide, unless Jenkins has a big rabbit to grab out of his hat.  

Rating:

Ultimate Spider-Man #160 

Written by Brian Michael Bendis

Art by Mark Bagley

Published by Marvel Comics

The Death of Spider-Man.

It couldn't get any clearer than that, and that's all you need to know.

Because that's exactly what you get in this issue.

After 160 issues and 10-plus years of groundbreaking story arcs, adventures and emotional roller-coasters - Ultimate Peter Parker finally bites the dust. His foe? None other than the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn.

The road towards the ultimate death was something that many fans were looking forward to, mainly because Marvel "spoiled" fans all over the world by giving away the ending (together with the death scene images) 2 days after the actual issue came out. Well, in a sense it wasn't really a spoiler because the title is the goddamn "Death of Spider-Man" anyway and that's as straight-forward as it gets. 

Bendis was successful in many ways in creating a convincingly real death story for Ultimate Spidey. First, his characterization here is spot on, from Gwen Stacy's frantic expressions, to Mary Jane and Aunt May's delusional screams of fear and sorrowful cries as they witness their beloved Peter getting decimated by a monster, up to Spider-Man / Peter Parker's bravery and selflessness all in the name of protecting those who are dear to him.

Second, Bendis decision to have an unmasked and bloody Peter Parker fight the abomination in his own neighborhood adds a necessary dramatic touch to the story, and third, his decision to have Norman Osborn fight Spidey to the death was definitely the right decision, because that's how it should come full circle for both men. Any fan wouldn't have it any other damn way.

But... (there I go again) there were a lot of things that happened in this issue that I thought was irrational... or wasn't necessary, like Mary Jane crashing a truck towards the Goblin in the heat of battle with Spidey. What was that for? I understand that Mary Jane can't do anything in this issue but cry and scream and cry a bit more, but ramming a truck over a freaking "Doomsday"-like monster? Doesn't make sense to me.

And Peter asking the help of Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch? Bendis didn't need to do that. I could have just been Spidey vs Green Goblin one-on-one, mano y mano, without anybody else intervening. This kind of ruined it.

Oh there's one more thing. What's up with Spider-Man able to carry a ten-wheeler truck above his head and then hammering it down repeatedly to his opponent until he fucking bleeds to death? How did he get that super-strength all of a sudden? I was kind of confused on that one scene and I thought I was reading " The Death of Superman" instead.

Mark Bagley does this thing in this issue and he was able to nail the great moments together with gut-wrenching expressions right on target. I'm not a big fan of his style though, which is a bit cartoony and rushed, but there is no doubt in my mind that he can deliver powerful and explosive sequential art unlike no one else in the industry today. Ponsor's colors makes it even more vibrant, providing well chosen palettes for each scene.

Overall, the emotional impact of this story could have been better if Marvel had not spoiled it ahead of time, but I commend them for giving us what they advertised - nothing more, nothing less - and for creating a pretty good send off for Ulti-Spidey, despite the bad stuff. 

And now that Ultimate Pete is dead, now what? Bendis didn't give a solid conclusion by the end of this issue and that is one of his biggest flaws... among others that I mentioned. I guess that would be answered once the new Ultimate Spider-Man is revealed and how Bendis will handle that new friendly-neighborhood in town. But for now, Spidey is gone from the Ultimate Universe for good, and that's that.

Rating:

The Death Of "Ultimate" Spider-Man

"You did good, kid" - Uncle Ben to Peter

I think this is pretty much all over the news now and every other comic book related site that I have visited.

Peter Parker is going to die tomorrow and meet his maker in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #160. 

I truly believe that nobody dies in the comic books for a very long time - but based from the images that USA Today released a couple of hours ago - it looks like Marvel and Brian Michael Bendis is doing it FOR REAL this time around.

And I believe that they will really kill him... for good. Its the Ultimate Universe anyway.

I'm sure to read this "monumental" moment in Spider-Man's history. Be sure that you do too.

P.S - That image showing Peter finally meeting Uncle Ben? It breaks my heart yet I love it. Powerful stuff.

Graphic Novel Review: Alias (Issues 1-5)

Alias #1-5
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Michael Gaydos
Published by Marvel Comics

**Note: NOT CONNECTED TO THE JENNIFER GARNER TV SHOW**

Let's go back to 2003. Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos teamed up to create a one-of-a kind comic book series featuring Jessica Jones (aka the wife of Luke Cage) - superhero turned private investigator - who thinks her superpowers are "low-level" unlike the other popular masked heroes. 

Agitated and alone, Jessica also struggles to find and understand herself and the people around her, making her one hell of a wrecked woman trying to solve other people's problems.

And as Jessica tries to solve of what is supposed to be just one of those missing sibling cases from one of her clients, she finds herself sinking into a quicksand of a big government conspiracy that threatens to destroy the reputation of a familiar superhero and the President of the United States himself. The events that would follow are nothing but compelling, smart and sometimes funny filled with a lot of profanity.

Bendis' mystery plot thread creates a thrilling story that will keep readers turning the pages until the smoke clears. His characters are depicted in a realistic way by making them vulnerable and victims of their own reckless behaviors. 

Other Marvel characters make a cameo in some of the pages as well, which makes for a great extra value for fans who are familiar with them. 

These elements are very well mixed by Bendis, resulting to a satisfying reading experience because readers will be able to relate to Jessica and her convoluted personality and life.

Now partner that with Gaydos' watercolor-ish, true-to-life illustrations, and you've got an instant classic starring a female character that isn't even in the "mainstream". 

Gaydos art is what got me hooked into picking this comic book because of his "non-cartoony" art style and I'm sure those who likes vivid and lifelike depictions of their favorite superheroes will definitely like it too. And because he does it so well, even non-comic book readers will be impressed.

Alias is a newbie-friendly comic book that serves a very good bridge to the Marvel Universe and comic book reading in general. And long-time fans will find themselves even more amazed with the great art and story concocted by Bendis and Gaydos and for sure will be wanting more of Jessica Jones' adventures. 

This is one of those old and rare comic book series that everybody should be reading right now: that is if they want to stay away from the crap storylines of many of the comic books today, and if they want something that actually starts not only with a bang, but with the word - "FUCK."

Comic Book Review: Scarlet

Scarlet

Written by Brian Michael Bendis

Art by Alex Maleev

Published by Marvel Comics (under the Icon Imprint)

Why is corruption everywhere? Why do the good guys get killed and jailed, while the bad guys become the heroes? Why isn't anyone doing anything about it? Why?

Those questions get answered in Brian Michael Bendis' bi-monthly comic book series Scarlet, and boy, this is one simple graphic novel that totally hits your brain with a speeding bullet and sends it spinning around like nuts.

As the opening of the comic book says: "This is a story of a girl whose life is destroyed by violence and corruption. And this is the story of how she FIGHTS BACK." Simple as that. Period.

Scarlett is an ordinary girl living in Portland, Oregon, living a normal life, she has a family that cares for her, and a boyfriend that cares for her, but a police frame up shatters her whole life and makes her realize that the world is big piece of trash. Broken. Desolated. Going to hell. And nobody is taking any responsibility for it. Nobody is taking any action to stop the injustice and corruption. Nobody... until her. She is no superhero. No military brat. But she's talking on the world and all its evil with just swagger, courage, guns, and the determination to do what she thinks is right. 

Bendis takes us into the reality of our world, where corruption and violence is a national past time - always on the headlines, on our TV sets and on our very own neighborhoods. He doesn't look any further for a great story and instead looks into the outside of each window to tell us a tale of what would happen if one person decides to take matters into his/her hands. He also tackles the dirty world of politics and its hideous conspiracies with drug lords and syndicates, and isn't afraid in showing that through Scarlet's dialog. And with his creation - Bendis accomplishes a thing that would only happen in action movies and comic books: the evil guys get a dose of their own medicine, killed ruthlessly for all the injustice they have done and spread to the world, while getting support from ordinary citizens who are "inspired" by her vigilantism, standing up to end all the crap that we are all blind to see - or rather deliberately playing blind and deaf - in the real world.

And this is all done, by  red-haired, smack-talking, Alias meets Punisher chick t who has nothing but revenge and redemption for herself and other victims like her. Some of us may like her methods, some of us may not, but one thing is for sure - Scarlett is asking you to think deeper and ask: not why... but what can you do to change the world. 

Alex Maleev brings a  realistic kind of noir art that  backs up the story as Scarlett takes on her mission to rid the world of the vermin that destroyed her life. This is the first time that I have ever saw Maleev's work and he is the right guy for the job. He captures all the action, violence and drama necessary for this masterpiece. 

I have already read 4 issues so far in a span of 2 hours because of the quick-witted and straight to the point story telling..and just to let you know, this bi-monthly series is far from over... but it has already been hailed as one of best graphic novels of 2010 according to ComicBookResources' 100 Best Comic Books countdown last year. That's saying something.

... and Scarlet is just getting started baby.