Torso, Total Sell Out, New comics

New comics!

Dark Ages 5

The heroes get closer to Apocalypse’s headquarters and fight a Miles Morales controlled by both the Carnage and Venom symbiotes.  This series has been fine, but not as good as Tom Taylor’s DC Elseworlds work.

Human Target 5

Tom King throws in so many cool ideas with this issue: Chance’s origin story, his training by Saturn Girl, a completely new take on telepathic warfare, and Martian Manhunter hooking up with Fire.  And all of it takes place in the time that it takes to pass the salt.  Between this and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, these may be the best things King has written since Vision.  I think.  He’s done some amazing stuff.

Captain Marvel 36

Kelly Thompson gets one more arc.  If it’s as lackluster as “Last of the Marvels,” I’m done with this title.  

Black Widow 14

So nice to have Elena Casagrande back.

Iron Man 17

OMG, I laughed so hard at just the first panel of this comic, I had to close the book to collect myself.

And I'm not even from New York.

Christopher Cantwell spends a few excellent pages theorizing the consequences of giving everyone in New York City Tony Stark’s intelligence.  The rest of the story defaults to standard power corrupts tropes.  Tony turns everyone into yes people and kills the friends who disagree with him.  I’m sure the power cosmic will reset everything once he sees the light.

Torso

A nice murder mystery with a fantastical ending that must have been fabricated by Brian Michael Bendis.  I know all this crime stuff is where he made his name, but his work really took a quantum leap after he went to Marvel and started on Ultimate Spider-Man.  This stuff, which is truly solid, still doesn’t compare.  And he’s really a better writer than he is an artist.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Total Sell Out

Some people can get away with vanity projects.  Bendis is one of those people, but this is the wrong material to be using.  His early work is interesting from a historical point of view, but it doesn’t merit an hour-long read for entertainment purposes.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine