World War Hulk, Karnak

World War Hulk 1-5

A really strong concept that completely peters out by the end.  Hulk beating the crap out of everyone?  Good.  John Romita Jr drawing the crap out of it?  Goood.  The guy doesn’t have the prettiest art, but damned if I can think of anyone who draws sheer power better than him.  

Crystal clear motivation.

Christina Strain's colors do a lot of work here too.

Then Hulk...makes an arena out of Madison Square Garden and makes them fight each other?  That’s it?  That’s awfully localized for a world war.  And for someone who appears to be taking pride in the title of “Worldbreaker,” why is he so squeamish about anyone dying?  (And seriously, no way no one died in this thing.)

For all of the buildup, this hyped event ends the way all Hulk rampages do: With Hulk transformed back into Bruce Banner and locked away in shackles.  Whee.

Also the Sentry remains one of the lamest characters ever.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

World War Hulk: Aftersmash 1

A bunch of followup covering characters that I care zero about.  (This is one of those “set up a bunch of spinoff #1 issues” issues.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Didn’t suck (Cutting)

Karnak 1-6

This follows the classic Warren Ellis pattern of “rude, eccentric person investigates paranormal phenomenon, resolves it, and broods in the final panel over how the experience has fundamentally shifted their world view.”  Think Hellblazer, Global Frequency, Injection, Fell, Planetary, etc.

What remains is how well he manages to pull off each iteration.  His track record is pretty good, and while Karnak starts off strong, the momentum isn’t enough to carry it through to the end.  There are some great one-liners, and artist Gerardo Zaffino draws a sweet action scene (he’d do a great Iron FIst or Shang-Chi), but things veer into too-weird territory as Ellis approaches Grant Morrison-levels of crazy for its own sake.  

Love the hoodie look.

Not bad, but not close to Ellis’ best.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Incredible Hulk

Incredible Hulk 92-105

Not quite as good I remember, mostly due to the average art.  If Ladronn, who did the beautiful covers, had done the interiors as well, this may have been a much more successful run.  

Would have loved a full run of this art.

Still, Hulk as a gladiator and rebel leader is a pitch that pretty much writes itself, and Greg Pak executes it quite well. 

I couldn’t help but think of Frank Miller’s description of Marv in Dame to Kill For, and how perfectly it applies to Hulk as well:

The death of Hulk’s wife, Caiera, is surprisingly touching.  Pak builds up the affection and love between the two quite effectively, making the tragedy in the final issue a convincing motivation for Hulk’s upcoming rampage in World War Hulk.

By the way, I absolutely do not buy for one second the idea that the Illuminati would have exiled Hulk into space.  That’s top grade villainy there, and completely out of character.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Shang-Chi movie

Shang-Chi

Finally able to watch this now that it’s out on Disney+.  I saw this with my wife, and so much of it was filled with me exclaiming, “This is so cool!!!”

I’ve never been one to lament the lack of Asian representation in Western pop culture.  (I’m Chinese, btw.)  For better or for worse, it’s never been something that I’ve either noticed or desired.  But with the increased scrutiny on the issue over the past couple of years, plus the terrifying jump in anti-Asian hate crimes, I must say that my heart soared to see so much Chinese-based awesomeness in a mainstream American movie, and a Marvel film to boot.

Things that were awesome:

I loved hearing so much spoken Mandarin in as big of a movie as you can imagine.  (Make mine Marvel!)  Director Destin Daniel Cretton didn’t shy away from having the characters speak Chinese when it made sense, instead of the English that usually happens.  Not to say that there weren’t scenes where Chinese would have been more appropriate (most of the Ta Lo stuff), but there was way more than I could have reasonably expected.  Kudos!

Simu Liu.  Marvel casting knocks it out of the park yet again.  I can’t wait to see more of him in the MCU, both in solo movies and as an Avenger.

Awkwafina always plays the same character, but I have yet to get sick of it.  She’s a joy here, just as she was in Ocean’s Eight, Crazy Rich Asians, and The Farewell.

While I’m not as high on Tony Leung here as I am in some of his other movies (Hero is his apex for me), he still plays one of the more three dimensional Marvel movie villains.  His motivations make sense, even though he’s in competition for Shittiest Dad Ever.  

Wong!  More Wong!

Who’d have thought that Ben Kingsley would be back after Iron Man 3?  Such a kooky role, unlike anything else I’ve seen him do.  Hilarious.

Michelle Yeoh!  I would have liked way more showcasing of her martial arts skills, but the one she did have was lovely.

I was struck by the main difference between this movie and Black Widow (since it was the one right before).  When thinking about the scenes that I want to rewatch from Widow, they’re all talking scenes, particularly the ones with Florence Pugh being either hilarious or emotionally devastating.  The action is pretty unmemorable.  

With Shang-Chi, most of the things that have stuck in my mind are the glorious, sublime fight scenes - the Zhang Yimou-esque duel in the Ta Lo grove at the beginning (I love Fala Chen now), the bus fight, the scaffolding fight, the brother/sister grudge match, the tai chi lesson with Michelle Yeoh, the final confrontation between father and son.  Each one intentionally contributes to the story.  Combined with lovely choreography, that’s why they linger long after viewing.  (I’m assuming.  I just watched it last night.)

Things that didn’t work:

Sigh, could have done without the CG creatures at the end.  A fight between Shang-Chi and the Mandarin would have been sufficient, considering the emotion and quality of the choreography in this movie.  

I understand the necessity, but it’s tough seeing the pain little Shang-Chi and Xialing had to endure.

I’m sure more things will come up with repeated viewing, but right now I’m pretty high on this movie.

1. Avengers: Endgame

2. Captain America: Civil War

3. Captain America: Winter Soldier

4. Ant Man/Wasp

5. Avengers: Infinity War

6. Shang-Chi

7. Black Panther

8. Captain America: First Avenger

9. Spider-Man: Homecoming

10. Avengers

11. Spider-Man: Far From Home

12. Thor 3

13. Avengers: Age of Ultron

14. Black Widow

15. Captain Marvel

16. Ant-Man

17. Iron Man 1

18. Iron Man 3

19. Doctor Strange

20. Iron Man 2

21. Guardians 1

22. Guardians 2

23. Thor

24. Hulk

25. Thor 2

Wow, sixth?  Really?  Seems high, but I’m standing by it for now.  

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: Yes

Would buy on DVD: Yes

Rating: Good

Iron Fist: The Living Weapon, Box Summary

Iron Fist: The Living Weapon 1-12

Kaare Andrews is really an extraordinary artist.  His work has insanely strong ties to Frank Miller’s Elektra Lives phase, but then adds a litheness that’s all its own.  Unfortunately, this story, which starts off very strong, completely disintegrates in the second half with far too much mysticism for my taste and a completely off-putting villain in The One/Wendell Rand amalgam.  

Still, there are some memorable moments, and the introduction of Pei adds a legacy character who definitely shows promise.  (She shows up later in Immortal Iron Fists, but one look at the art convinced me to not get it.)  Andrews draws amazing martial arts action scenes, he really knows how to pose the body.  I wish he had more of those in this comic and fewer deformed monsters.

Well done overhead staircases always remind me of Miller's classic...

So good.

I love this composition.  The moon, the ruined skyscraper.

A harrowing two pages, showcasing a mother's love and a child's nightmare.

"Forbidden Kick" must be the official martial art name.

Love how her leg stays raised.  It's the tiny details from Andrews.

Great outfit, and I have soft spot for the three-section staff.

Love the motion in his action poses.

An amazing sequence of pages...

...all leading up to one punch...

...that takes up three double page spreads.

I've never seen anything like this.

It must intentionally not be a 6-page gatefold.  Such an interesting choice.

Such a Frank Miller face...

...with the bug eyes, pupil points, maniacal smile.

This is where it completely went off the rails for me.  Mega Maid the Building.  So lame.

Great pose, Miller rain.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

A house ad in the comic.  One of the best looks ever.

That’s it for Marvel Box 9!

Box summary

Time spent reading: 25 hours, 24 minutes

Issues read: 253

Issues cut: 0

Highlights (Good or better): Jupiter’s Legacy v 1, 2; Jupiter’s Circle v 1, 2; Invincible Iron Man 8-19, 25-33 (Fraction/Larocca’s run); Invincible Iron Man 1-5, 14 (Bendis’ run); Invincible Iron Man 1-10 (Bendis’ Riri run); Marvels 1-4; Immortal Iron Fist 1-6

Project Summary:

Time spent reading: 43 days, 23 hours, 6 minutes

Issues read: 9254

Issues cut: 1074

Immortal Iron Fist

Immortal Iron Fist 7-16

The rest of the Matt Fraction run is frankly a disappointment after the promise of the first arc.  What makes even more of a letdown is that he introduces so many sweet ideas without really capitalizing on them.  The Seven Immortal Weapons, one for each of the Capital Cities of Heaven, are an inspired group of characters. 

Showcasing them in a tournament is a no-brainer, but Fraction devotes only a fraction (originally unintentional, but I’m keeping it now) of the seven issue arc to those battles; the rest is spent on conspiracies and a Hydra plot that’s way less interesting.  I get what he’s doing in theory; devoting that much time on nothing but mindless fighting is risky.  But Akira Toriyama proves that it can be done and done magnificently with Dragonball Z, and if there’s any title that should be able to match that, shouldn’t it be Iron Fist?

Even worse, David Aja teases us with what kind of stunning martial arts fighting he can execute:

What Fraction gives us instead, with its multiple story threads, lacks energy.  The interruption of the annuals (I really don’t care about Orson Randall, the previous Iron Fist) doesn’t help the already sluggish pace either.  

I get my wish with a full story for Wu Ao-Shi!

I'm the only one amused by Luke's coldness.

I like that Danny's doing what he can to help the community.

Aja's Misty is gorgeous.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice (Pretty good for 7-9)

Immortal Iron Fist Annual 1

Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death 1

Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Death Queen of California 1

Meh.  I wish Fraction and Duane Swierczynski had spent their spare cycles focusing on a previous Iron Fist more interesting than Orson Randall.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Immortal Iron Fist 17-27

Swierczynski takes over as series writer with Travel Foreman as primary penciller (with a ton of other people on flashback scenes and fill-in help).  The first arc isn’t that interesting (something about the killer of Iron Fists), but the second, set in the hellish Eighth City of Heaven, brings a little bit more.  Swierczynski does a great job of setting up the hopelessness of the situation, making the heroes’ inevitable victory all the more satisfying.  

Yeah, things suck for them right now.

He ends his run with Misty Knight pregnant and engaged to Danny Rand (both of which are apparently summarily dismissed by the next writer).  Not a bad stint, but I was expecting something with a little more oomph.

The 24-Year Punch is SO martial arts story.  Love it.

Not surprised Hydra doesn't get it.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes (No for 17-20)

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Immortal Weapons 1-5

A variety of creators tell stories of the non-Danny or Davos Weapons.  Fat Cobra’s is the only one that stands out, which makes sense when Jason Aaron turns out to be the writer.  

Heh.  All-girls college in Switzerland.

A martial arts comic from Michael Lark immediately, please.

It felt inevitable that a writer would take martial arts fighting styles there.

Back to their original purpose.  The Solomon one's clever.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes for 1, 3, 4.  No for 2, 5

Rating: Pretty good (1), Boring (2), Nice (3, 4), Didn’t suck (5)