Murderworld: Avengers #1 - Marvel Comics

MURDERWORLD: AVENGERS No. 1, January 2023

Described by its New York City-based publisher as “the deadliest game in the Marvel Universe when Murderworld: Avengers Issue One hits stands on November 16”, this first in a series of five linked one-shots certainly should have pleased its readers with its decidedly dark take on the super-villain, Arcade. True, this particular twenty-one-page periodical doesn’t actually feature the Black Widow at all, despite its solicitation synopsis declaring she “has a personal grudge to settle” with the mass-murderer, nor in fact are any of the Earth’s real mightiest heroes. But the narrative’s no-nonsense approach to getting the audience knee-deep in hapless victims and eviscerating explosions probably makes so highly misleading a sales pitch slightly forgivable.

In addition, Jim Zub and Ray Fawkes arguably pen one of the most psychopathic incarnations of Captain America seen since Mark Gruenwald's drug-crazed war veteran in the thirty-year old “Streets Of Posion” storyline. Chillingly singing his Jacques Urbont-composed cartoon theme song whilst scything down some of the annual contest’s hapless competitors with his shield, this life-sized robot is truly terrifying, and undoubtedly provides the comic with its most horrifying highlight; “Stand down, criminal! Liberty must prevail!”

The authors also do a good job in tapping into the modern-day craze of naïve adolescents believing that because they’ve made a fortune streaming content on social media, they’re so much better than your everyday jobber working for a living. Indeed, many a bibliophile may well take some comfort from watching the arrogant Paul Pastor stupidly believe he can trust Arcade to keep him safe, whilst the sadistic criminal swiftly strips the eighteen-year-old of all his broadcasting equipment, lackeys and eventually, even his life.

Resultantly, quite possibly this book’s weakest asset is sadly Jethro Morales’ artwork, which debatably appears a little too simplistic-looking in places to completely draw in the audience. The Filipino illustrator’s pencilling style appears especially odd when used to sketch the main protagonist’s strangely-angular face, and whilst proficient enough to help tell the story, most notably during the aforementioned mechanical Sentinel of Liberty's killing spree, predominantly imbues many a figure/victim with a disconcerting stiffness as opposed to any dynamic life.

The regular cover art of "MURDERWORLD: AVENGERS" #1 by Paco Medina & Jesus Aburtov

Avengers: War Across Time #5 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS: WAR ACROSS TIME No. 5, July 2023

Despite undeniably supplying this twenty-page periodical’s audience with an exhilarating “showdown in the future”, it is difficult to imagine that many of this comic’s older fans will be quite so filled with nostalgia as some were with the mini-series’ previous instalments. Indeed, some bibliophiles may well feel that Paul Levitz’s plot rather disappointingly runs out of steam halfway through the book and resultantly has to purely rely upon the prodigious pencilling of Alan Davis to help pad it out to the required length; “Focus -- I think to get out of this timestream, we have to stay together -- stay in touch with our own reality.”

To begin with however, the American author’s narrative proves pretty compelling with an over-confident Kang the Conqueror transporting “the original Avengers” to his formidable headquarters in the Thirty-First Century for a final reckoning. This confrontation smacks of the hubris which has helped make the obnoxious time-traveling entity the second-best Avengers villain of all time according to “Newsarama”, and initially appears to bode ill for the likes of Janet Van Dyne when she is forced to go one-on-one with the technologically advanced descendant of Reed Richards' father.

True, some readers might feel somewhat let-down by the supposedly genius-level intellect unexpectedly allowing Iron Man to suddenly fly off into his domain without giving a moment’s thought as to the damage Shell-head could (and ultimately does) cause to the “rare silicon isotopes” Kang uses to power his solar tower. But others will doubtless chalk up this massive oversight to the aforementioned arrogance which the former Pharaoh Rama-Tut displays throughout this tome. Furthermore, the future-based felon is already depicted as being on ‘the back foot’ by this point, having found himself on the wrong end of the Wasp’s sting.

Much more disappointing is arguably the subsequent sequence of panels showing this book’s titular characters falling through various multiverses. This series of sketches just goes on and on and on for a third of the publication, and even at the end never convincingly explains just how Captain America’s belief in knowing just “who I am” helps the Earth’s mightiest heroes escape “through the swirls of time!” In fact, the more cynical student of the Silver Age may well believe this stage of the story was solely an excuse for the comic’s British artist to once again demonstrate his penchant for reimagining many of Marvel Worldwide's more recognisable creations.

Writer: Paul Levitz, Artist: Alan Davis, and Color Artist Rachelle Rosenberg

Avengers: War Across Time #4 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS: WAR ACROSS TIME No. 4, June 2023

If Paul Levitz’s intention with his script for Issue Four of “Avengers: War Across Time” was to make the King of the Dwarfs one of the most hated opponents the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have ever faced, then he arguably succeeds. For whilst Sindri isn’t depicted as actually being evil, the self-righteous, holier than thou monarch is so sickeningly sanctimonious in his incorrect belief that he’s been terribly wronged by Thor, that it’s difficult to imagine any reader of this comic feeling anything but contempt for him, even after the Thunder God smacks Mjolnir’s thief into next Saturday.

Indeed, this entire twenty-page periodical’s plot seems entirely intent upon depicting Stan Lee’s co-creation from the Sixties as nothing more than a petty-minded ruler, who only thinks of manipulating the Lava Men into helping his planet-destroying revenge rather than searching for the actual truth behind his present predicament on Midgard. Sure, this book also portrays Kang the Conqueror as a leveller of civilisations and cold-hearted killer of his own subjects. But the time-travelling entity is in many ways simply a power-seeking super-villain who callously guns down one man for speaking to him with “impunity”. Whereas Sindri is willing to unjustly sentence an entire population to a "fiery doom" just because he mistakenly assumes Odinson has transported him from Nidavellir against his will.

Enjoyably, the American author also appears very good at showing his considerable cast of protagonists outthinking their foe as opposed to simply beating him around the head. This becomes particularly important once “the most powerful Avenger” departs before his vulnerable alter-ego is disastrously revealed, and the team must rely far more upon brains than brawn – most intriguingly Janet van Dyne’s; “Do you have some thermal-scanning doohickey in there? Follow the heat -- I’ll bet that leads us to Sindri and the hammer!”

Adding plenty pf “Thooom”, “Whoosh” and “Zzoooom” to this publication’s proceedings is Alan Davis, who provides all his well-drawn figures with plenty of dynamic life and beguiling emotion. In fact, alongside Thor’s evident concern at losing Mjolnir, the British artist also adds considerable weight to Giant-Man as Hank Pym visibly takes pride in both his lover’s intelligent reasoning, and then the Wasp’s physical help during their subsequent battle against an innumerable horde of relentless Lava Men.

The regular cover art of "AVENGERS: WAR ACROSS TIME" #4 by Alan Davis & Carlos Lopez

Monica Rambeau: Photon #3 - Marvel Comics

MONICA RAMBEAU: PHOTON No. 3, April 2023

Leaping all over the place from Monica Rambeau’s supposed home with ‘husband’ Doctor Voodoo, through to the Sorcerer Supreme’s Sanctum Sanctorum and then on into deep space, Eve L. Ewing’s narrative for this comic probably infuriated its audience as much as the Avengers did Photon by wrongly insisting that the superheroine’s mother had died “a while ago now.” True, all this “topsy-turvy” nonsense is eventually revealed to be as a result of “the universe… folding in on itself.” But that arguably doesn’t explain what is actually happening to the former Captain Marvel, nor why her apparently deceased parent is able to simply call her up on the mobile phone; “Mama?! How totally not surprised I am to hear from you.”

Similarly as frustrating as the gobbledegook plot though, is the American author’s heavy reliance upon sheer blind luck helping the titular character find, and then later aid, a mysteriously 'invisible' race of green-skinned aliens who also just happen to be able to decipher the Stone of Hala. This incredible journey across the stars alone debatably contains more contrivances than most comic books contain, especially when it's made clear that the human mutate just happens to be the only person who can connect with the ancient relic’s energy signature in the first place. However, once Rambeau has arrived from her “self-discovery journey” the protagonist discovers that she is handily able to transform into yet another form of energy so her eyes can properly see all the “stellar nurseries full of embryonic stars” and spot the Guardian Hall of the Charos veiled “deep inside a forgotten corner of the cosmos.”

Such manufactured moments must surely have increasingly grated upon the audience’s nerves, and only get worse when it turns out that the one resident from amongst the “group of wanderers” who might help Monica is dying from a chest tumour. Once again Roger Stern’s co-creation just happens to be able to perform the necessary x-ray scan required to locate the life-threatening growth and replicate the low-level radiation therapy treatment necessary to immediately cure them. Indeed, literally within seconds of Photon blasting her terminally ill patient with her super-powers, artists Ivan Fiorelli & Luca Maresca are proficiently pencilling the diminutively sized extra-terrestrial miraculously back up on its feet ready to “refer to some notes from the Grandmothers” as to how the Stone of Hala works.

The regular cover art of "MONICA RAMBEAU" #3 by Lucas Werneck

Monica Rambeau: Photon #2 - Marvel Comics

MONICA RAMBEAU: PHOTON No. 2, March 2023

Despite Eve L. Ewing desperately attempting to tap into the success of the much-lauded Stern-Buscema-Palmer years on “The Avengers”, her script for Issue Two of “Monica Rambeau: Photon” most likely landed with a disappointing thud when it first hit the spinner-racks in January 2023. In fact, this twenty-page periodical’s “topsy-turvy” storyline is debatably so unfollowable as it sucks the audience “across the infinite cosmos into the wrong corner of fragmented space-time", that many a perusing bibliophile probably popped it straight back into its empty pocket once they realised that at best this book’s guest stars were just the creations of the ever obtrusive Beyonder.

Foremost of these frustrations is arguably the way in which the “associate professor” attempts to create an aura of mystery within this comic by simply not explaining why anything is happening, and randomly throwing the titular character into one bizarre situation after another. True, this technique does initially work when the former Captain Marvel attempts to stop a flaming meteor from exploding into New Orleans and strangely finds herself unable to detonate the deadly satellite with her formidable super-powers. However, by the time Photon is depicted inexplicably battling a giant-sized crocodile in the Bayous of Lousiana whilst the rest of the Earth’s mightiest heroes idly stand by watching from the deck of a land-stranded yacht, the audiences’ heads are probably spinning as badly as Rambeau’s purportedly is.

Indeed, so little of the plot actually makes sense by this stage, including the gobbledegook dialogue of an entirely reimagined Beyonder, that many a Marvelite doubtless needed a rest and moved on to something else before soldiering on through this comic’s final few scenes; “Imagine my surprise in discovering that the one with the great power was also one enshrouded in a tremendous yearning. A being at the nexus of cosmic ability and tumbling, cacophonous wants.”

Disappointingly, artists Ivan Fiorelli and Luca Maresca don’t seem able to do much with the narrative either, even though the pair do a reasonable job in replicating the look of the Avengers from the mid-Eighties. The illustrators’ doe-eyed, gossamer-wearing central antagonist is especially disconcerting, appearing far too cartoony amongst some of the more ‘realistic’ figures. Whilst Monica appears to wear nothing but a bedazzled, open mouthed expression across her face for the entirely of the book.

Writer: Eve L. Ewing, Artists: Ivan Fiorelli & Luca Maresca, and Color Artist: Carlos Lopez

Avengers: War Across Time #3 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS: WAR ACROSS TIME No. 3, May 2023

Containing two pulse-pounding battles between this mini-series’ titular characters and the king of the dwarfs, as well as an intriguing look at the underground world of the Lava Men, it’s arguably easy to see just why this comic’s letters page is filled full of compliments congratulating Paul Levitz on capturing “the magic of the Silver Age.” Indeed, such is the sense of Sixties nostalgia generated by Issue Three of “Avengers: War Across Time”, that it’s quite clear the American author “learned much of my writing craft from The Avengers” and clearly wrote the storyline to “pay homage to my old friends Stan [Lee], Jack [Kirby] and Don [Heck].”

Quite possibly this comic’s biggest success though actually lies in the personality of the highly disagreeable and self-righteous Sindri, who despite all his claims of royalty is still perfectly happy to sink his teeth into Thor Odinson’s wrist when the diminutive miscreant wants to get his unworthy hands on Mjolnir. Astonishingly powerful, and clearly capable of causing the entire Earth to sink into “a fiery doom”, the Dwarf of Nidavellir grabs the attention in every panel in which he appears, even during the somewhat more dialogue-driven sequences whilst he energetically explores the caverns beneath New York City’s paved surface.

Furthermore, the former editor of “DC Comics” is able to remind this twenty-page-periodical’s audience that the true villain of the piece, Kang the Conqueror, is still very much a threat by occasionally visiting the time-obsessed tyrant in his future-housed headquarters. These brief interludes help establish just why Sindri’s accidental presence on the planet is so integral to the title’s overall plot, and actually helps keep the reader momentarily guessing as to just where the superheroes’ next threat will come from; “We barely stopped Kang’s robot Hulk -- Who knows what he’ll send to attack us next..?”

Helping smash the look and feel of Marvel Comics’ early era are Alan Davis’ layouts, which quite justifiably are acknowledged as calling back “to its roots in Kirby, Heck and [Dick] Ayers.” One particular success is debatably the initial battle between the God of Thunder and his lesser-sized adversary, with the British artist imbuing Thor’s opponent with all the feisty mannerisms of a scrapper who is facing a much more physically impressive antagonist.

The regular cover art of "AVENGERS: WAR ACROSS TIME" #3 by Alan Davis

Avengers: War Across Time #2 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS: WAR ACROSS TIME No. 2, April 2023

If capturing the almost adolescent simplicity of some of Stan Lee’s Silver Age storylines was Paul Levitz’s plan for Issue Two of "Avengers: War Across Time", then this twenty-page-periodical certainly does the job. But for those True Believers who like far fewer contrivances and (un)happy accidents in their comic books, such manufactured moments as the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes deciding to burgle the Baxter Building and an age-addled Postman accidentally activating Doctor Doom’s time machine might prove a bit too much; “Stark will have to square up with Richards for the damage. But I’m betting I can switch this off without our ripping it all apart.”

Happily however, any Marvelites willing to forgive such quibbles and simply enjoy the Eisner Hall of Famer’s channelling of the classic heroes’ adventures, should arguably still find that there’s plenty of sense-shattering shenanigans to enjoy once Willie Lumpkin has inadvertently teleported an irate Sindri into the heart of New York City. Indeed, the subsequent battle between the likes of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America against the angry king of the Dwarves of Nidavellir proves tremendously intriguing, especially as the diminutive forger of Mjolnir is able to resculpt Tony Stark’s armour like it was clay with the simple touch of his hand.

Furthermore, there’s plenty of pulse-pounding proceedings to be found beforehand following Shell-head’s ill-advised decision to pick the lock of the Fantastic Four’s residence and enter the skyscraper’s lift. The Golden Avenger demonstrates all the holier-than thou arrogance his character has become famous for, so many a reader will doubtless enjoy his discomfort at being manhandled by Reed Richard’s steel security tentacles and inability to manipulate Victor Von Doom’s machinery – at least without revealing his (then) secret identity to his team-mates.

Definitely helping the Avengers “break the barriers between worlds” are Alan Davis’ layouts, which seem to capture all the nuances of this narrative’s earlier era when the Wasp was wearing one of her more wildly wonderful costumes, and you could still see the rivets running around Iron Man’s face-plate. In addition, the “legendary X-artist” does an excellent job of imbuing Sindri with all the formidable physical power and fighting prowess a bibliophile might expect from an adversary who “once sent Thor as a prisoner to the Rock Trolls to be their slave.”

The regular cover art of "AVENGERS: WAR ACROSS TIME" #2 by Alan Davis

Avengers: War Across Time #1 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS: WAR ACROSS TIME No. 1, March 2023

Essentially consisting of a forty-page long punch-up between “the classic Avengers” and the incredible Hulk, there’s surely plenty for fans of pulse-pounding pugilism to enjoy with Paul Levitz’s “Marvel debut”. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a connoisseur of the Silver Age of Comics being able to resist this super-sized publication once they’ve seen Alan Davis’ sensational opening splash page depicting Thor, Captain America, Giant-Man and the Wasp falling to the ground through a wind vortex; “The rage of the storm is mine to command. A power beyond your mortal reckoning.”

Furthermore, the “Eisner Hall of Famer” still manages to enjoyably imbue each of this comic’s considerable cast with a little bit of personality in between them trading blows with Bruce Banner’s alter-ego, even when some of that spotlight does focus upon Janet van Dyne’s disconcerting crush upon “the Norse god of good looks!” Such moments really help break-up an otherwise potentially monotonous carousel of veiled threats and punches, whilst also helping establish the legitimate aura surrounding Steve Roger’s World War Two heroics and the super-team’s genuine concern for those innocent lives around them as they try to minimise any collateral damage caused by their actions.

Of course, this book’s biggest hook is witnessing the world’s mightiest heroes stoically strike against a creature who simply gets stronger the angrier he gets. This epic confrontation is quite nicely lengthened by fate compelling each Avenger to face-off against the Hulk single-handedly, and as a result there are some interesting duels involving Captain America, Thor, Giant-Man and an ultra-brave Wasp. In fact, one of this publication’s finest moments is debatably when Iron Man dons his infamous roller skates to repeatedly outfox an increasingly irate “Green Goliath” on a deserted public ice rink.

Issue One of “Avengers: War Across Time” also owes a lot of its success to its acclaimed British-born artist, whose prodigiously pencilled panels capture all the sense-shattering shenanigans this mini-series’ audience would expect from a comic attempting to capture the look and feel of the Sixties. Davis definitely attains some impressive images whilst drawing the various combatants slugging away at one another. But impressively, his layouts also contain a couple of notable nods to some of the other inhabitants of New York City, such as Betty Brant and Aunt May.

The regular cover art of "AVENGERS: WAR ACROSS TIME" #1 by Alan Davis

Iron Man [2020] #16 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 16, March 2022

Seemingly determined to make Tony Stark appear even more egotistical than ever before, Christopher Cantwell’s narrative for Issue Sixteen of “Iron Man” was probably rather hard to wade through for those fans of Shellhead who recall the genius inventor’s simpler days when he was just a man fighting a carousel of super-villains in a technologically-advanced armoured suit. Indeed, the American producer’s reimagining of the Golden Avenger as a cosmically-transformed Iron God disappointingly doesn’t arguably lead to any sort of action whatsoever, but rather ensures that this twenty-page periodical predominantly consists of several characters just talking to one another; “Steve. Let me just wrap this -- Steve. Can I just. Finish. Please?”

Foremost of these dialogue-driven discussions is the silver-coloured deity’s disagreement with an understandably concerned Captain America over the billionaire’s ill-thought out idea to imbue everyone in the world with “my intellect”, and turn them into “Stark-level geniuses.” The sheer hubris on display by the titular character in this ‘set-piece’ is both absolutely breath-taking and extremely well-penned, as the Chicago-born writer makes the narcissist’s words all the more threatening by occasionally switching the spotlight onto the troubled concerns of his apprehensive audience, rather than focusing purely on the giant-sized figure towering over Washington Square Park.

However, instead of Tony’s poorly-planned decision leading to some exciting, action-packed adventure where the ultra-evolved industrialist’s misguided good intention causes a criminal mastermind to lay siege to New York City using their enhanced intelligence quotient, or even commit a minor felony for that matter, Cantwell’s script instead rather tamely just depicts a drawn-out series of tongue-in-cheek ‘six-panel long’ insights into how Iron God’s unrequested gift has impacted upon the lives of everyday mortal folk.

Perhaps therefore this publication’s best moment is when Jackson Weele is suddenly startled awake from a coma, and momentarily appears to be about to cause chaos to the Big Apple’s traffic network whilst dangerously driving a gigantic Big Wheel. Dynamically drawn by Julius Ohta, this initially intriguing confrontation looks set to pit Hellcat against a classic Spider-Man minor league foe from the late Seventies, yet lamentably swiftly peters out due to Stark simply unceremoniously cocooning Marv Wolfman’s co-creation within an energy bubble.

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #16 by Alex Ross

The Immortal Hulk #49 - Marvel Comics

IMMORTAL HULK No. 49, October 2021

Consisting of nothing more than a carousel of splash pages each accompanied by a few paragraphs of text, Al Ewing’s decision to turn Issue Forty Nine of “Immortal Hulk” into more of a children’s reading book than an actual comic doubtless perturbed a fair few of this ongoing series’ followers. Indeed, coupled with the lack-lustre storyline of the titular character simply being invited to walk through the Forever Gate by Benjamin Grimm, many readers were probably of the opinion that this penultimate instalment to the British author’s overall narrative was nothing more than a ‘filler’ edition prior to its “giant-sized” finale.

Admittedly, that isn’t to say that this publication doesn’t generate a modicum of interest with its word-heavy transcript approach, as Joe Fixit’s alter-ego encounters the increasingly dislikeable Avengers and, owing to a non-disclosed communication error, ends up once again fighting the entire roster of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. But it’s arguably difficult to get particularly excited by a single picture of the “Green Goliath” battering upon Captain America’s infamously tough shield, even when the artist is Joe Bennett; “I didn’t see who threw the first punch. Someone must have.”

In addition, whilst Ewing’s short tale does somewhat make sense as far as the Hulk seeking out the help of Reed Richards to finally confront the Leader in “the city of suffering”, just how this option becomes a possibility is never properly explained. Instead, Jackie McGee and Jen Walters simply escort the nonchalant behemoth through the night-time streets of New York City to a presumably pre-arranged rendezvous at the Baxter Building, where he encounters the likes of an extremely hostile Captain Marvel, Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther and Nova.

Likewise, the Avengers’ presence is never rationalised, and simply seems to have been unceremoniously crowbarred into the comic so as to give the writer an opportunity to include at least one pulse-pounding punch-up amidst all his prose. In fact, the Thunder God and his team-mates are quite clearly depicted as the ‘villains of the piece’ for this book, with Invisible Woman’s scathing look of absolute disgust at them when she is forced to separate the fighting forces speaking a thousand words.

The regular cover art of "IMMORTAL HULK" #49 by Alex Ross

Fantastic Four Annual #3 - Marvel Comics

FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL No. 3, October 1965

Containing some stunning sense-shattering prenuptial shenanigans involving an all-encompassing cast of Marvel Universe characters, as well as complete and unabridged reprints of two of the “most requested Fantastic Four issues” since the ongoing series first hit the spinner-racks, this weighty tome surely lived up to the New York-based publisher’s boast of being “possibly the greatest annual of all time” when it was initially released upon an unsuspecting public in 1965. Indeed, considering that Stan Lee’s “Bedlam At The Baxter Building!” somehow manages to incorporate the likes of the Avengers, the X-Men, S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil and Spider-man alongside a truly impressive rogues gallery of the New York City-based publisher’s super-villains, it’s incredible to believe the then Editor-in-Chief was able to pen anything even resembling a coherent narrative, let alone one which not only contains plenty of ‘screen time’ for its titular characters but additionally produces numerous stand-out moments, such as the Mole Man’s surprise attack from beneath the very foundation of the Baxter Building and his minions’ subsequent defeat by Professor X’s mutant students.

Admittedly, the basic premise behind this comic’s narrative is undeniably contrived with Doctor Doom “skilfully manipulating my high-frequency emotion charger” so as to “fan the flames of hatred in the heart of every evil menace in existence” and resultantly create “a veritable army of the most deadly villains alive” with which to destroy Reed Richards’ famous quartet. Yet the utter simplicity of the ‘hokey’ plot point does allow for the reader to be rapidly immersed in the mad machinations of the “paranoiac” Puppet Master, and no sooner has his poison-armed pawn been subdued by Nick Fury’s undercover agents, than Ivan Kragoff and Harvey Rupert Elder make their separate moves to bring Su Storm’s imminent wedding ceremony to a deadly end; “Ahh! The coast is clear now, my beauties! And so, the time has come for the Red Ghost and his Super Apes to finish the job they’d begun many months ago!” This rapid succession of threats and foes is so successfully implemented that any thoughts as to the dubiously manufactured nature of the script is swiftly forgotten and replaced with a genuine sense of awe at Lee’s sheer vision, with even Attuma, “merciless warlord of the deep”, deciding to seize the moment and threaten the land-dwellers with an invasion of his trident-carrying legions.

Of course, just how enjoyable this carousel of costumed crime-fighters and malevolent Machiavellian evil-doers would be without the dynamically-charged pencilling of Jack “King” Kirby is hotly debatable. The Manhattan-born artist’s breath-taking visuals for this comic provides every punch, kick and energy blast portrayed with just the sort of bone-crunching energy one would expect from an illustrator “widely regarded as one of the medium’s major innovators.” Whilst his incredible splash-page “photo of a journey thru the Fourth Dimension” which depicts the Watcher transporting Mister Fantastic to “a laboratory whose wonders beggar description” was certainly worth the twenty five cent cover price of this book alone.

Written by: Stan Lee, Drawn by: Jack Kirby, and Inked by: Vince Colletta

Avengers [2018] #13 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 13, March 2019

This particular “flashback tale of the Prehistoric Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” surely must have much impressed this comic’s 49,517 readers in January 2019 with its enthralling mixture of kick-ass karate and palpable sense of injustice towards a young girl simply trying to teach “Kung-Fu to cavemen.” Indeed, Jason Aaron’s narrative portrays such a dark depiction of K’un’Lun and its much-lauded sacred traditions that it is arguably quite difficult to reconcile their secret city’s sinister shenanigans with the mysterious ‘home’ Danny Rand so desperately tried to return to during Jo Duffy’s run in the Seventies on “Power Man And Iron Fist”.

Enjoyably though, such a disconcertingly brooding backdrop drenched in the infuriating ‘holier than thou’ attitude of the Dragon Kings provides “the very first Iron Fist” with just the motivation needed to both help her survive ten gruelling years of banishment amidst a desolate wintry wasteland, and subsequently fuel the fifteen year old “primordial woman” to defeat everything from starving wolf packs through to a veritable army of savagely carnivorous ape-men; “Along the way, I encountered many beings who needed to feel the power of the Curse of Shou-Lao. In the great dead forest, that distinction belonged to the Gorilla Clan.”

In addition, Issue Thirteen of “Avengers” does a grand job of establishing Mephisto as being a persistently evil, manipulative serpent since Mankind’s earliest hour. Slithering up upon an isolated Fan Fei one night when the vulnerable girl realises she is truly a lonely outcast, even amongst the primitive people she has sworn to protect, the devil reeks of calculating charm and does his damndest to ensure that “the little hero” pays for rejecting his advice not to rule as “Queen of the Monkeys”.

Also adding enormously to this twenty-page periodical’s pulse-pounding pace and dramatic story-telling are Andrea Sorrentino’s awesome layouts, which do an incredible job of imbuing even the most word-heavy of scenes with plenty of raw energy, courtesy of the artist’s dynamically laid out panels. Coupled with the Italian illustrator’s tremendous flair for pencilling a fight scene, as well as Justin Ponsor and Erick Arciniega’s colours, this book genuinely proves to be a feast for the eyes, with Iron Fist’s intense battle against a diamond-encrusted Ape King proving to be the publication’s highlight.

Writer: Jason Aaron, Artist: Andrea Sorrentino, and Color Artists: Justin Ponsor & Erick Arciniega

What If? Civil War #1 - Marvel Comics

WHAT IF? CIVIL WAR No. 1, February 2008

Utilising a brief tale by Ed Brubaker entitled "The Stranger" as “a framing device around which the other two stories revolve”, Issue One of “What If? Civil War” probably helped the vast amount of its 58,909 readers in December 2007 appreciate just how wrong Tony Stark was to persecute his fellow heroes for not voluntarily submitting to the Superhuman Registration Act, as well as just how highly (and wrongly) Steve Rogers thought of his long-time friend before their differences arose. Indeed, Christos Gage’s plot for “What If Iron Man Lost The Civil War” lays the entire blame of the “Marvel Comics Event In Seven Parts” squarely upon Iron Man’s armoured shoulders for blatantly lying to the Sentinel of Liberty regarding his “plans for my twenty-first century overhaul.”

Admittedly, this particular eighteen-page epic undoubtedly lacks a lot of the emotional response Mark Millar’s mini-series generated, courtesy of a sugary-sweet plot which sees Cap team-up with an “honest” Shellhead so as to overcome a homicidal Thor cybernetic clone. But what it does provide is perhaps the only sensible solution to the super-powered pairs’ dilemma of just one government or person ultimately being responsible for both the training and secret identities of every costumed crime-fighter in the United States; “It’s not enough to be against something. You have to be for something better.”

Slightly more action-packed is “What If Captain America Led All The Heroes Against Registration?” by Kevin Grevioux, which manages to recreate much of the anger and resentment generated by the original 2006 crossover storyline. With Stark already dead following an Extremis injection, this marvellous reimagining unashamedly pits Steve Rogers and most of the Marvel Universe directly against the Senate and S.H.I.E.L.D. in a battle which somewhat resembles that seen in the “X-Men” comic book narrative "Days of Future Past".

Crammed full of pulse-pounding punch-ups against the impassive Sentinels, and the death of the spectacular Spider-Man, this dynamically pencilled fight-fest sets up Henry Gyrich and Maria Hill as two of the most despicably treacherous characters to inhabit a publication, with the deputy director’s cold-blooded murder of Jim Rhodes and subsequent framing of a dead Captain America proving particularly unforgivable. Indeed, such is the utter loathing engendered by Gyrich in his journey to become President and the despicable Hill’s ambition to be carried along on his coat-tails, that in many ways it is a shame this well-penned conspiracy from an alternative universe wasn’t awarded a limited series or ongoing title of its own.

Written by: Ed Brubaker, Kevin Grevioux & Christos Gage, and Art by: Marko Djurdjevic, Gustavo and Harvey Tolibao

Civil War #7 - Marvel Comics

CIVIL WAR No. 7, January 2007

Having read Mark Millar’s narrative for Issue Seven of “Civil War” it is arguably easy to see just why this comic book mini-series “polarized critics but… was a commercial success.” For whilst some within this publication’s 265,886-strong audience were undoubtedly rooting for Tony Stark’s mishmash of government sanctioned superheroes and supposedly reformed members of the Masters of Evil, those applauding Captain America’s defiance of the Superhuman Registration Act were probably left utterly disillusioned as to just what the Sentinel of Liberty was trying to achieve with his defiance.

True, Steve Rogers’ apparent obsession to knock the seven bells out of his armoured former friend for imprisoning so many of their team-mates inside the Negative Zone does cause the First Avenger to inadvertently wage an incredibly destructive war upon the very civilian population which he thought he was protecting. Yet, it’s difficult to imagine being bundled to the ground by a handful of emergency service operatives would shake the World War Two veteran so badly that he’d instantly remove his famous winged cowl and allow the authorities to place him in handcuffs; “Oh my god. They’re right. We’re not fighting for the people anymore, Falcon… Look at us. We’re just fighting.”

Similarly as disconcerting is this twenty-eight page periodical’s aftermath, which somehow tries to sweep all the damage and death caused by the Pro-Registration faction’s determination to incarcerate anyone who disagreed with their viewpoint, right under the rug simply because the likes of Mister Fantastic “cried for a full ninety-three minutes” upon seeing his estranged wife using her invisible powers to help with the clean-up. Reed Richards was so convinced that he was 'fighting the good fight' that he became partially responsible for the cold-blooded murder of Bill Foster. However, rather than be held accountable for such dishonourable actions, his experiments “on the whole” are apparently deemed “an enormous success” and Sue incredibly returns to her husband's side within the space of just a fortnight.

Tony Stark too seems to suffer no ill-consequences for his disappointingly dark actions, and is actually rewarded by the President of the United States with the directorship of S.H.I.E.L.D. Such pay-offs for unforgivably allying themselves with the likes of Radioactive Man, Venom and a seriously-deranged Thor clone really are quite baffling, and although the so-called “radicalised” likes of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and Power Man form an Underground Movement to continue their opposition, Millar’s extreme lack of consequences for so many of this event’s main players probably left something of a bad taste in many bibliophiles’ mouths.

Writer: Mark Millar, Penciler: Steve McNiven, and Inker: Dexter Vines

Civil War #6 - Marvel Comics

CIVIL WAR No. 6, December 2006

The best-selling title of January 2007, at least according to “Diamond Comic Distributors”, Issue Six of “Civil War” must have fairly surprised some of its 259,251 readers with its depiction of both lead antagonists dipping into the dark well of the criminally “insane” in order to achieve their goals. True, Captain America quickly realises his mistake in recruiting the Punisher to his cause once Frank Castle cold-bloodily guns down the Plunderer and Goldbug following the villainous pairs’ attempt to join the rebels. But before this moment of murderous clarity, Steve Rogers seemed fairly content to allow the vigilante to access the Baxter Building’s incredibly complex security system for him and retrieve “the plans on the Negative Zone prison”.

Mercifully though, the Sentinel of Liberty’s lack of judgement doesn’t prove too detrimental to his anti-registration side’s plans to attempt a rescue of their super-friends incarcerated by the American authorities, and even provides Mark Millar with an opportunity to demonstrate just how much in awe Castle apparently is of the living legend when the vicious vigilante refuses to defend himself against Rogers during their distinctly one-sided fist-fight; “Get him out of here! And throw his guns in the incinerator! I must have been out of my mind to give that animal a shot on this team!”

However, the same realisation, and subsequent rejection of ‘dealing with the devil’ cannot be found with the increasingly flawed shenanigans of Tony Stark, who actually appears proud to be leading a group of shadily-sanctioned operatives such as the Taskmaster, Radioactive Man, Bullseye, Elektra and Venom into battle against many of humanity’s most morally-righteous freedom fighters. Indeed, this twenty-two page periodical’s double-splash conclusion provides an abundantly clear difference between the two opposing theologies, with Captain America’s so-called unlawful resistance comprising of some of Stan Lee’s mightiest heroes, whilst Iron Man’s ‘holier than thou’ agents strongly resemble the despicable Masters Of Evil…

Somewhat disconcertingly, this particular instalment to the “Marvel Comics event in seven parts” also arguably shows some signs of the impact its print deadline was having upon Steve McNiven’s artwork. Everything looks great up until the point, towards the end of the book, when the Golden Avenger unleashes his ambush upon the rebels’ prison break, and then, presumably due to the sheer amount of figures suddenly ‘on screen’ the Canadian artist’s pencilling momentarily deteriorates before picking back up again for the magazine’s final few pages.

Writer: Mark Millar, Penciler: Steve McNiven, and Inker: Dexter Vines

Avengers [2018] #12 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 12, March 2019

Whilst “Marvel Worldwide” wanted this title’s audience to believe that “it’s hard to run the Avengers without a support staff”, it was probably a whole lot harder for many of this comic’s 52,427 readers to process the plethora of comic book super-heroes Jason Aaron desperately tried to crowbar into his narrative. In fact, at its most basic level the American author’s storyline for “The Agents Of Wakanda” is arguably little more than a twenty-page procession of some of the New York-based publisher’s lowest-tiered crime-fighters and anti-heroes; “As for the others… How are there not better available candidates than this? Was there recently a super hero massacre of which I was not made aware of?”

Admittedly, having recently become the leader of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”, King T'Challa’s desire to create a network of “intelligence gatherers” makes considerable sense if “the most powerful super-team in recent memory” are actually going to become an international resource for truth and justice, as opposed to it simply being a ‘puppet’ for S.H.I.E.L.D. or the United States Government. But so bizarre are some of the Inkpot Award-winner’s choices that the roster debatably smacks of the writer simply throwing out a plethora of seldom-seen characters, such as American Eagle, Broo and Doctor Nemesis, in the hope that the odd “agent” will somehow resonate with this book’s bibliophiles.

Aaron also seems to have taken a fair few disagreeable liberties with the personality of Ka-Zar, questionably turning the once proud Lord of the Savage Land” into an unrecognisable foil for Okoye, leader of the Dora Milaje and Director of the Agents of Wakanda. Kevin Plunder's history dates back as far as the mid-Sixties and resultantly has provided him with a proven track record working alongside some of the greatest super-heroes known. Yet, in this story, the eldest son of a British nobleman has to first pass an audition so as to be deemed worthy to join a ground crew which has already recruited Gorilla-Man as the Chief of Security for Avengers Mountain apparently without any trial being warranted..?

Luckily, this publication’s puzzling plot does ‘enjoy’ the visual stimulus of Ed McGuinness and Cory Smith’s pencilling, which in the majority of cases makes the word-heavy discussions between Black Panther and the likes of Odin, at least pleasantly palatable. However, the artwork does suffer from some noticeable inconsistencies, courtesy of editor Tom Brevoort apparently employing three different inkers in order to ensure the book made its deadline at the Printers.

Writer: Jason Aaron, Artists: Ed McGuiness & Cory Smith, and Color Artist: Erick Arciniega

Civil War #5 - Marvel Comics

CIVIL WAR No. 5, November 2006

Apparently delayed by two months “to accommodate artist Steve McNiven”, Mark Millar’s plot to Issue Five of “Civil War” arguably focused far more upon Tony Stark’s fast evaporating relationship with Peter Parker than it did with the larger implications of “Marvel Comics' event in seven parts”, and in doing so demonstrated to this mini-series’ 272,584 strong audience just how desperate the billionaire industrialist had become to win the fight. In fact, the Scottish author’s similarly unscrupulous portrayal of S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander Maria Hill makes it difficult to imagine that their literary counter-parts and comic book fans alike would ever like/trust the two so-called heroic characters ever again; “Guess that’s thirty-one pieces of silver you’ve got now, huh? Sleep well, Judas.”

Similarly as disturbing as the egotistical pair’s utter arrogance in believing that they are completely justified to pursue any avenue, no matter what the cost, in order to secure victory over Captain America’s so-called rebels, is the Coatbridge-born writer’s debatably demeaning portrayal of “little Peter Spider-Man” as a seemingly helpless victim of Iron Man’s Machiavellian manipulations. Having finally found the courage to challenge Stark’s utilisation of a cyborg killing machine cloned from Thor, Web-head’s personality is seemingly regressed back to the human mutate’s adolescent days in the Sixties, when the teenager is still developing both emotionally and physically.

Resultantly, the unbelievably experienced costumed crime-fighter appears to do little else but surprisingly panic in the face of his pursuers Jester and Jack O’Lantern. Indeed, despite the pulse-pounding nature of the subsequent action sequence, which sees the two ‘reformed’ super-villains batter the wall-crawler into semi-unconsciousness with an exploding toy and a whiff of pumpkin gas, Millar would have any perusing bibliophile believe that a pitiful Parker’s alter-ego requires the help of the Punisher to defeat his two opponents, whilst the ordinarily hot-headed Johnny Storm is calmly shown serenely evading the entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D. Capekiller Team Nine and Eleven in the very next scene.

Happily however, despite this apparent ‘nerfing’ of Spider-Man’s super-abilities, this comic still provides plenty of sense-shattering entertainment on account of McNiven’s excellent pencilling. The aforementioned clash between the Web-slinger, Jester and Jack O’Lantern within the confines of a stinking underground sewer is superbly paced, with Stark’s colourfully-garbed recruits really socking it to the all-too vulnerable Parker within the space of a dozen beautifully illustrated panels.

Writer: Mark Millar, Penciler: Steve McNiven, and Inker: Dexter Vines

Civil War #4 - Marvel Comics

CIVIL WAR No. 4, October 2006

Absolutely pulverising the sales of “DC Comics” most successful title of September 2006, “Justice League Of America”, by almost a hundred and thirty thousand copies, this fourth instalment to the “Civil War” mini-series by “Marvel Worldwide” certainly must have stunned its 272,547 audience with its brutal depiction of Iron Man seemingly going to almost any lengths in order to defeat his old comrade-in-arms, Captain America. Indeed, in many ways it’s hard to reconcile Mark Millar’s incarnation of the ‘win at all costs’ billionaire industrial with that of the Golden Avenger’s character during the Bronze Age of Comics…

Fortunately however, Tony Stark’s single-mindedness undeniably leads to some sensational confrontations within this twenty-two page periodical, most notably his patronisation of a badly-beaten Captain America, who despite his jaw “practically hanging off”, still has enough steel inside of him to stand up against the fully-armoured “pampered punk”. Utterly oblivious to all the pain and suffering his sonic attack is causing to all those super-heroes around him, the “mechanical engineer” genuinely seems to enjoy watching the Sentinel of Liberty suffer, and even goes far as to demean the “tough old bird” for “still getting up” when other people’s brains would have simply shutdown due to the sound waves.

Easily this publication’s most shocking moment though, has to be the horrific death of Goliath at the hands of a scarily-deranged Thor. This tragic moment is clearly the tipping point for some of Stark’s less convinced followers, such as Invisible Woman and Spider-Man. But also goes to show just how coldly calculating Iron Man has apparently always been when it is subsequently revealed that the murderous Thunder God is simply a cybernetic clone created from a strand of hair Tony covertly acquired from his furniture following “the first meeting of the Avengers.”

Ably enabling this comic to additionally be a visual tour-de-force are Steve McNiven’s layouts and Dexter Vines' inks, which really help imbue even the more sedentary scenes towards the back of the book, with plenty of emotional energy. Bill Foster’s killing is tremendously well-drawn, and the sheer horror upon all those who witness his dreadful demise is clearly etched in everyone’s facial expressions; “I thought you said you knew what you were doing, Tony. I thought we were doing this so no one else got hurt.”

Writer: Mark Millar, Penciler: Steve McNiven, and Inker: Dexter Vines

Civil War #3 - Marvel Comics

CIVIL WAR No. 3, October 2006

Perhaps due to Mark Millar possibly prevaricating a little too much as to just which side of the Superhuman Registration Act each (and every) leading character within the Marvel Universe was on, some of this twenty two page periodical’s 290,672 readers probably felt this book’s narrative was a little bit too sedentary for a crossover storyline focusing upon “the conflict between freedom and security.” However, such lethargy is arguably easily forgotten once Captain America’s team teleport to Geffen-Meyer Chemicals and discover that the emergency distress calls emanating from the petrochemical plant are actually a well thought-out ruse by Iron Man and his iniquitous cronies; “Get the hell out of here, boys! It’s a trap!”

Indeed, the confrontation at the abandoned division of Stark Industries between the two wildly diverging ideologies is debatably one of the mini-series’ highlights, with Steve Rogers’ side deciding to momentarily stand and fight for what they truly believe in, despite facing both overwhelming odds, as well as the sudden loss of both Cloak and Wiccan to some tranquiliser darts. Furthermore, the scene also quite shockingly shows just how deceitful the Golden Avenger has become in siding with the authorities, by additionally depicting Shellhead co-operating with known Masters Of Evil members Radioactive Man and Atlas, presumably because there aren’t enough powerful super-heroes to follow his orders..?

Of course, the best part to the Coatbridge-born writer’s plot is Captain America’s flurry of fisticuffs with his former friend, and the sheer savagery of the conflict once Tony has rerouted his armour’s primary power systems so as to put the billionaire industrialist back on his feet. Initially, it seems that the Sentinel of Liberty is ‘content’ simply to floor his opponent for taking “down two of my boys” with a couple of shield blows to the chops. But something clearly snaps within Stark’s mind at such an effrontery, and his subsequent ‘attack from the rear’ is so villainously vicious that Hercules clearly fears for Rogers’ life.

Packing this comic’s action-packed sequences with plenty of pulse-pounding vitality is Steve McNiven, whose pencilling of the aforementioned battle between Tony and Cap shows just how much physical damage a swing from Iron Man can cause, even when its connecting with the jawline of a human whose super-strength has been significantly enhanced by the super-soldier serum. In fact, even this book’s less exciting scenes, such as Miss Frost’s interview at Professor Xavier’s Mansion in Westchester, or Goliath’s disappointment at being given the false persona Rockwell Dodsworth, prove riveting reads on account of the Canadian artist’s awesome illustrations.

Writer: Mark Millar, Penciler: Steve McNiven, and Inker: Dexter Vines

Civil War #2 - Marvel Comics

CIVIL WAR No. 2, August 2006

Actually outselling its first issue following "reorders”, Mark Millar’s script for the second part to this “Marvel Comics” crossover storyline is arguably a little more sedentary in nature than its preceding edition, thanks largely to the Scottish author’s focus upon the reasoning behind just why the likes of Iron Man and Mister Fantastic position themselves in direct opposition to Captain America’s disapproving stance on the Superhuman Registration Act. In fact, many of this best-selling book’s 253,868 strong audience in June 2006 probably remember this publication more for its depiction of Spider-Man revealing “his secret identity as Peter Parker to the entire world, during a meeting at Congress” than for its notable action sequences involving a clearly out-gunned Eli Bradley, and Steve Roger’s outrageous rescue of the Young Avengers from right under the noses of a heavily-armed S.H.I.E.L.D. transportation unit.

However, just because this twenty-two page periodical doesn’t provide a plethora of pulse-pounding punch-ups doesn’t mean for a second that it isn’t a thoroughly riveting read, with Tony Stark and Reed Richards’ fanaticism as to them being wholly in the right proving one of this comic’s most mesmerising attributes. The Golden Avenger in particular is penned as being especially devious with those super-heroes closest to him, one minute earnestly promising his fellow team-mates She-Hulk and Tigra that Cap is entirely wrong in his opposition to the Government’s legislation, and then in the next confiding to Happy Hogan that he has some serious doubts as to whether he’s “doing the right thing here” when the act becomes law.

Such two-faced haughtiness really does grate upon the nerves, and ultimately seems to show the industrial tycoon as little more than a master manipulator, who even when he himself isn’t entirely convinced by his actions, is perfectly happy for the likes of an impressionable young Peter Parker to unmask himself before his entire rogues’ gallery, simply to help the egotistical Stark appear supremely confident in front of the world’s press; “See the Registration Act gives us a choice: We can continue the trend that Captain America advocates and have people with powers completely unchecked or super heroes can go legitimate and earn back a little public trust.”

Adding enormously to this comic’s success is Steve McNiven’s pencilling, which really does a first-rate job of physically showing the emotions running through this book’s considerably-sized cast. The Canadian’s ability to illustrate an increasingly doubtful Sue Richards’ body language as she sceptically listens to her husband manically wax lyrical about revolutionizing “every meta-human in America” is specifically well-drawn, with Invisible Woman’s concerns about Reed’s viewpoint being obvious in each and every panel.

Writer: Mark Millar, Penciler: Steve McNiven, and Inker: Dexter Vines