Wednesday 14 March 2018

Marvel's digital code comics

I was going to write something here about Star Trek Discovery and my thoughts on it, given that I'd previously put it off in favour of airing my views on The Terrifics #1.

However, I'm not having the best week of it currently and so I'm not finding the time/inclination to delve deep into my thoughts on that series.

So instead, I thought I'd post this.

Over the last 6(ish) months, I have accumulated a wealth of Marvel's digital comics through the codes which they had in the back of Daredevil issues (as they originally offered some different books before changing that to the comic you bought plus one other). In all, I collected fifteen different comics in digital form and decided that I would write down my views on each so that those I liked I would remember and seek out and those I didn't, well, I'd remember what to avoid.

Now, I could have done one separately for each comic but I figured to save time (and most likely effort), and because I'm not sure I could fully analyse each one, I decided to bundle them all together.

So, let's get started.

First up was USAvengers #1, which felt like an introduction to a new "pro U.S." Avengers while they worked to stop a floating volcano base of the Secret Empire hitting the American coast. Unfortunately for this book, I really didn't enjoy it and struggled to get all the way through. I think the problem this issue had for me was that, while I liked the artwork, it's story which felt a little gimmicky and somewhat style over substance. Now, this might have changed over the course of the rest of the series (which I don't think lasted long) but, for me, it just didn't appeal and so I'd be inclined to give the rest a miss.
 
Next was the Marvel Universe vs Wolverine #1 which was basically what it said on the tin with Wolverine travelling around and taking out the heroes, villains and people of New York City as they succumb to a deadly, cannibalistic (or should we say 'zombie') virus. I've got to admit, I did enjoy this a little bit more than USAvengers, although the increase was marginal. I think that the idea would have been interesting to read about but the whole issue, from the story execution to the art style, reminded me too much of the Marvel Zombies series from last decade (or more?), which is something which didn't really interest me at the time. Had this have been set up differently, I might have considered looking into it more, but because it didn't I think I'd skip the rest unless it's on sale and/or I'm bored.
 
Invincible Iron Man #6 on the other hand, which was my next read, was a different story for me. This issue saw War Machine head to Tokyo in search of some Tech Ninjas (sounds very Ninja Turtles to me) which had attacked Stark's businesses previously. Meanwhile, Stark himself had his hands full as he gets to know a female scientist better while trying to deal with an intrusive Dr Doom. Now, I actually enjoyed this issues, despite the fact I was quite sure what was going on, with the story having a nice mystery vibe to it as Rhodey acts very Sam Spade throughout, while the Doom/Stark interactions were enjoyable. Meanwhile, I liked Deodato's art, which was interesting with a neo-noir/tech look. Normally I'd give Iron Man a wide berth (something about preferring underdog titles) but this issue does make me consider going back and checking out those connected to it.

I couldn't say the same about Spider-Man #12, which was my fourth read and saw Spider-Man Miles Morales jumping over to an alternate dimension in order to search for his missing father. Unfortunately, while there wasn't anything wrong with this issue I just found it difficult to get into the story, which was most likely because it's twelve issues in at this point while also feeling a bit too talky for my liking. On the other hand, I did like Sara Pichelli's artwork on this book but it, sadly, was not enough to get me over a seemingly unremarkable book. Therefore, I think it'd be safe to say that I'll won't go back to check out the rest of this series.

My next read was Inhumans vs X-Men #1, which I was hesitant about due to my growing aversion towards event comics in recent years. However, this issue, which saw the set-up towards the titular battle over the fate of the terrigen mists, I actually found to be rather enjoyable. It wasn't a perfect issue by any means as I thought the first third/half of it felt very slow but once the X-Men's battle plans were revealed, I found Soule and Lemire's story to be much more interesting. I also loved Yu's art in the issue which had a really moody vibe that perfectly matched with the plot, as well as a cool Emma Frost depiction which looked to have been ripped straight from the First Class film. By the end I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this issue and may have to check out the rest some day.
 
Comic number six was Cage #1 by Genndy Tartakovsky, which was a more light-hearted take on the character as he takes to the streets to discover the truth behind the heroes of New York suddenly disappearing. Now this was a comic which, while hearing about, I hadn't really paid much attention to and had all but forgotten. However, after reading it, I've got to admit that I wasn't impressed with it, as the story was too light-hearted for my taste (that's not a bad thing, but I guess I'm just a dark guy) and seeming far too similar to a Deadpool comic (which I've never been a fan of). Meanwhile, the artwork in this issue just seemed 'wrong' for some reason which I can't put my finger on it. That's about all I can say on this because, beyond these points, it didn't really make an impression on me and so I probably won't get the following three issues.

Night of the Living Deadpool #1 was my next read, as Cullen Bunn and Ramon Rosanas gave us a story of the Merc with a Mouth waking up in a restaurant after an eating splurge to find that the world has crumbled due to a zombie outbreak. With this issue, I found that I really enjoyed reading it, something I was not expecting given my love/hate relationship with the titular character. However, in this book I really liked what felt liked a toned-down version of Deadpool as well as a story which seemed like a pastiche or parody of the Walking Dead with Deadpool filling in for Rick Grimes. Ramon Rosanas' absolutely awesome art kinda sealed this idea for me as his mostly black and white artwork gave me a real 50's B-Movie vibe while also reflecting WD's interiors. Also, a number of scenes seemed very similar to Walking Dead's initial arc, with Deadpool waking up amongst the chaos and even him exiting an alley. As I think about this, I realise that this could be the most enjoyable of all these comics so far (shock!!!) and has me tempted to pick up the rest of the mini if and when I get the chance.

My next read was The Unbelievable Gwenpool #5 which followed the titular heroine as she continued her superheroing after the defeat of M.O.D.O.K and ending up with a team up with a certain Spider-Man. However, this book was just to silly for me and I didn't enjoy it. There was nothing wrong with the issue as far as I could tell as the art looked solid and the story seemed (although one could argue that as it didn't draw me in). However, everyone has different tastes and, for me, this was a book I found enjoyable or could really follow (although being issue 5 might have something to do with that). I think I'd best avoid this series going forward.

After a bit of Hiatus, I then moved on to Iron Fist #1 by Ed Brisson and Mike Perkins which saw the Immortal Weapon seemingly travelling the world in search of his chi after the loss of K'un L'un. With Iron Fist, I've gone back and forth, loving the Fraction/Aja run but not doing so well with the Andrews arc. This issue, however, was incredibly enjoyable to me and felt like a nice middle ground between those prior two runs. If I had one problem it's that the comic looked too cinematic, like it was mirroring the Netflix show or something. However, that was a minor quibble as it was fun and seriously has me considering checking out the series as a whole.

(Since reading this, I have actually picked up the trade. Thank you Comixology's 99p sale!!)

Surprisingly, the same could then be said of my next read, The Mighty Captain Marvel #0 by Margaret Stohl, Emilio Laiso and Ramon Rosanas which, despite falling out of Civil War 2, surpassed my expectations and was a deeply interesting and enjoyable comic. This issue saw Carol struggling to deal with what happened in CW2 while continuing to run Alpha Flight and trying to deal with a barrage of incoming alien refugees. This was a book which I found to be beautiful in it's art and shockingly engrossing in its story. By the end I felt I may have tarred too many Marvel books with the same brush and, while it's been a while since I was following a Carol Danvers series, this issue certainly has me considering checking this one out.

Sadly, that positive run came to an end quickly with Secret Warriors #1 by Matthew Rosenberg, Javier Garron and Tradd Moore, which was sort of a Secret Empire tie-in as Daisy Johnson brought together a team consisting of Ms Marvel, Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Girl and a few other inhumans to stage a jailbreak. Now, this was an ok issue because, while the art was gorgeous and I really liked it, the story felt just too tied into Secret Empire for my liking. This wasn't helped by the retcon of Quake being an inhuman (which she isn't, is she?), obviously to tie into Agents of SHIELD and the MCU, something I'm never a fan of. As a result, while the art did look cool, I'm not sure this book is my thing and so it can join the list of titles of which I've archived.

Next came W.M.D. Weapons of Mutant Destruction: Alpha #1, a one-shot which opened the Weapons of Mutant Destruction mini event (thing) set over Weapon X and Totally Awesome Hulk as the characters from the two came together to hunt down and beat a fanatic group hoping to make Mutant Hulk/Wolverine hybrids (apparently). For me, this was an ok issue as, despite the premise seeming a little wish fulfilment-esque, Greg Pak does do some awesome writing to make the story interesting (such as Old Man Logan 'keeping the wheels on the bus' as he put it). Beyond that, it felt very by the numbers and, while not the worst digital comic I've read, it also didn't compel me to buy the others.

Afterwards came Chip Zdarsky's Star-Lord #1, which followed the Guardians of the Galaxy's acclimatising to Earth post-Civil War 2 as the Guardians find themselves trapped there. In truth, this is all I remember of the issue as, despite some gorgeous looking art from Kris Anka, I just couldn't get on board with this version of Peter Quill, who I think is a far cry from what I read of him in the Annihilation event way back when. As a result, given that the book focuses around Quill, I found the issue a struggle and not something which could convince me to check out to any other issues.

This was followed by Web of Spider-Man #31, which started the classic storyline of Kraven's last hunt. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this issue either as the story felt slow and the art just wasn't to my taste. I worry that this might have more to do with the age of the issue than the content itself, because up until now I've read predominantly current(ish) comics, and so can't get on board with either the writing or art style. That said, for the moment at least, I think I'll skip any future issues of this arc and archive this issue also.

Finally, the last read was Mockingbird #6, which saw the titular Bobbi Morse invited onto a cruise of cosplayers in order to get information to help defend her ex-husband, Hawkeye. With this comic, despite it being six instalments into its run, and despite it being a Civil War 2 tie-in, I have to say that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this read. What I think was the selling point for me was primarily the story as Chelsea Cain seemed to get the right balance between superheroing and real life, serious and silly, while Bobbi herself was an intriguing character. The art, meanwhile, was cool although nothing special, with the story being the real draw of this read. As a result, this might be a run I need to check out in it's fullest in future.

So there we are (phew)!! All fifteen comics read with a nice broad selection of the good, the bad and the moderately ok in my opinion. In truth, it was a fun, if exhausting, endeavour to seek out something enjoyable which I wouldn't have necessarily tried off my own back and speaks to what a good concept offering a different comic as a digital code actually is.

However, with my Marvel Comics pull list now non-existent, I won't be getting any more to try out, although I have found a few here which I could always pick up if I need some reading material.

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