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Comics Round-up : Marvel Relaunch
Nov. 4th, 2015 04:15 pmMarvel is doing a big relaunch. It is of course one of the ridiculous things of comics, especially when you have a title that is on say, issue 5, and you 'relaunch' and reset the numbering back to 1. It seems to be a financial success so it's going to keep on happening. That said, a lot of these Marvel titles sound awesome and full of promise. Here's my first issue experiences thus far.
Astonishing Ant Man by Nick Spencer- For example, Scott Spencer launched AntMan in January, and not even a year has gone by and it's relaunched. Snyder wrote last year's "Superior Foes of SpiderMan" one of my favorite Marvel runs ever. I never did see the AntMan movie, but if it was successful as I think it was, i think it is because it follows Spencer's model. Spencer is smart and funny and modern, while still keeping well within the superhero canon. For example, i don't want to spoil too much on Issue 1, but can I say "Henchman app". Spencer's run on AntMan has been great, and this relaunch does a good job of segueing in as well as relaunching to a new audience. Like Superior Foes, it's a very funny but very human comic. It has been one of my favorite books and will likely stay that way, and if you are looking for a title like this (and collect trades), Spencer's AntMan stuff will be well recommended,
Guardians of the Galaxy - by Brian Michael Bendis- Bendis was 25+ issues into Guardians, so a relaunch for this title is a little bit less ludicrous. I never read the original series, but apparently some people are mad (like really, really mad) that Bendis isn't following Abnett and Lanning the way they think he should.
I have really enjoyed Bendis's Guardians run, and think his style which focuses on snappy dialogue is perfect for this title. I like Bendis but it's slightly different from Spencer's AntMan stuff. This is clearly a summer big screen blockbuster type of story and you got some Space Opera and a The Thing cameo, stuff that nods to the usual Marvel tropes. But again, I think this stuff works in much the same way the GotG movie worked- it's the funny one-liners, it's the comical interaction between varied characters and abit of Han Solo-ish gunslinging. I have thought this has ben a fun series, and this continues that into a new storyline.
Invincible Iron Man by Brian Michael Bendis- in which case, Bendis meets Iron Man in this kind of book is the match up we've been longing for, right? So why did this not knock me out? I am not sure. The iron Man of this title is clearly Robert Downey Jr. It's a good comic and a couple of moments a re great, but it doesn't feel like this book connects like it should. Maybe, expectations were set too high. Of course, one expects that Bendis will find his footing with this title. maybe expectations were too high, or maybe Bendis does not have enough room in just one issue to build something earthshatteringly new. The art is complimentary and like all of the Marvel titles in this review, works well. Maybe making it like the movie was what was supposed to make this feel special, but maybe that actually is working against it. I am certainly going to keep picking this one up though.
Karnak by Warren Ellis- And then this one isn't like any of the above titles. Ellis had a run on the relaunch of Moon Knight that was knock-yer-brains out amazing. Unfortunately, it was also short lived before being turned over to the very capable Brian Wood and then (and this is where I dropped off) Cullen Bunn.
Similar to Moon Knight, mainstream fans aren't going to know Karnak, one of the inhumans. I can't say that I know Karnak. This is probably unsurprising, but Ellis turns him into another unforgettable figure like he did with Moon Knight. Karnak is bleak, he's unfeeling, he's clever and there's a great dark humor to all of this. There is a Marvel tie-in (Agent Coulson is there) but it feels like Ellis's non-superhero type work.
So, I don't know what superhero fans will think of it. Whether it be the hardcore grizzled veteran who knows the Inhumans story inside out or the casual fans who go to all the Marvel movies. It might be a bitter pill to swallow. There's a nice nod that you call in Karnak in when in the situation, SHIELD is not enough, or you need some dirty work that you couldn't ask SHIELD to do. Reviews tend to say this is artist Zaffino's first major work, but he makes a nice fit to Ellis. Karnak is not the charismatic Rogue Batman of Moon Knight- he's minimal, menacing and brutal. He would be at home in Ellis's other universes like Injection or a dark entry into Planetary. I think this is going to be one of those books that won't get the proper attention it deserves until Ellis is long gone from it.
Astonishing Ant Man by Nick Spencer- For example, Scott Spencer launched AntMan in January, and not even a year has gone by and it's relaunched. Snyder wrote last year's "Superior Foes of SpiderMan" one of my favorite Marvel runs ever. I never did see the AntMan movie, but if it was successful as I think it was, i think it is because it follows Spencer's model. Spencer is smart and funny and modern, while still keeping well within the superhero canon. For example, i don't want to spoil too much on Issue 1, but can I say "Henchman app". Spencer's run on AntMan has been great, and this relaunch does a good job of segueing in as well as relaunching to a new audience. Like Superior Foes, it's a very funny but very human comic. It has been one of my favorite books and will likely stay that way, and if you are looking for a title like this (and collect trades), Spencer's AntMan stuff will be well recommended,
Guardians of the Galaxy - by Brian Michael Bendis- Bendis was 25+ issues into Guardians, so a relaunch for this title is a little bit less ludicrous. I never read the original series, but apparently some people are mad (like really, really mad) that Bendis isn't following Abnett and Lanning the way they think he should.
I have really enjoyed Bendis's Guardians run, and think his style which focuses on snappy dialogue is perfect for this title. I like Bendis but it's slightly different from Spencer's AntMan stuff. This is clearly a summer big screen blockbuster type of story and you got some Space Opera and a The Thing cameo, stuff that nods to the usual Marvel tropes. But again, I think this stuff works in much the same way the GotG movie worked- it's the funny one-liners, it's the comical interaction between varied characters and abit of Han Solo-ish gunslinging. I have thought this has ben a fun series, and this continues that into a new storyline.
Invincible Iron Man by Brian Michael Bendis- in which case, Bendis meets Iron Man in this kind of book is the match up we've been longing for, right? So why did this not knock me out? I am not sure. The iron Man of this title is clearly Robert Downey Jr. It's a good comic and a couple of moments a re great, but it doesn't feel like this book connects like it should. Maybe, expectations were set too high. Of course, one expects that Bendis will find his footing with this title. maybe expectations were too high, or maybe Bendis does not have enough room in just one issue to build something earthshatteringly new. The art is complimentary and like all of the Marvel titles in this review, works well. Maybe making it like the movie was what was supposed to make this feel special, but maybe that actually is working against it. I am certainly going to keep picking this one up though.
Karnak by Warren Ellis- And then this one isn't like any of the above titles. Ellis had a run on the relaunch of Moon Knight that was knock-yer-brains out amazing. Unfortunately, it was also short lived before being turned over to the very capable Brian Wood and then (and this is where I dropped off) Cullen Bunn.
Similar to Moon Knight, mainstream fans aren't going to know Karnak, one of the inhumans. I can't say that I know Karnak. This is probably unsurprising, but Ellis turns him into another unforgettable figure like he did with Moon Knight. Karnak is bleak, he's unfeeling, he's clever and there's a great dark humor to all of this. There is a Marvel tie-in (Agent Coulson is there) but it feels like Ellis's non-superhero type work.
So, I don't know what superhero fans will think of it. Whether it be the hardcore grizzled veteran who knows the Inhumans story inside out or the casual fans who go to all the Marvel movies. It might be a bitter pill to swallow. There's a nice nod that you call in Karnak in when in the situation, SHIELD is not enough, or you need some dirty work that you couldn't ask SHIELD to do. Reviews tend to say this is artist Zaffino's first major work, but he makes a nice fit to Ellis. Karnak is not the charismatic Rogue Batman of Moon Knight- he's minimal, menacing and brutal. He would be at home in Ellis's other universes like Injection or a dark entry into Planetary. I think this is going to be one of those books that won't get the proper attention it deserves until Ellis is long gone from it.
