Angela – Asgard’s Assassin #1

Writer: Kieron Gillen, Marguerite Bennett
Inker: Tom Palmer
Artist: Phil Jimenez, Stephanie Hans
Colors: Romulo Fajardo
Reviewer: Ray “He secretly uses Angie’s list” Willis

From the pages of Spawn to the Age of Ultron, Angela has come to the marvel universe. When the Original Sin event happened, Angela learns that she is the sister of the former wielder of Mjolnir, Thor. Angela now wanders the desert of Limbo to an unknown destination.

This was a really good first issues of Angela’s new series. There are two stories a main story done by Kieron Gillen with art by Phil Jimenez which gives us some incite on who she is caring while Angela walks through this desert as the sands tries to tear at her. Kieron Gillen gives us some exposition over Angela but it wasn’t bad. Slight spoiler but she ends up meeting a friend from Heaven who is now living in limbo for safety. The reason Angela is on the run is because of what she is holding and we get to see Odinson, Sif, and the Warriors Three make an appearance. The sub story by Marguerite Bennett and Kieron Gillen with art by Stephanie Hans dealing with the character Angela is meeting in limbo along with how she ends up in this predicament. Angela finds a baby after a colonist ship crashes and he is the lone survivor. Angels makes deal so in this case the child lives with a life debt because of Angela and when the time comes he will have to pay her back. Marguerite Bennett and Gillen really gave us a good story within a story as the child grows up and when the time the debt was going to repaid was elegant. Making deals and repaying them is the best solution to a problem in that story.

The art is amazing with first story Phil Jimenez and I have to say, I’ve never seen a goblin look so good yet scary. The art on the characters look amazing nonetheless and the way Jimenez handles the action is impressive. The way the action flows from panel to panel looks amazing. Also Angela’s belts seemed to really flow with the way she fights. The inking by Tom Palmer gives more depth from these characters, which is nice. Romulo Fajardo colors were amazing to see with the gold on Angela’s armor looked amazing. The colors that were used were great to see. It seemed that the characters themselves had a shine to them in some areas. The art in the second story by Stephanie Hans is beautiful with such a wide array of colors and shading. Her color tones seem to be subtler going through each panel and the story seems more somber. The panels look elegant from panel to panel. The characters looked amazing and her line work is solid.

Angela – Asgard’s Assassin was a really great issue filled with action, storytelling, and great moments. The writing from Kieron Gillen and Marguerite Bennett was great. The stories really expanded on who Angela is and how she operates. The artwork from both stories was amazing. The action and mood setting from the art really gave this story more solid. Also we do get to see the reason why Odinson and the gang are after Angela at the end of the story. The stories are a bit exposition heavy but its not to much to take away from the issue itself. I really enjoyed this issue and will definitely keep reading.

5 out of 5 Wagging Angela Belts

Wolf Moon #1

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Jeremy Haun
Reviewer: Alex “He was a Teen Wolf in his past life’ Krefetz

Halloween may have passed, but it seems as good a time as any to start a new horror series. I’d enjoyed Bunn’s other series so far and decided to give this a try. The plot follows Dillon Chase’s hunt of the werewolf. In all, the standard rules seem to apply – werewolf comes out at full moon, viciously kills all around it, and can be stopped by a silver bullet. The difference here is that the werewolf isn’t one person – it moves on from host to host, meaning that if it can’t be stopped during the full moon it disappears and can return anywhere.

This first issue is light on the plot. We get a few short scenes of Chase before moving out to hunt the werewolf, but so far I don’t see anything too interesting from our protagonist. As a first issue, there’s some room allowed for the creator to build up characters. However, in a year full of successful first issues that seemed to get everything needed out in just one book, this does strike me as a less powerful story so far. Hopefully with a few more issues we can learn more about Chase and his motivation, as well as the mysterious werewolf.

Highlighting this issue is Haun’s art, who I had never heard of before. If you’re looking for a bloody, werewolf story you can’t do any better than this. A particularly graphic scene at a roadside diner shows the destructive power of the werewolf, as well as a look at the creature itself. Haun doesn’t hide the werewolf in the shadows; presented front-and-center, the werewolf looks great and gives punch to the issue.

If Wolf Moon #1 is guilty of anything negative, it’s that the story seems somewhat derivative. Given time, I think the ship can be righted and we can see what has made Bunn such a prominent rising storyteller. For those who love werewolf stories, this is a simple decision to pick up. For everyone else, it is an interesting series to keep an eye on.

2.5 Werewolves of London out of 5

Thanos Vs. Hulk 1

Writer and Artist: Jim Starlin
Inker: Andy Smith
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Reviewed by: Brett “The Artists Formerly Known as “Titan”” Israel

Jim Starlin is considered by many, including myself among them, to be one of the most influential and important comic creators of all time. In both Marvel and DC, Starlin’s legacy is still felt in every page of modern comics, and is most apparent in Marvel’s Cosmic universe. Therefore, when Marvel announced a Hulk anthology book with a Starlin story in it, it only made sense for it to be heavily seated in the cosmic universe, and with Starlin’s most famous creation, Thanos.

This story basically centers around the idea that Bruce Banner/the Hulk was kidnapped by Pip the Troll (yup) on behalf of Blastaar, who is working for Annihilus. Right off the bat, we are taken into Starlin’s wheelhouse, and we never depart from it. Essentially, the conflict comes in Pip, feeling that he needs to right the wrong he caused, goes to Thanos, his old pal from Infinity Watch, to get the Hulk back from Annihilus. While this issue isn’t packed to the bone with plot, it’s a great example of a story and dialogue style that we don’t see today. Almost every character doesn’t necessarily sound like they are from the real world, or the current Marvel U, rather, they seem to declare ideas or actions to each other, in that classic 60’s and 70’s style. While not the most natural, it still is entertaining from page to page.

The biggest issue I had with this story was the idea of Pip the Troll. While an established Marvel character, and appearing to be a classic trickster type character, I can’t help but feel incredibly annoyed by his presence. While I certainly want to know more about the story with the Hulk and Thanos, I could care less about Pip. Also, the story can seem a little stale, but that’s incredibly nit picky. This was suppose to just be an arc in the Savage Hulk ongoing, but the popularity of Thanos dictated that this should be it’s own mini. What this would have gained from being a part of that series is that series being based around the idea of Hulk stories throughout his history, allowing for books with a feeling of a different age, like this one. Due to that, the casual reader may get confused as to where this fits in to the main Marvel continuity, since it doesn’t really at all.

Much like his writing style, Starlin’s artwork has remained more or less the same over the years, and this issue showcases it fairly well. When opening to the first page, the characters looked a little stiff, but as we went along in the story, and certainly when we moved into space, Starlin found his groove, and each page was pleasing to look at; having his more cartoony, more movement based style which looks closest to Perez.. In one bar scene (the bar being called “Starlin’s”) we get to see Marvel Cosmic favorites in the background, such as Drax and Quasar, which I thought was a fun little easter egg Starlin dropped in, but wasn’t totally necessary or distracting from the main story. Also, this issue features some classic talking floating heads, which I always get a kick out of.

All in all, this was a solid issue, but I wasn’t particularly grabbed by the story. If anything, I’d come back for Starlin’s artwork. However, since one of the main characters became an issue for me, I think I’ll just wait until it’s on Marvel Unlimited.

3 Smashes out of 5

Men Of Wrath #3

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist:Ron Garney
Reviewer: John “Because he drives angry” Amenta

This is a mean series. A mean series from Jason Aaron, a man who has done series with a mean streak before (Scalped,Southern Bastards). Before I opened the pages of issue 3 to eventually see the brutal murder of an innocent preacher, I had already witnessed a baby get killed and a group of horses viciously taken out. Disney may not option this one from their Marvel wing to adapt as a cartoon movie anytime soon.

We catch up from the previous issues as hitman Ira Rath is hunting down his son Ruben, whom he has been tasked to kill. Ira has Ruben’s pregnant girlfriend hostage. No one is safe, because the Raths are from a long line of killers, and feelings aren’t Ira’s strong suit. The issue is a tense standoff between father and son, set in a church during a sermon. To say that things get out of hand is an understatement. By the end of the issue we realize that any hope that Ruben had that Ira would let him live is nonexistent, and the chase continues.

Aaron is one of the best writers working in comics today, and he brings along his frequent penciller Ron Garney for the ride. This is Garney’s first foray into a creator owned series and he comes through with typical strong work. His style is a bit grittier than his superhero work, and it fits the subject matter perfectly. Aaron, much like his work in Southern Bastards, examines family lineage, and a constant cycle of violence that has been passed down for generations in the Rath family, with Ruben being the possible break in that chain. First, he has to make sure his dad doesn’t kill him though, and therein lies the rub.

5 Dead Horses of 5 Dead Horses