**AS ALWAYS BE MINDFUL THAT THERE WILL BE SLIGHT SPOILERS, READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL!!**

…looks like only one of us had a positive Marvel experience this week.
All new Ultimates #1

Writer: Michel Fiffe

Artist: Amilcar Pinna

Reviewer: Aitch Cee

Siiiigh. Where to begin? This book was just bad. Bad on all fronts. The story was just below that of a CW show and the art was just forgettable. This book is yet another attempt by Marvel to re-start the Ultimates line and I am getting the feeling that either they are doing their damnedest to make people hate this line or really just scrap it. Also, for anyone not knowing what’s going on in the Ultimates universe, it’s a poor excuse of a jump on book. The book brings Spider-man (and woman) allong with Cloak and Dagger as well as a few others into a post-SHIELD team (Hail Hydra!! heheh) to combat drug dealers. Yes, the new Ultimates fight street thugs. It really starts off this way and it’s poorly executed. It’s boring and if you considering reading this series, don’t.

1 out of 5 stars

 

All New Ghost Rider #2

Writer: Felipe Smith

Artist: Tradd Moore

Colorists: Val Staples

Reviewer: Ray Willis

We know about Ghost Rider but with Robbie Reyes as the new “Spirit of Vengeance”, how did Robbie get this new power and what does this mean for him? This issue picks immediately after the last issue which starts with an epic car chase that ends up with Robbie as the new rider chasing after his killers which ends up going badly for two of the killers but we get to know why these guys want the duffel bag so much. Well it leads to the re-emergence of Calvin Zabo aka Mr. Hyde which turns out to be a surprise because last that he was seen was in the Dark Avengers which we never get see what becomes of the team. We find out what was in the duffel bag and it turns out to be Zabo’s serum which turns him into Mr. Hyde. If you know Zabo, he wants his serum and finds one of the bags missing, in which he lures the leader that was supposed to recover the bags into a room and eviscerates him. The lead was pretty entertaining with Zabo congratulating them on their return and promoting another soldier to lead the team with dead guys eye ball in his hand.

We get back to Robbie and his regular life waking up in the morning and wondering what happened and was last night real or not? The standard for someone who had very interesting night and finds that one of his eyes is a different color. We get to see much more of Robbie’s life with him helping his brother, going to school which is pretty ghetto, and trying to figure out how is he connected to the rider. We get to see where some of Zabo’s pills went when two guys at a party try to ruffie a girl which turns out bad for them since she “Hyde’s: out on them and shuts everything down.

The story is really good in this issue but more show then tell you to get the feel of the character and atmosphere he is in. Living in a bad part of town trying to get by day to day. The art is very kinetic and feels like everything revs up when action is going on. The new look of Ghost Rider is still really cool. I’m still wondering how did Zabo end up here in the story after what happened in Dark Avengers but he did appear back in the day when Danny Ketch was the current “Spirit of Vengeance.” Since this is only the second issue we still don’t know why the spirit chose him but I can’t wait for the next issue to come out.

4 out of 5
Daredevil #1.50

Writers: Karl and Kurt Kesel, Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Waid

Artists: Javier Rodriguez, Alex Maleev, the Kesels

Reviewer: Oz Longworth Jr.

Okay, as a fanatic for the character, there was NO ONE more excited for the anniversary issue of Daredevil than I was. The Man Without Fear has had a good run for quite sometime, changing hands often but always maintaining of pretty high standard as one of the most consistently dope books in Marvel’s arsenal. If any character deserves to be celebrated with a bang, it’s Daredevil. That’s probably why it pains me to tell you that this book did not supply the aforementioned bang.

The book starts off with Mark Waid taking us into the (possible) future of Matt Murdock’s family life after Daredevil, taking on an interesting threat to San Francisco. It was really nice of Mark Waid to attempt of “The End” storyline for his pet project, but after Daredevil: End of Days encompassed pretty much every reason we love ‘Ol Hornhead, there’s really no point in reinventing the wheel. Waid’s “King in Red” story was never actually bad, but never truly exciting either and when the bar is commonly so high for Daredevil books, being “meh” might as well equal “bad.” Karl and Kurt Kesel’s “Last Will and Testament of Mike Murdock” suffered for the same degree of meh, meandering and somewhat babbling on as an excuse to show off some really gorgeous acrobatic panels. In fact, the best thing the book had going for it was Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev’s team up and even that felt like a rush job on Bendis’ part. Visually, Maleev, Kesel and Javier Rodriguez all get it right, doing what each of them does best. Sadly, it’s still not enough to justify the $5 price point.

Bottom Line: Not the worst book from the character (Looking at you, Daredevil: Ninja), but definitely didn’t maintain the gold standard we’ve come to know from Daredevil books over the years.

2.5 out of 5

The Mighty Avengers #9

Writer:  Al Ewing

Artists: Greg Land, Jay Leisten

Reviewer: Lee Gordon

After reading Mighty Avengers nine I feel used. I was going to quit after issue three but I like Luke Cage. His attitude and sense of loyalty not only to his family but the ideal of what it is to be an avenger. I felt that after all this time a Heroes for Hire “Avengers” team is what I was getting, and I was looking forward to it. Ronin was an added bonus.

The cover to issue 9 by Greg Land was tantalizing. I hoped for a person worthy of being under the mask. There have been many, and now another under the guise would be revealed. It was anticlimactic. The beginning showed Ronin and in the end, the filler in between was about Blue Marvel, and his kids.

Blue Marvel is made out to be an all powerful hero. It seems they are forcing him into the marvel universe the way they did the Sentry.  I’m sure it was just a fill in story but I was sorely disappointed by it. I’d like to give Al Ewing a bit more time but I think issue nine is where I get off.

1 out of 5 stars