Secret Avengers #1 Review

Hello Everybody & welcome to my review of issue 1 of Secret Avengers.

Synopsis:

Hawkeye awakes to find himself in Budapest, with soldiers pointing guns at him...and three bullets in his chest. He is taken to a man (Andras Bertesy) with strange symbols on his forehead, who begins torturing him for information (despite Hawkeye's repeated insistence that he has no idea where he is), using various methods such as truth serum and telepathy, all of which seemingly prove Hawkeye is telling the truth. The villain is about to leave Hawkeye to bleed to death when Black Widow arrives, guns ablazing, to rescue him.

The story then flashes back to Hawkeye & Black Widow meeting with Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson wants to hire them for a new team S.H.I.E.L.D is putting together, but due to the sensitive nature of the missions, they'll be required to undergo memory implants, which Black Widow & Hawkeye both object to. However, Coulson then utters a name which we aren't shown, which causes them both to change their minds instantly.

The two heroes are then introduced to Nick Fury Jr by Acting Director Maria Hill aboard the Helicarrier, who also informs them that if they are captured by the enemy, or go AWOL or fail their mission, then they will activate the memory implants. Fury Jr briefs them on the mission, they are to stop Hungarian arms dealer, Andras Bertesy, from selling Al Qaeda cells Darkforce Dimension Energies that he's been cultivating, which includes teleportation among its many abilities.

We flash forward to Fury & Hawkeye pursuing an underling of Bertesy's in Budapest. Hill informs them that the transaction is final, meaning the man their after is their last shot. After Hawkeye stops the man with an arrow, Fury intimidates him into handing over the coordinates for the cell's target. He then shoots the man in the head, to which Hawkeye protests to, but Fury assures him that he didn't kill him as the bullets have built-in healing factor tech. Another man suddenly shoots Hawkeye in the chest. Clint urges Fury to go and carry on the mission, while Fury assures him that Black Widow will get back to him.

Back in the present, Widow unties Hawkeye. He asks her if "their guy" got through, to which she responds that he did, but not alone. In the White House. An Al Qaeda terrorist teleports into the Presidents office, only to be surprised by Fury, who tells him his brothers sold him out before he guns the man down.



Four hours later, on board the Helicarrier, while observing Hawkeye in the medical bay, Fury & Hill talk about the mission's success. The story flashes back to the point where Hawkeye was shot. It turns out it was Fury who shot him, as part of the objective. The memory implants altered Hawkeye's memories as well as erasing them...

  

Thoughts:

Nick Spencer has a great handle on the characters involved with this series, Phil Coulson in particular looks and sounds a lot more like his movie counterpart (which is one of the few problems I had with Battle Scars). The memory implants are an interesting idea to explore, whilst at the same time being very disturbing and I'm intrigued to see what else Spencer can do with this concept. Luke Ross's artwork is a great fit for the shadowy, gritty places this comic takes us to.

It's nice to see S.H.I.E.L.D becoming more prominent in the Marvel U again, this issue also clears up the confusion as to who the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D actually is. Putting all this aside however, the tone of the issue is very monotonous. There's also something lacking in the group dynamic, though that's forgivable as there are other members joining as soon as next issue. While this is a rocky start to Secret Avengers, this is only the start and the series will hopefully improve with future issues. Given that the next one features Taskmaster, I'm seeing that as very likely...

Score: 3.5/5.0

Who Should Get Their Own Star Wars Solo Film

Hello everybody. Not content with producing a new trilogy of Star Wars films, Disney have announced that several standalone movies will be released as well. This has prompted a lot of talk and speculation over which established characters in the Star Wars mythos will get their own spin-off movie, so I thought I'd offer up my own opinions about this. Feel free to comment if you agree or disagree with my selections...

Boba Fett:

  

This is the one I see as being the most likely. Boba Fett has such a cult following to the point that the film would likely be a box office success regardless of quality. While Boba now has a definitive backstory in the saga, there's still a rich tapestry of unexplored elements to his character that would be more than worthy of a film.

How about a film set inbetween Episodes III-IV at the time when Boba first carved his reputation as the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy. Or instead a film set during & after Return of the Jedi, where we could see Boba finally make his escape from that pesky Sarlacc Pit on-screen.

 The latter option would also allow Temura Morrison to reprise the role given that Boba is a clone of his "father" Jango. Whichever time they go with, the film would definitely have to comment on Boba's prejudice against the Jedi & his unfulfilled vendetta against Mace Windu.We'd also get a chance to see the gritty, scum-ridden side of the Star Wars galaxy fully realised on film (it comes with the territory of bounty hunters). And just some food for thought, Ramin Djawadi would be a great choice for composer...

 Darth Vader:

Let's be honest, Anakin Skywalker was the main character of the Star Wars films. They were his story. I would be astonished if he had anything beyond a cameo in the sequel trilogy. A Darth Vader movie could be one of the last chances we get to see this iconic character in live action.

 

The time frame in which to set the movie should be post Revenge of the Sith. Vader at that point is arguably at his most interesting. Here's a man who turned on his surrogate family, the Jedi Order, out of fear for his great love, Padme, only to lose her and be scarred beyond recognition, both physically and mentally.

 

 It would be great to get inside this broken man's head and see whether or not he still believes he was doing the right thing. On the off-chance that he doesn't get his own movie, I would like to see Vader land a supporting role in the Boba Fett movie, perhaps we could even see these two armoured rogues throw down, that would certainly be screen worthy...

Yoda:

Aside from Boba Fett, Yoda is one of the most mysterious character in the Star Wars mythos. A film set during his earlier years (though that's broader than most given that the character is 900 years old) would be a good idea as it would not only tell us what species Yoda is and what planet he comes from, but it wouldn't require watching the previous Star Wars films and would therefore be truly standalone. 

 

Perhaps the film could be an epic stretching across key moments in Yoda's vast lifespan (the character is certainly epic enough). We'd also get to see an older Star Wars universe. Frank Oz has reportedly expressed his interest in reprising the role of Yoda, which to me gives the film even more reason to be made. While voice actor Tom Kane does a good Yoda, Frank Oz IS Yoda, and I would like nothing more than to see this character take centre stage in his very own movie...

Obi-Wan Kenobi:

Now I'll admit that I'm kind of biased towards Obi-Wan, he's my favourite Star Wars character. But I wouldn't list him here if there wasn't still some interesting things to do with this character. Like Darth Vader, Obi Wan is left in a very vulnerable place after Episode III. He is forced to become a hermit on Tatooine, to devote himself utterly to the protection of Luke Skywalker, after watching his closest friend, Anakin, succumb to the dark side. 

 

A film set during this period could adapt elements from author Jude Watson's The Last of the Jedi series of novels, in which Obi-Wan is the title character. Alternatively, the film could be set before Episode I, and we could see how different a Jedi Obi-Wan is when compared to Anakin. 

 

Either option would allow Liam Neeson to reprise the role of Qui-Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul could potentially return as a villain since he was resurrected in The Clone Wars television series (although it remains to be seen if he'll survive it). Ewan McGregor has openly stated that he'll return to the role if he's asked to, which makes him a dead cert if the film gets greenlit. Obi-Wan has a lot of untapped potential to explore. It just depends if Disney think the same... 

 

Ahsoka Tano:

Now this is a bit of a long shot. Not only has Anakin Skywalker's Padawan not featured in any of the previous movies, but it's unknown as to whether or not she'll survive the events of The Clone Wars given that she doesn't feature in Episode III.

 

However, Ahsoka's story has become very compelling over the course of the series. A solo film would be able to expand her story past Order 66 and examine an outside view on the horrific massacre of the Jedi Order. Once again I would like to see Darth Vader in a supporting role. Ahsoka's reaction to her mentor's fall to the dark side would be very interesting to see, plus the potential battle between them would be very thrilling. 

 

When it comes to who could play Ahsoka in this potential movie, Imogen Poots or Emma Watson would be good choices in the event that voice actress Ashley Eckstein doesn't reprise the role. They both resemble Ahsoka and they're both great actresses who'd do the part justice. Like I said, it's a longshot and the least likeliest of these films to get made, but you never know....

 

Iron Man #6 Review

 

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Iron Man #6. When we last saw Tony Stark, he'd flown off into space in his awesome new armour "to boldly go where no man has gone before" (I just had to do that)...

Synopsis:

The issue begins with Tony fighting a bunch of pirate spaceships, musing that while he's seen so many incredible things, he doesn't realise it as often as he should, and it scares him. We then cut to Tony flirting outrageously with an alien girl in an alien bar. While this is going on, Tony notices another armoured figure staring at them. The alien girl, Veritina, says he is Death's Head, a dangerous bounty hunter. The two then head for the Veritina's "house" (more of a palace really) and she tells Tony about her species, the Voldi, and how they taught several other alien races including the Kree and the Shi'ar. Tony thanks her for the conversation and tells her about his father, saying he's still living up to what his father wanted for him. They arrive at Veritina's bedroom and just as things are about to get intimate, Veritina recoils in horror at the sight of Tony's beard. She tells him to leave at once, to which Tony silently complies. As he is on his way out, he is attacked by several robot soldiers, who say he is wanted for "the crime of decide". Tony decides to surrender in order to clear this up. He is taken to the Supreme Justicar, who brands him "The Godkiller", the god in question being the "Void Falcon", or as most would call it, the Phoenix Force...

 

Thoughts:

The concept of Tony Stark exploring the universe to learn and experience more is a fantastic idea and writer Kieron Gillen gets things off to a cracking start with this issue. Gillen's characterisation of Iron Man is spot on. He throws Tony joke after joke, most of which fit the character's sharp wit. But Gillen also delves deeper into Tony's character and shows his more vulnerable side. I also appreciate that Gillen embraces the obvious similarities to Star Trek in this issue rather dodging around them with the odd, vague reference. The humour is also well-applied, who'd have thought that not shaving could be so problematic? Greg Land is given a lot more creative freedom with the space setting and goes absolutely wild, treating us to awesome spectacles of interstellar madness. The twist at the end is interesting. It's not hard to imagine the Phoenix being worshipped as a god by other species and while Iron Man didn't directly kill it, he certainly aided in it's supposed destruction, key word here being supposed. From the looks of things, Gillen & Land are set to deliver on all the potential this storyline has and I eagerly look forward to the next instalment...

 

Score: 4.5/5.0