Amazing X-Men #2 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here, and welcome to my really late review of Amazing X-Men #2.

Synopsis:

Pulled into the Bamfs' machine, Storm, Iceman & Firestar are transported in a place that looks very much like Hell and are almost immediately faced with a horde of demons and a ship belonging to the a group of Azazel's pirates, who are literally about to engage in a bloody battle. They fend off both sides despite Storm's powers not functioning, due to there being no weather here (though she's a dab hand with a mace), and Iceman struggling not to melt.

Elsewhere in the afterlife, Wolverine and Northstar are defending the locals from another of Azazel's ships. After being transported up to the ship in a net by a red Bamf, Logan rips free and clashes with Captain Jack (no, it's not Sparrow or Harkness), from whom they learn that Azazel is the one in charge. Jack also mentions Nightcrawler, telling Wolverine that he's dead and gone before backing him onto the plank. As Logan faces off with the captain, a voice begins speaking to him telepathically, telling him where he is and that Kurt is indeed here, but he's gone after his father. The voice turns out to belong to Professor X himself, which winds up distracting Logan, allowing Captain Jack to knock him off the plank and into the abyss, with Northstar tailing after him.

Back in Hell, along the banks of the rive Styx, Storm is holding her own against the demons when she's suddenly captured by the red Bamfs. She breaks free from the net, but is swiftly subdued by the captain, who appears to be a multi-armed Billy the Kid (from what he says anyway). He orders the crew members to lift anchor and leave so they can take their treasures back to Azazel. Iceman and Firestar meanwhile start to get overwhelmed by the demon hordes, which forces Iceman to pile on the cold and literally freeze Hell over. He collapses from exhaustion, leaving Firestar with the demons and the now-melting ice. As the ship leaves with Storm, Nightcrawler is shown to be observing it, cutlass in hand, accompanied by a cadre of blue Bamfs, telling them that the fun part comes now...

Thoughts:

Things progress nicely in this second instalment of The Quest For Nightcrawler. Jason Aaron uses this issue to ramp up the danger for the X-Men, especially for those trapped in what appears to be Hell, whilst keeping things at a breakneck pace and embracing the madness of the situation, as well as giving several X-Men notable badass moments. Storm in particular gets to show off her combat skills to great effect.

Plot-wise, this issue is a little lighter than the first, with the majority of the focus being on the X-Men's reaction to seemingly being in Heaven and Hell as well as the new enemies. I'm still on the fence as to whether or not this is the real deal, but this issue throws a curveball with the Professor X cameo, which was admittedly a little swift. Personally, I think Logan's reaction to seeing Xavier alive was too underplayed, but the scene certainly gives this heavenly plane some legitimacy.

Ed McGuinness' work is once again superbly detailed with great inks and colours from Dexter Vines and Marte Gracia respectively. Like I said before there are many badass moments from the X-Men here and McGuinness captures them brilliantly here, such as Iceman literally freezing hell over or Wolverine slicing his way out of a net. Overall this issue is slower in actual plot, but still energetic in it's pacing and a very enjoyable read...

Score: 4.0/5.0

Wolverine #1 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to my review of Wolverine #1. It seems like it was only last year when everyone's favourite Canadian mutant was relaunched in a new series...Oh wait.

Synopsis:

We open to Wolverine slashing his way through several robots, before one of them is suddenly blown up by a new ally with electric based powers. Logan yells that he could have been killed, but the guy points out that Wolverine's new armour could withstand a nuclear blast. They then rejoin their teammates, who are waiting nearby to break open a door. They do just that and proceed to lay the smackdown on the guards waiting behind, though not before Wolvie steals a smooch with the girl on the team (It's a good thing Storm isn't here, or that girl would be fried). Observing this in an unknown location in New York are Wolverine's new boss, the Offer, and a representative of Sabretooth. Apparently the Offer is so named because he makes the best possible deal to his clients, and is planning to grant Sabretooth's organisation the use of Wolverine. The team meanwhile have found what they were looking for, a cell containing a member of the Hand ninja, The Reflex. Logan breaks the door down, only to get hit in the chest by a laser from the security system guarding the ninja.

The story then flashes back five weeks ago to the Guernica Bar in New York, where Logan is drowning his sorrows with Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, who is trying to talk to him about the recent loss of his healing factor, as well as his humiliation at the hands of Sabretooth, though Logan dodges around her questions. Victoria Frankenstein then joins the conversation, remarking how everyone heard about what happened with Sabretooth, which only serves to fuel Logan's sadness. He leaves the bar soon after, with Storm asking that he do something address the fact that he's now mortal, to which Wolvie admits that he should probably look into some new training options. One such exercise involves the help of Black Widow, who assists Logan in re-acclimatising to the use of guns by making him practise on a Life Model Decoy of her (...Okay).

Back in the present, Wolverine is shown to be relatively unharmed by the laser thanks to his armour. His new crew help him to his feet and carry him to their getaway vehicle, a shuttle, before making their escape from the prison, which is also a space station (...Okay). As they activate their cloaking mechanism, Logan thanks his new friends for their help.

Sabretooth's representative meanwhile is getting quite jittery now that Wolverine is on his way back and attempts to leave, saying he's on a deadline. But Offer smells a rat and has his bodyguard, Heavy, restrain the man, who is actually a Daily Bugle reporter tracking Sabretooth. At this point Logan and his team arrive back from their mission. Offer tries to lead Wolvie away while the Hand ninja goes to "take care" of the reporter, but Logan susses what's going on and heads up to meet him. The reporter urges Logan to break out of whatever undercover operation or mind control he's under since he's about to be killed. Logan assures the man that Offer's men aren't going to kill him...right before he shoots the man in the head and adds "I am"...

Thoughts:

It's undeniable that the Marvel NOW! initiative has benefited the company extremely well since it launched in 2012, in fact it was quite helpful for me as I was just getting back into reading modern comics regularly, so it's not that surprising that they've decided to repeat this success a year later with All-New Marvel NOW!, with plenty of new titles like the Punisher, Black Widow, Moon Knight, All-New Invaders and of course, a new volume of Amazing Spider-Man (YIPPEE!!). It's bizarre then that Marvel feels the need to relaunch several series such as this one that only started last year. I understand that Wolverine has undergone a radical shift in status quo, but the same effect could easily have been achieved by a Point One issue, which would have made things less confusing.

Anyway, as it stands, this is a fabulous start to the new volume. Paul Cornell is doing a very good job exploring the notion of Wolverine operating without a healing factor, as well as the effect it has on both him and his loved ones personally. His new position as part of a minor super villain team is an effectively jarring shift from his being a school headmaster, especially after his murder of the reporter, though I doubt that Logan has really gone rogue. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in fact just acting as a sleeper agent to deal with this gang, and the reporter could just be an L.M.D since Logan would have access to them thanks to Black Widow (whose cameo here is very welcome). Wolvie's new teammates don't get an awful lot to do beyond showcasing their powers and hints of their personality, but hopefully they'll be fleshed out in future issues. I'm also really interested to see how the Offer is able to broker "the best possible deal" with his clients, as well as what kind of offer he made to Logan.

The art by Ryan Stegman is just amazing! Nearly every panel is a thing of beauty and Wolverine looks as badass as ever. I wasn't that sure of the new costume when I first saw it in previews (as I preferred the previous look), but it makes sense in the context of this ongoing story and Stegman sells it really well anyway. The inks and colours by Mark Morales and David Curiel respectively provide some excellent detail, which leaves this as one very good looking comic. While the issue numbering is a bit questionable, Paul Cornell and Ryan Stegman have nevertheless launched this new volume spectacularly, and I can't wait for the next instalment, especially as it guest stars a certain web-headed impostor...

Score: 4.0/5.0

Night of the Living Deadpool #1 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to my review of Night of the Living Deadpool #1.

Synopsis:

After falling into a chimichanga food coma (man I hate it when that happens), Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool awakens to find his favourite restaurant deserted. Hearing a scream of agony nearby, Deadpool decides to investigate, discovering a note from the owners telling him that he's been a loyal customer and that the doors were locked to keep him safe from the now dilapidated outside world.

After going through his recent memories (in which he fails to notice the obvious signs of a zombie outbreak), Wade is soon approached by someone, who turns out to be one of the undead with surprisingly refined diction. Deadpool disposes of him, but accidentally alerts a whole herd of zombies by shooting him with his pistol. The Merc with a Mouth begins racking up kill points, but he quickly becomes unsettled by the fact that the zombies maintain their human intelligence with no control over their body, eventually opting to flee. He merely bumps into more zombies however, and is left cornered.

Just as Deadpool is about to resume his "zombie killing spree" (anyone whose played Halo will understand that reference), a bunch of human survivors arrive in a truck and mow down several of the infected, giving Pool a chance to hop in and escape with them. Now on their way to "the safe zone", these people bring Wade up to speed with what's been going on. He asks about the other heroes, only to be told pretty bluntly that he's the only one left, punctuated as they drive past Captain America's bloodstained shield...

Thoughts:

There's not much to talk about here in terms of plot, as Cullen Bunn spends much of this issue setting up this post-apocalyptic world Deadpool finds himself in and the characters who populate it. It's all very well done, with a few little touches that render it just that little bit unique from standard zombie fare, and I'm certainly very interested to discover how exactly this particular plague was created. Since this series is following on from the multiversal insanity that was Deadpool Kills Deadpool, it's certainly possible that this is the work of Evil Deadpool and perhaps Deadpool has even been transported into the Marvel Zombies universe, though since that storyline was closed out in a recursive loop, it's not very likely.

This being a Deadpool comic, there are plenty of gags present, with many giving the zombie genre a good ribbing. The flashback sequence seemed rather reminiscent of Shaun of the Dead, and the reference to the genre's takeover of the video game industry was particularly amusing. Ramon Rosanna's art also contains a reference to Tony Moore's (who also drew the Dead Presidents arc for the new Deadpool ongoing) style on The Walking Dead, though Deadpool still appears bright red, perhaps to show how he represents the only colour that world has left (okay, now I'm getting too analytical). The pencils and inks are very polished and detailed, and the layouts are framed really well, not to mention that the undead look particularly decrepit here. As with his last awesome Deadpool project, Bunn has made a cracking good start and I'm sure that there's more to this simple premise than meets the eye...

Score: 4.0/5.0 

And just some food for thought, but wouldn't it be awesome if Capcom did a Dead Rising game with Deadpool as the main character (they are on good footing with Marvel nowadays)?...

Deadpool Kills Deadpool #4 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to my incredibly delayed review of the final instalment of Deadpool Kills Deadpool! I honestly don't know why on earth it's taken me so long to finish this, but it's finally done and I'm sorry for the wait! Prepare to see Deadpool like you've never seen him before, as Sharkpool, Duckpool and...Grootpool!

Synopsis:

Picking up where the last issue left off, Deadpool & Pandapool engage in battle with the Deadpool versions of M.O.D.O.K, Howard the Duck and Devil Dinosaur, defeating and killing them in a surprisingly short amount of time (at least Deadpool didn't keep Duckpool as a snack for later...or did he?).

With their villainous counterparts dispatched and disintegrated, the two interrupt the fanboy Watcher from a fourth-wall-breaking speech. Deadpool comments that the multiverse has a twisted sense of humour with the kinds of characters he is in other universes, but the Watcher offers an alternate theory. If Deadpool is really the progenitor of all things, then perhaps Dreadpool is creating these alternate versions to bolster his ranks. Wade refuses to believe this though, remarking that he's only good for one thing, "killing chumps". The Watcher then prepares to re-power the Nexus of all realities, which will unfortunately require him to sacrifice himself. Before dying, he urges Wade to save all of creation...and kick his own ass!

With the Watcher now gone, Deadpool & Pandapool enter the Nexus, arriving at the reality in which Dreadpool resides...with an army of rogue Deadpool as their greeting party. It's not the end for our hero and his animalistic counterpart however, as the army is suddenly shot to pieces around them by several "heroic" Pool's, including Grootpool, Knightpool & Squirrelpool. Not wanting to waste any more time, Deadpool demands that they cut to the action montage, which is exactly what we get.

As Deadpool and his good "selves" cut through the bad ones, the members of the group are whittled down, one by one (even Pandapool *sob*.), until only Deadpool is left standing to confront the instigator of this mass suicide...Dreadpool! The two remaining versions of Wade Wilson battle, with Dreadpool attempting to convince his other self about how they are all slaves to "the continuity". Deadpool responds with a question. If they really are the source of everything, then why don't they just fix the universe instead of trying to kill it? Dreadpool answers that Wade's subconscious won't let them as he hates himself too much and therefore has created this "hell", whereas Dreadpool embraces the coming oblivion and therefore won't allow himself to regenerate. He then questions how Deadpool's outfit could look so clean and unblemished considering he started this journey with a chainsaw through the gut?

Talking of which, Dreadpool suddenly buckles over, probably due to the large knife in his chest. As Deadpool pulls it free, he asks his evil self a question of his own. Did he stab Dreadpool in the heart while they were wrestling, or did he make the knife appear with his mind? He also tells Dreadpool that just because he can keep himself from healing doesn't mean he controls reality necessarily. It likely just means he's stubborn. While he says this, Dreadpool's chest wound begins to heal, as does his severed hand, as he finally realises with horror the amount of lives he took in an attempt to free them. Deadpool tells him that what's important is that he sees the error of his ways, so in time, he may be able to make amends for what he's done...right before he abruptly slices off Dreadpool's head and douses his body in universal acid. The universe may have forgiven Dreadpool, but Deadpool definitely hasn't.

With his mission complete and now seemingly the last Deadpool in existence, Wade leaves the "Deadpool Tower" (it's better than "the meat church"), contemplating whether there are perhaps more versions of him out there somewhere, as well as how the hell to get back home. As he leaves, a lone figure observes him, stepping out of the shadows to reveal itself as a fused Evil Deadpool and Gimppool, who remarks that he needs to think of something really evil to inflict on his heroic counterpart next...

Thoughts:

After such a crazy, madcap, multiversal and hilarious adventure, there was always the potential for this to go out with more of a whimper than a bang. But thankfully, Cullen Bunn delivers the latter. There's plenty of violence and humour as well as a thoughtful quandary (I like using that word) posed about the "progenitor" concept.

One of the things Bunn does very well is how he uses Deadpool's fourth-wall-breaking ability in service of the plot in addition to the jokes. The self-aware action montage, while being fun with a capital F, is also a smart way of cutting through any action that might bog down the narrative. That way we can literally "cut" to the real meat of the issue. The showdown between Deadpool & Dreadpool is tightly plotted and there's some interesting commentary on the nature of comic book continuity contained within the dialogue, though it's not . But the comic never forgets it's identity as a Deadpool comic, punctuated nicely when Deadpool lops off Dreadpool's head after giving a cheesy speech.

I've mentioned previously that Cullen Bunn's imagination when it comes to conjuring up alternate Deadpool's has been one of the series biggest strengths, but here he puts all his previous efforts to shame (well, Galactipool was pretty awesome), with many of the laugh-out-loud moments being the sheer sight of these Deadpool's. I almost wish there was a  There's even a Deadpool modelled after his DC counterpart Deathstroke, though he's kept partially in shadow. Salva Espin maintains his excellent work on the series in this final issue, packing it full of scenes both hilarious and action packed (often all at once), especially during the action montage.

I'm somewhat divided about the ending though. The final twist came out of nowhere and still has me scratching my head, not to mention that it ends teasing the next storyline Cullen Bunn is penning for Deadpool, rather than closing the "Killogy" out in a more meaningful way. That being said, it's possible that Night of the Living Deadpool will directly follow on from this and perhaps explain Evil Gimppool, so it's difficult to consider these as actual plot holes when there's potentially more to come. On the more positive end of the spectrum, after all the bloodshed and the nihilistic philosophy of Dreadpool, ending this mini on a more optimistic note is very much appreciated. To quote the Eleventh Doctor (or Twelfth, or Thirteenth? I can't keep it straight anymore thanks to Moffat!) "There's an awful lot of one, but there's an infinity of the other". It's totally plausible that there are still some other Deadpool's out there somewhere in the vast tapestry that is the multiverse and hopefully we will see them in the future. Cullen Bunn & Salva Espin have crafted a hilarious, violent and totally insane series with just enough heart in it to make you care about these larger than life versions of the same character, some classic Deadpool humour and some totally bonkers set-pieces...

Score: 4.0/5.0

Amazing Spider-Man #700.1 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to my review of Amazing Spider-Man #700.1. That's right, Peter Parker, the original, actual, totally Amazing Spider-Man is back (even if it is in a flashback series)...

Synopsis:

Several years before his death at the hands of Doctor Octopus, Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, is patrolling the streets of New York City. As November hits with longer, colder nights, Peter thinks on how each of them begin and end the same way, with the hope that people won't need him, and that even Spider-Man can run out of strength.

After listening to J. Jonah Jameson ranting about Spidey at the Daily Bugle. Peter pays a visit to his Aunt May, telling her he feels worn out, as if somethings drawing his heat from him. May tells him about how Uncle Ben would say that November was nature's way of telling people to rest, and that there's nothing so sad it doesn't bring something positive. Peter leaves the conversation more optimistic, thinking it's probably just the November blues getting him down. He arrives back at his apartment way behind schedule on his patrol. He prepares to suit up, but instead winds up falling asleep.


Everyone begins taking shelter as the storm hits, with New York covered in snow by the time Peter awakens. A fire breaks out in an apartment block and the city is soon engulfed in darkness when a branch falls on the lines. Peter tries to check on May, but has no signal on his phone due to the power cut. The furnace at May's house has also stopped working, and things don't get any better as a tree branch breaks through the bathroom window (Man, the trees really have it in for New York this winter?). Peter's worry for his Aunt is compounded further by his Spider-Sense starting to tingle, so he decides to go and make sure she's alright, not as Peter Parker, but as Spider-Man...

Thoughts:

It's hard to believe that it's nearly been a full year since Peter Parker was bumped off in the final issue of Amazing Spider-Man. While it's successor, Superior Spider-Man has improved since it's hit-and-miss first issue, we've been so inundated with Doctor Octopus' twisted incarnation of the wall crawler (not to mention the use of the word Superior), that the mere presence of Peter is refreshing, even more so since David Morrell is doing something more meaningful with everyone's favourite web-head instead of just making this first story a fluff piece.

The tone in particular is what made me enjoy this issue. It's very similar to J. Michael Straczynski & John Romita Jr.'s run on the series (one of my personal favourites), providing us with a slightly somber take on Peter's earlier exploits as Spidey, which feels all the more relevant given his death. We're given a more serious and brooding Spidey, which in the context of this story, actually works to it's advantage, and it's likely that the other stories will feature a more jovial web head. That's not to say that this issue is entirely humourless. The scene with Jameson, while not laugh-out-loud funny, is an amusing diversion from Peter's troubles and it's also refreshing to see Jonah in charge of the Bugle since his position as Mayor is starting to run it's course.

Klaus Janson's work here bears a slight resemblance to Romita Jr.'s, which makes sense given that the former inks a lot of his titles, but Janson's pencill's are still distinct enough that they maintain their own identity. The atmosphere of New York in the grip of a vicious winter is rendered superbly and Spidey himself looks awesome. There's the odd facial expression here and there, but otherwise this is a very good looking comic. This opening issue does a very good job of re-introducing Peter and shows that there are plenty more stories to tell with him. It's funny that I can have so much phrase for an issue where Spidey almost never cracks a joke...

Score: 4.5/5.0

Superior Spider-Man #21 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to my review of Superior Spider-Man #21. Okay, I'm a couple issues behind right now, but I'm going to do my level best to get the following two issues out as soon as I can. I apologise for the delay.

Synopsis:

The newly restored Stunner attacks the Daily Bugle, where Joe Robertson is welcoming back Betty Brant to the team, asking where she can find Spider-Man. Unfazed, Robbie responds that "Spidey" will find her thanks to his Spider Bots (which their doing an expose on), which gives Stunner the idea of committing a crime to lure him in.

At Empire State University, Otto is fuming over the fact that Dr. Lamaze could ruin everything he's worked towards. He takes off, leaving behind a bewildered Anna Maria, and suits up, preparing to deal with Lamaze, but is suddenly contacted by one of his Spiderlings, who reports Stunner's rampage, prompting SpOck to intervene.

Elsewhere, at the supposed grave of Otto Octavius, Carlie Cooper stands with flowers, apologising to the dead man she now knows as Peter Parker for not believing him when he told her (back in ASM #700) that he was really Spider-Man in Doc Ock's body. she lays the flowers at the headstone, only for the ground to suddenly give way beneath her. She falls into the grave, but is more shocked to find that it contains no body. She's not given much time to ponder this surprise development however, as a cackling individual arrives and grabs her.

Meanwhile, SpOck is trying to explain his true identity to Stunner, but Angelina refuses to listen, railing against "Spider-Man" for killing Doc Ock, the man that she loved. Being more concerned about Lamaze's plans, Otto subdues her with his new web formula and sends his Spider Bots to track and shut down the virtual reality rig before taking off to deal with "more pressing matters". But Stunner is smarter than Otto gives her credit for, ripping through the webbing before pursuing him.

Otto catches up to Lamaze only to find that Anna Maria has already been trying to convince him otherwise of "Peter's" plagiarism. Touched by her defence of him, Otto is then forced to dodge a bus hurled at him by Stunner, which nearly crushes Anna & Dr. Lamaze if not for Otto holding the bus up with webbing. Stunner then rips Otto's metal arms from his back in disgust, while Lamaze abandons Anna Maria without a second thought. It looks as though Otto is set to have his own Gwen Stacy, but conveniently, the Spider Bots manage to reach Stunner's V.R rig and disable it, allowing Ock to win by the skin of his teeth.

SpOck soon arrives personally at Angelina's hideout, where he pilfers the rig while she is unconscious from neural feedback. When Stunner awakens, she is stunned herself to see Doctor Octopus standing before her, alive and well. Little does she know it's merely a hologram created and controlled by Otto using her V.R rig.

Ock tells her that, while he'll always care for her, he's moved on in the time she was away and found another, leaving Angelina in tears. Otto later visits Lamaze with his holo avatar, lying to his former colleague that Peter Parker was his assistant and came up with many of his greatest inventions. The next day, Lamaze officially retracts his accusations, meaning that "Peter Parker" is now a Doctor.

In the Goblin Underground, Menace brings the Goblin a present or rather a person, Carlie Cooper to be specific. To make matters worse (for Otto anyway) Menace has discovered her former friends journal (In which she's been keeping all her notes on the Superior Spider-Man) and presents it to the Goblin, who immediately delves in for a read...

Thoughts:

In my review of the last issue, I noted how much of the changes to the status quo seemed more like they were made for Peter than Otto, the opposite is true here, though the fact that Peter is now a Doctor would be an interesting thing for him to deal with. Carlie's capture by the Goblin's forces helps to streamline the many plotlines running through the veins of this comic, while simultaneously increasing the Goblin King's power, which makes his eventual confrontation with SpOck all the more promising. I'm also interested to learn what's become of Doc Ock's original body. Perhaps it's some sick joke by the Goblin?

Perhaps the best thing Dan Slott does in this issue is give Otto some more depth. The scenes with Stunner help to show a softer side to Doc Ock, and it's clear that it's difficult for him when he tells Angelina that he's moved on. This doesn't translate to other parts of the issue however. It's a missed opportunity for Otto to become somewhat humbled after Lamaze, a man he saw as a complete idiot, came so close to ruining him. As it stands, Otto seems as indifferent to him as he was before, which feels rather unnatural and rushed.

It's ironic that a D-List villain like Stunner could give "Spider-Man" more grief than the Vulture or the Spider Slayer, but it's appreciated since it shows that Otto isn't as Superior as he makes out. His acquisition of Stunner's hologram projector would certainly be an effective tool for disproving any suspicions about "Spider-Man's" identity, though I doubt it'll be used again with Darkest Hours and Goblin Nation hot on the heels of this issue.

Giuseppi Camuncoli's art quality is very consistent with last issue, with some beautifully framed shots. It's almost eerie seeing Doctor Octopus appear in his original form after all the time he's spent in Spider-Man's body. The shot of Carlie at Peter's grave is also suspiciously reminiscent of the opening panel of Otto in #1.

 

In short, this story arc was enjoyable, but it might not age well given how much it's built upon changes to the status quo...

 Score: 3.5/5.0

Amazing X-Men #1 Review!

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to my review of the first issue of Amazing X-Men! I realise it's quite late to be starting a review of the newest "X-book" to hit the stands (X-book? No? Oh well, worth a try.) But I've been wanting to review a regular X-Men comic for a while now and hopefully when the second issue hits I'll have my review of that up way sooner. I hope you enjoy the review.

Synopsis:

Some time ago, somewhere beyond the realm of the flesh, Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler, sits brooding upon a clifftop. An unknown woman greets him, remarking that it gets more beautiful the further inland you go. Kurt replies that he likes it where he is. He tells the woman that, although this place is everything he imagined it would be, he feels as though his old life has one more chapter to be written (you live in a world of comics Kurt, they'll always be one more chapter).

All of a sudden, Nightcrawler senses something unpleasant. He immediately teleports away, the noise of which surprises the woman. It's not quite as surprising however as the demon pirates that are coming right at her. Fortunately, Nightcrawler reappears and proceeds to kick all forms of demon ass, even stealing three of their swords. He's soon greeted by the leader of this motley crew, it's none other than his own father, Azazel, complete with a group of red Bamfs. The two spar for a while Azazel makes no secret of his disgust that his son "lounges in Heaven". Nightcrawler proclaims that whatever his father is up to, he'll stop him, but Azazel responds that he's forgetting that he's already dead before disappearing. As Nightcrawler stares down into the smoky abyss, his narration talks about how he didn't fall from Heaven. He jumped.

In the present day, Angelica Jones, aka Firestar, arrives at the Jean Grey School For Higher Learning to join the staff as the new physics teacher. While navigating through the somewhat chaotic halls of the building, she meets Hank McCoy, aka Beast, who is furiously pursuing the Bamfs as they have stolen his coffee maker, which he calls "Eleanor". What the two find instead is something that causes Beast to summon the rest of the team and place the school on lockdown

X-Men Assemble!

 

Beast studies the device the Bamfs have built, deducing that it's a gateway of some kind. Rachel Grey notes that their minds (which were previously closed to her) are now open, and that they're all afraid they're too late. While this is going on, Firestar reacquaints herself with Iceman, feeling very attracted too him, though she's met with a harsh reception from Warbird, who informs her "the man of ice already has a mating partner" (wow, presumptuous much?).

The Bamfs' have powered the gateway by splicing into the central battery. Beast severs the circuits, but the Bamfs have also rerouted the power somehow, leaving the gateway open. Rachel continues to read the Bamfs' minds, saying that where they come from, the sky is on fire, there's someone red that they fear and that someone else sent them after the X-Men (I wonder who the latter two could be?). As the portal becomes fully active, the Bamfs teleport away, though the X-Men are soon joined by new ones via the portal. Unfortunately, these ones are Azazel's red Bamfs, which attack the X-Men, pulling several of them through the gateway.

 

Wolverine & Northstar are deposited in "Heaven". Logan gets his bearings while Northstar takes off to investigate, noting the lack of scents and sun. Northstar soon gets the attention of something, that something being a huge, floating pirate ship looming over the landscape. "ALL HAIL THE NEW LORDS OF HEAVEN!" a voice announces from it, warning the two to surrender their souls "OR STAND WITH YOUR PRECIOUS BLUE ELF AND BE LOST FOREVER!"  The words "blue elf" in particular surprise Wolverine...

Thoughts:

In my review of Mighty Avengers #1 over at Spider-Man Reviews (which you can check out by clicking here) I noted that since there were several other Avengers titles on the stands, Mighty Avengers had to make even more of an effort to prove itself a worthy addition to the franchise. The same is true for Amazing X-Men, even more so given that there are ten X-Men comics currently being published. But with Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness writing and pencilling this series respectively, as well as the opening storyline revolving around the return of popular X-Man Nightcrawler, it's hard to see how this series could fail to stand out from the crowd. This opening issue gets things off to an exciting start with plenty of humour abound.

To start with, it's surprising that we see Nightcrawler in what looks to be Heaven, something Marvel doesn't usually explore. I'm interested to see whether this really is a plane of Heaven, or if Aaron has something else up his sleeve and it turns out to be something else entirely. Either way, it's cool that "Heaven" is portrayed as another dimension you can travel to. It's also a nice subversion to see Nightcrawler from the beginning of the issue rather than just a splash page at the end. It helps build excitement for when he's reunited with his teammates. And what do you know, the cover of this issue is not misleading! We actually do get to see Nightcrawler in his classic costume fighting people with swords. The appearance of Azazel is also quite interesting and it makes Kurt's return storyline more personal for him.

As for the X-Men, Aaron has demonstrated in this series' sister title, Wolverine & the X-Men, that he has no problem embracing the more ridiculous and quirky aspects of the franchise. The arrival of Firestar allows for a neat jumping on point, introducing us to the staff of the Jean Grey School and the dynamics between them all. There are plenty of laugh out moments during these interactions. Warbird's courtship of Iceman was particularly funny since Iceman is the last person I'd expect the aggressive and confident Warbird to have a romantic interest in. Opposites attract I guess? The relationship between Wolverine & Storm, as well as Beast's pursuit of the Bamfs (the mystery of whom looks to be quite intriguing) also add to the comedic highlights of this issue.

Ed McGuiness' artwork in this issue is just "sublime" (anyone whose read Grant Morrison's run on X-Men will know what I'm talking about). The same can be said for Marte Gracia's vivid colours, which work in concert with McGuiness' pencil's to provide an animated and excellent look to this comic. In short, this is an "Amazing" start to Amazing X-Men...

Score: 5.0/5.0