I did my best to set aside the fact that the last arc was lacking in the conclusion department and tackle this new story with an open mind.

And you know what? It's off to a pretty dang good start.

The dialogue is full of humor, heart, and insight. Yes, the pace is still glacial and the scenes are still long--yet the reading experience zips by at a fast clip.

This series demands some reader buy-in. You have to accept that you're reading a romantic comedy--a slow one. But if you do, you're in for a treat.

The art is a terrific demonstration of the full potential of minimalism. Even without tons of detail, it's a formidable storytelling tool. A lot of this issue's most important ideas and emotions are conveyed entirely through the art, and Andrés Genolet nails every one of them. And the posing in the action scenes is phenomenal, too. more

The art is terrific from the first to the last panel. The prose is snappy and the script develops the plot of the event with a vengeance.

It's an exciting and satisfying comic. It's a very good comic.

But it's not quite a great comic, and I think it's because as we go racing into this alternate future, we're running low on sympathetic viewpoint characters.

Don't get me wrong, the story is plenty engaging. But the surviving mutants are strangers, and events are moving so fast that it's hard to get to know them.
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This alternate-reality digression is a lot slower and darker than the previous chapters, but not in a bad way. The change in tone is amply balanced by an intricate blend of plot development, character exploration, and AU world-building. The art continues to do formidable storytelling work--although this is probably not the series' strongest issue, visually speaking.

Like #8, Punisher #10 is a slow, foreshadowy episode. It features just a few key plot/character developments filigreed out with baroque art and ominous prose.

But this issue engaged me a little more, drew me a little further in.

The highlight of this volume has been Maria's perspective, and this issue delivers another ample serving of it.

We always knew Frank Castle was a twisted, broken man--but it turns out the same could be said of his wife. more

It feels very momentous despite not advancing the plot much. This issue teases a lot, but most of what it clearly explains is just continuity recap. The art, as usual, is dynamic and well-blocked but short of detail and hard to follow in the action moments.

For all those faults, this might be my favorite issue of the volume to date. Cletus Kasady is the puzzle piece that's been missing all this time, and I am floored by how creepily engaging his voice is here.

The best thing about this might be the elegant way Kenneth's murder-mentor relationship segues from Carnage to Cletus. And the Carnage/Shayde relationship closely paralleling it is also a good thing.

Alex Paknadel already won me over with just a few issues of Red Goblin; his arrival on this title strikes me as an entirely good thing.
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The arc is finally rolling and the plot unfolds in a satisfying, engaging manner. Some of the results are already predictable, but there's still value in finding out exactly how MJ gets from point a to point b.

The storytelling is solid, in both words and art, but it's clear that the writer and artist were aiming to hit a little harder than they actually do. The visuals aren't as dynamic and dramatic as they could be, particularly in the final scene. The dialogue sounds natural and the pace is good--but none of the prose really sticks in my mind.

It's a good comic, built on a good premise, and it makes for a fun read. But it's also haunted by the ghost of the better comic the creators wanted to make.
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This issue ties a nice bow on the series with another serving of satisfying journeyman storytelling. All the character work spent on Taegukgi results in positive change, and there are strong hints that these creators could do the same with at least some of the other team members.

In hindsight, maybe I've lowballed my ratings throughout this series. I still don't believe there's anything in it that makes it a must read. But there's nothing in it that would disappoint a reader that takes an interest.

It's an average-to-good title. But in a positive way: This is exactly the sort of comic I'd love to see filling up the middle shelf at my FLCS. more

This is a thoroughly satisfying (if not exactly shocking) end to the series. I can't fault the plot or character developments; the content here is great. The storytelling wasn't really in line with my tastes, though. My usual antipathy to Mr. DeMatteis' prose style is in play, and I didn't see much memorable stuff in the art.

None of which is to say the storytelling is *bad* at any point, just not quite my cup of tea.
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Although the big-picture pace remains problematic, this issue is a definite uptick from the last one. The scenes are tighter and more fully formed, there's some nice wit and insight in the dialogue, and the art remains clear and clean with a distinct retro flavor.

I still wish things were happening a bit faster, though.

I'm a big fan of Monica Rambeau, and I'm rooting for her and the creators of this series, hoping for something great. And that's the problem.

You have to bring a big bias into your reading to be satisfied by this wandering, wishy-washy story. It can't decide if it wants to be a dire, high-stakes cosmic crisis or a cozy, intimate character portrait.

For a mess of aimless navel-gazing, this sure is written and drawn well. I wish a brutal editor had terrorized the author a little, pushing her toward more focus and tension. more

The silver lining is (for NOLA residents) Monica Rambeau taking Kamala Khan to Hansen's. Adorable.

But that's one panel in a 50-page book.

I like the *idea* of tying an anthology together with a common theme, but the frame story here leaves a lot to be desired.

The individual strips are weak even by anthology standards. America Chavez and Ms. Marvel retread some of their lamest bits of backstory drama for cheap sympathy.

And the karaoke strip has a bad case of random casting; literally anybody could be swapped in for Black Cat and Mysterio. Even if you stipulate that the host has to be a female Korean hero, you have alternatives--this could star Luna Snow with zero alterations. more

The best thing about Marauders #12 is that there won't be a #13.

This issue is a deft fusion of lots of different fun stuff. There's smooth, in-depth world-building to cover the 90-year time-skip. There's dramatic plot development moving the event forward. There's an important character introduction.

And of course, it wouldn't be a great Gillen book without some world-class sass in the character voices. Featuring Sinister, Mother Righteous, and Evil Hope together nearly results in sass overload.

Tie it all together with some well-polished art, and you've got a dense, juicy, thoroughly delightful read. more

The first two acts are slow, covering simple (but important) plot developments. This is easy to bear because the dialogue is simply stuffed with sparkling-smart lines. And the art is a clear, strong storytelling tool all the way through.

The end of the issue ramps up the pace and the tension. Rather than taking the plot through left-field twists, though, it fires off a masterful set of Chekhov's guns. All of the groundwork is clear in hindsight, yet it's delightfully surprising when everything suddenly ties together.
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The art remains superb. Its style is clearly suited to younger readers, but it has as much polish and detail as the most grown-up top-shelf title. Background gags abound.

The only "problem" per se is actually one of those good problems to have: It's incredibly dense for a kiddie comic, which might make it challenging for young readers. But the silver lining is that it makes a surprisingly meaty meal for grown-ups.
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The new arc of the Wolverine/X-Force/Beast story kicks off with a series of slow, momentous plot developments. The presentation is chilly and darkly witty in the writing and (subjectively, at least) spectacular in the art.

Considering the wild content, this issue's subtle storytelling is all the more impressive.

This is a fast, hard-hitting continuation of the story. The Misty-Miles scene drags on a little too long, but otherwise, this is a rollercoaster. The art's incredibly dynamic, and the dialogue sounds natural and powerful (if not as insightful as in the last issue).

The total amount of plot development going on here is a little bit light for a standalone issue, but it's hardly a critical problem. And when you read the arc straight through, I bet this chapter will whiz by without any problem whatsoever.
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This might be a standard-issue "clobber the baddy and then explain the themes" conclusion, but it's a surprisingly tight and satisfying one. Magnificent art (for fights and conversations both) helps, of course.

In hindsight, I think the problem with this arc was that 6 issues calls for more content. This would be a terrific story in 3-4 issues; stretched to 6, it needed either another plot thread or more meat on the White Wolf and Falcon stories.

But I'm happy it finished strong. more

It's a solid chapter that does plenty to ratchet up the ongoing tension (after a nice breath-catching start). There's great insight into Carol's thinking, and a touching moment between Hazmat and Rogue, too.

But I gotta say, I wish this arc had more consistent art. This issue in particular would have been enhanced by more nuanced facial expressions to match the intense drama the characters are going through.
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This finale really puts the hammer to Norman and pays off all the themes that have run throughout the series. It's a grim, powerful resolution.

The storytelling had me on a rollercoaster, though. For every pithy, insightful line of inner monologue, there's a cheesy bit of scenery-chewing dialogue. For every stunning splash of Queen Goblin, there's an action panel where I can barely tell what's going on.

It's a good comic, but I feel sure it could be a better one. more

#11's reign as the most Invincible-ish issue of the volume was short-lived; #13 easily takes the crown. One small but crucial plot development delivered in a generous package of gratuitous gore. Though it's not to my taste, I'll admit it's done pretty well.

Well, a "clever" twist ending goes a long way toward redeeming the last issue. And the art remains formidable, which is a big help.

But this is "action movie" clever, not "rewards attentive reading with great insight" clever. The story in this issue and the series as a whole is stretched thin and aggressively not deep. That terrific art buoyed it along and made five issues out of a plot that could easily fit in three.

And I'm marking this series down as another good exhibit supporting my assertion that Marvel should be publishing a lot of its miniseries as OGNs. #4 would have stung a lot less if it was just a chapter in a book instead of a single issue. And a lot of the foreshadowing and callbacks would work a hell of a lot better if you read the series all at once instead of stretching it over five months.
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The novelty is wearing off the retro scripting. The story's neither as fresh nor as funny as it was at the start. It certainly doesn't help that it takes all of #3 to tie the Sindri side-quest back into the Kang story.

On the plus side, the art remains splendid all the way through and the pace does pick up in the final act. Here's hoping that this miniseries is thrashing its way out of the doldrums. more

Hypothetically-cool things are happening, and they are (mostly) made memorable by the superb art performance. But the impact just isn't there in the script.

The plot developments remain strictly pro-forma, and with a palpable absence of memorable characters, it's hard to care about this particular apocalypse.

It's a far cry from War of the Realms, where there were tons of great characters to hook my interest. more

I feel like I'm through the looking glass here. Am I the only one that sees the emperor's nudity?

I simply cannot find anything positive to say about the storytelling, neither the words nor the art. Even calling it "competent" feels too charitable. There are a few potentially-workable mysteries floating in the plot, but the structure and pace of the script erode tension and discourage reader engagement.

As for the political ramifications of an African-American alternate universe, well, I'll reserve judgment until the story lumbers onward and explains Earth-63 a bit more. But the level of storytelling talent shown so far doesn't fill me with confidence. I better prepare the ten-foot pole. more

A 90-year time-skip calls for a lot of world-building, and this issue delivers in spades. It also lavishes plenty of development on its plot and--best of all--its characters. Wagnerine emerges as a more three-dimensional figure, and Mother Righteous takes what can only be described as a *sinister* turn.

Every step is illustrated with exceptional artwork that delivers razor-sharp polish on top of impeccable fundamentals. This is a beautiful comic.

Its prose is also delightful--subjectively, at least. Sometimes Si Spurrier can lock onto my exact wavelength and his words flow straight in like honey. This issue is one such situation; I was staggered by the beauty of some of this script's phrases.

But I can step back far enough to see that the one place this comic falls short of perfection is in its sheer density. There's so much packed in here that it's overwhelming. Great as many of these ideas are, they could be even better if they had more room to breathe.
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Like the previous issues, this one is built around a very simple story. But the creators tackle it with their wildest pitch yet, adding depth and intrigue to an off-the-shelf fantasy quest with an exotic structure. The art delivers consistently delicious splash panels, and the second-person narration is infused with insight and earnestness. What could be a hopelessly basic story instead becomes engaging and compelling.

It's not quite a grand slam, but it's an eminently respectable triple.
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This fun, fast adventure is a very smooth segue from the title's previous one-shots into longer stories. There's a little taste of insight in the treatment of Reed Richards, and if the rest of the character work is shallower, it still feels authentic. The visuals conform to the artist's usual high standard of finish throughout, and he stretches a little to add a surreal pop to the story's multi-dimensional weirdness.

Frankly the biggest surprise is that Ryan North resisted the temptation to use and/or define the term "chirality" here.
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This is a stylish little chapter, and some time spent in Reese's point of view is much appreciated--even if it doesn't dive particularly deep. The art is dynamic and polished, but it really seems to be testing the absolute minimum amount of detail required for good comics art.

This title is still a dependably satisfying read, but the current arc seems prone to wandering into the tall grass and letting the strategic plot stall out.
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