Marius Thienenkamp Comic Reviews

On the one hand, it's not spectacular and jaw-dropping enough to justify keeping fans waiting for more than half a year. On the other hand, with UNCANNY X-MEN #600, we have an issue that does what it has to do: finish what Bendis started back in ALL-NEW X-MEN #1, and, after all, leave me" satisfied.

So, the book has some logical flaws, character roles are changed and there isn't much characterization offer; still, AGE OF APOCALYPSE (2015) #1 is a great first issue that manages to create a spot-on atmosphere, has terrific art and makes me want to read more.

All in all, with beautiful and energetic art, the right atmosphere, thrilling fights and characterization, the creative team did everything right and created another great chapter to a series that has a lot of new ideas on its own and yet manages to take the reader back to a place he loves.

The bottom line: AGE OF APOCALYPSE #3 finally gives us an idea of what the creators planned for Emma, prepares the book's finale in a very climatic way by not giving the characters some time to breathe and characterizes Magneto really convincingly. All that with still fairly good and fitting art " that does have some flaws from time to time, though.

AGE OF APOCALYPSE (2015) #4 is exactly what an issue 4 out of 5 should look like. It's thrilling, it's emotional, and it's definitely worth a read. And the new artist on the title definitely delivers just as fitting visuals as his predecessor did.

All in all, AGE OF APOCALYPSE (2015) #5 is a solid concluding issue with good art that does have a few flaws when it comes to characterization and plot here and there, but, all in all, does not disappoint. A book with an, overall, good story, that will grind the gears of Age of Apocalypse fans for several reasons, but, overall, heavily remind them of what they loved about the 90's crossover.

After all, EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #1 did what any good first issue should do: get me on board for the book and get me excited about what is going to happen to the characters. I'm just hoping for a more innovative plot. Anyhow, I'm more than ready for this new era of X-Men comics to begin!

At the end of the day, EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #2 is arguably the best X-Men comics I've read in a long time. It contains so much of what readers love about mutant franchise and has so many original ideas, from the character constellations, the little details, to the way the scenes are arranged, everything feels extremely in place. Superhero comic writers and artists should follow the example of Lemire and Ramos.

While EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #3 may have its issues when it comes to the plot, as well as the characterization of one of its most important characters, it offers superb art, a believable dialogue, and thrilling action with many, many details to fall in love with for X-Men fans!

All things considered, EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #4 is not a bad issue, but definitely one of the weaker ones in this run, suffering from weird pacing, wooden dialogue and art that doesn't showcaseRamos' best work. Despite all of that though,as a reader, I can't help but be curious about what's to come.

Overall, EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #5 is a worthy finale to anoverall appropriate first arc " and it make me very curious to see where the book is going!

EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #6 shifts down a gear from the previous issues " which is the best thing it could have done. This issue is a great example for how much X-Men awesomeness fits into 22 pages.

Overall, EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #7 is an issue with solid art that gives us a great insight into the character of Nightcrawler and makes me confident that Lemire's future revelations will be just as satisfying.

While EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #8 might not reinvent the wheel, and it's too early to make any predictions about the rest of the APOCALYPSE WARS event, the issue still convinces with its stunning visuals, believable characterization and classic X-Men elements.

EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN has many artistic and narrative strengths and weaknesses and makes us tired of the concept of time-travel in superhero comics. However, it is still worth checking out if you're a fan of Lemire's work on his supporting mutant characters.

EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #11 is probably the epitome of why I feel so indifferent about X-MEN comics lately. While it is by no means a bad comic book, for an X-title, it leaves a lot to be desired. Themes should be consistently explored and thought-provoking. Character work should be believable and relatable, not clumsy and repetitive. And while this issue has a few redeeming moments, overall the APOCALYPSE WARS arc fails to mesmerize me as a passionate fan of the franchise.

Altogether, #2 of YEARS OF FUTURE PAST does have many good approaches, but struggles with the same problem the first issue did: atmosphere. Nevertheless, it has enough good ideas and twists to keep the read interesting!

A darker, more gripping issue with a huge plot twist!

All thing considered, YEARS OF FUTURE PAST #5 is an outstanding finale full of symbolism, great atmosphere and good characterization.

Overall, ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #1 manages to both feel like a typical Wolverine comic book and like a comic about Laura. It offers a really straightforward, simple and action-packed plot as well as believable character portrayal and a smart twist at the end that makes me curious about the future of this book. While it may not be a unique experience reading this comic, it's definitely promising and worth taking a look at.

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #2 is well-drawn, does a great job at giving us an idea about the main character's ethics, point of view and where she currently stands in life, and has a lot of potential " let's just hope it didn't waste that potential during its final pages.

Nethertheless, ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #3 was a fairly enjoyable issue, neither lacking in the breath-taking action scenes a good Wolverine book should have nor the humor and sensitivity for characters we find in any good X-book.

Even though ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #4 treads water and seems like a forced way of cross-promoting MCU characters, there's a lot of heart to it, and it's beautifully written.

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #5 ultimately is hard to review, since it's an issue with a lot of potential and even some really memorable and outstanding moments, and overall, it leads up nicely to the stories' finale. On the other hand, it feels weirdly forced due to unnecessary cameos and nothing new or interesting being done with the Ant-Man concept.

All in all, this issue does leave some questions open and might be a little confusing and weird. I'm curious to see the direction this book is heading (because it's not that clear), but for a first issue, this is really good. It's similar enough to what Morrison did to remind us of that run, and it has enough own ideas to keep the read interesting. E IS FOR EXTINCTION #1 has been a surprisingly good book for me and definitely one of the better x-related tie-ins to "Secret Wars".

So as for characterization, this is a great book. It hasa lot of other cute little character moments in it and definitely pays respect to its protagonists. And the plot is exciting as well. Until there's a huge cliffhanger/plot twist that just left me completely and utterly confused. Again, I'm not going to give it away, but it's unforeseeable and totally absurd. And it makes me a little bit concerned about the future of this book. Another thing that felt weird about this issue is that it felt more like the finale to a miniseries than like a#2 out of 5. The huge showdown has already taken place, several characters already died. I'm very uncertain as for what's to happen in the next three chapters of this story. But we'll see. Anyhow, generally speaking, this book hits the right tone. As I mentioned back in my review of #1, the art is extremely fitting since it resembles that of Frank Quitely.

All in all, E IS FOR EXTINCTION #3 is a good addition to this fun book, but there's not enough drama or focus on characters in it, and the plot just feels ridiculously overcharged.

Nevertheless, E IS FOR EXTINCTION #4 is a solid finale to this book, especially because of the framing and the Charles/Cassandra leitmotif. Still, this series was far from perfect, since it didn't really work as a parody, but neither as serious book since it lacked impact.

ALL-NEW X-MEN (2015) #1 is a great first issue of a "fun" book that will probably be less high-staked, but more adventurous and light-hearted that its sister titles. And it definitely proofs that both the artist and the writer are perfectly suited for the title.

Despite a decrease of quality when it comes to the art, too much focus on Scott and missed opportunities when it comes to the antagonists, what was started in their debut issue still works out in #2, making it a fun read.

ALL-NEW X-MEN #3 wraps up the book's first arc satisfyingly and sets up a fun adventure for its protagonists " and even though the art could be better, it remains an issue X-fans shouldn't miss.

All things considered, ALL-NEW X-MEN #4 is a beautiful-looking and fun book about the international road trip of young mutants, but when it comes to the characterization of some of its protagonists, it leaves a lot to be desired and spotlights the wrong characters.

All in all, I'm on the fence about ALL-NEW X-MEN #5. On the one hand, we have flawed characters, teenage drama, real-life analogies and a fun, adventurous vibe"everything that makes the X-Men fascinating. On the other hand, we have Cyclops's soccer ball accidentally falling down and causing him to be beat up by the Blob for no particular reason other than the fact that he was annoyed. While Hopeless does many things right, the way he handles his antagonist is not one of them"and makes this otherwise strong title seem ultimately pointless.

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Ultimately, I enjoyed #2 of HOUSE OF M far more than the books' first issue, because it does not only provide the HoM atmosphere I recall from the original book but also becomes fascinating in its very own way!

HOUSE OF M (2015) #3 is a great addition to this exciting book. Though Magnetos' reaction to losing his powers is not very believable, and the fact that Marco Failla left the book will mess with the reading flow, both the overall character portrayal and the plot are great. And a subtle, but exciting cliffhanger makes me want to read the last two issues. And I'm so happy that both writers got one thing right: to make this book about the conflicts within Eriks' family.

After all, HOUSE OF M #4 only partially manages to wrap up the book's story and feels really rushed, but convinces with its great depiction of Magneto. And it makes me even more curious to read Bunn's and Hopeless' upcoming X-Men titles.

All in all, though, I have to admit I'm pretty impressed. Bendis takes a book that could very well have limited his artistic freedom and felt like a heartless cash-grab with nothing to do with the original story; and he manages to make it feel like a great sequel and a logical next-step. This is a great book that, if it keeps being as top-notch as it has been so far, I will totally need it in my collection! The story has lots and lots of potential. I just hope Bendis lives up to that potential in the future and doesn't waste the limited time he has.

All in all, OLD MAN LOGAN #3 has gorgeous art, is not poorly written, but doesn't add anything for the character of Old Man Logan and feels extremely redundant. It feels like it's just there to show many different locations on Battleworld and is by far the weakest issue of this run so far.

Long story short, OLD MAN LOGAN #4 is even more redundant than #3 and doesn't add anything to the character; neither does it have an exciting or well thought-out plot. On these 22 pages, barely anything happens, at all, and the series is in danger of becominga missed opportunity to write a great story about one of Marvel's coolest characters.

All, in all, OLD MAN LOGAN (2015) #5 is an artistically wonderful, well-executed finale to a book that had serious problems in its middle. It does so much to its main character, and it also does a wonderful job at building a bridge between the original Mark Millar story, SECRET WARS, and the new OLD MAN LOGAN ongoing title " in short: OLD MAN LOGAN #5 is a must-buy.

After all, UNCANNY X-MEN #1 is a pretty dark opening issue that puts forward a lot of interesting ideas and lets the reader root for at least some of its characters " and with a different artist, it would have been a definite highlight"

See larger imageUncanny X-Men (2016-) #2With mutantkind in extinction's crosshairs once more, Magneto leads a team of the deadliest X-Men to fight for the fate of their species! But can the Master of Magnetism curb his killer instincts long enough to find out who's trying to speed up mutantkind's descent into the grave? Plus: Fantomex! Triage! And an X-Man you probably thought you'd never see again…Kindle Edition:Check Amazon for Pricing Digital OnlyRelease date January 20, 2016.

May have its minor flaws, but it definitely earns to be called an X-Men book and is, among Marvel's current ongoing X-titles, one of the most promising.

All things considered, UNCANNY X-MEN #4 is an (at least for Greg Land standards) artistically solid and overall promising comic book that, despite minor inconsistenciesin the characterization of Monet, does a good job at leading into the finale of the title's first story arc.

Although UNCANNY X-MEN #5 feels weirdly anticlimactic towards the end and Land's art comes with its usual flaws, the spot-on and gripping characterization of Magneto and the looming conflicts between the protagonists make the issue worth picking up.

The second chapter of Bunn's and Lashley's tie-in to Apocalypse Warscomes off astiring and not exactly visually staggering at first glance, but it actually has a lot of redeeming qualities if taken a closer look at.