Astonishingly Awful's Profile

It was a bold move for Marvel to put a Manga artist on this book, one that is drawing in a very sketchy, loose style to boot. Unfortunately, the result doesn’t work at all. Whenever there’s a hint of horror, the cutesy anime eyes take me out of it. The pale coloring, another bold but bad decision, makes the line art, if one could call it that, look even more unfinished. Marvel probably aimed for a unique, atmospheric look here, but it just flooks flat and lazy.

I also wasn’t blown away by what little story there is. As a matter of fact, I felt nothing while reading it, probably because of the art.

All in all, Midnight Spider-Man #1 is a huge disappointment. It’s a shame, because the concept is great and probably could have worked quite well with a different artist. I give Marvel credit for trying to create something that’s different, but the result is a misstep that could have been avoided easily.more

The art has often been the reason I couldn’t rate Bug Wars higher than an 8, but Mahmud Asrar has really surpassed himself with this issue. Amazing!

A restrained issue. What Johns and Hitch have done here is difficult to pull of, but the result just feels natural. Redcoat, more often than not, reminds me of a novel rather than “just” a comic book.

There’s so much story in this issue, and the art is a joy to behold. I wish more modern comics were like this.

A solid epilogue, but the constant alternating of artists is annoying. Diaz and Alpizar are excellent as usual, but Ario Anindito is just not on the same level.
The disbanding of the Avengers feels unnecessary and forced. Even if some of the big names are not interested in continuing, there are so many powerful Avengers out there who have been forced out of the spotlight in recent years. What about Monica Rambeau, who used to lead the team in the 80s? She-Hulk? Scarlet Witch? Blue Marvel? Storm? There’s really no need for the Avengers to hand over the cosmic level threats to the “Maximum“ X-Men.more

This was a pretty good issue, thanks to Juan Frigeri’s art. Simone’s storytelling is hit or miss though. I really like some of the stuff she’s doing with these characters, but sometimes I’m just irritated by the lack of logic. I really don’t know why Gaunt just stopped fighting. Because Rogue told her to? It’s been obvious since issue 1 that Rogue is Simone’s Mary Sue self-insert, but this is just ridiculous.
Anyway, I enjoyed this issue, except for the way it ended.more

A solid finale to an ultimately underwhelming series.

“The X-Men haven’t just been surviving out here… We’ve been living the whole time”

I beg to differ, Longshot. Your poorly drawn and clumsily written reanimation attempt was a complete failure. The outback X-Men are dead.

I don’t know what it is with this book. I have seen in the past that Eve Ewing is capable of telling a decent story. Not a particularly great one, but at least a story with some relatable dialogue, a halfway decent plot and good pacing. This book just feels like nobody gives a fuck anymore. And don’t let me get started on the art. It just sucks.

another Wolverine story taking place in the past which eliminates any stakes. However Ahmed is doing the devils work on the solo wolverine title putting out absolute trash ... so ill take this with open arms. Panosian has a good grasp of the character and the setting of the book. Its actually really fun to read. The retro setting and art /color makes the book stand out. the cover is bad ass als o. im not in love with the book but yeah best wolverine anything besides infernal hulk vs Wolverine. I'll be coming back for issue 2. more

Wolverine: Paradise is an interesting comic. At first glance, it looks kinda cool. Panosian has definitely come a long way since his time as an inker in the 90s. I haven't followed his career, so I haven't seen much of his art in recent years, except the occasional cover here and there, which I enjoyed.

Reading the comic, my enthusiasm faded a little though. The art is solid, but nothin g more, and the excessive use of tone dots is just distracting. I like halftone and raster effects, but you have to be very careful not to overdo them. This is overdone.

The writing is solid, and I love the idea of teaming Logan up with Dazzler, who is everything Logan is not, but I'm not sure I like this unusually gleeful Wolverine. Plus, this reads like a typical Wolverine side quest. Nothing more, nothing less.

In 1988 I wouldn't have touched this comic. In 2026 though, I'm happy for any solid Marvel comic I can get.more

That actually wasn't bad, although the question whether Greycrow will join the X-Men or not could have been handled in a more subtle way. But what did I expect from McKay, who's not exactly a master of nuanced storytelling.
Anyway, the story has a nice flow. This is also the first time I didn't completely hate Netho Diaz's art.

I’m still not a fan of Joe Kelly’s Inferior Spider-Man, but this story, as wild as it is, is somewhat intriguing. I’m also glad there's not a single flashback in this issue. I probably don’t have to mention that the art by Pepe Larraz is perfection.

The best issue so far. There’s so much senseless action, you almost don’t notice the stupid faces Federico Vicentini draws.

An anniversary issue would be THE opportunity for fan service - reliving the character’s most iconic moments, bringing back some favorites supporting characters etc. You will find very little of it in this book. As a matter of fact, you won’t find most of the characters depicted on the cover in this book. There’s Roma and Saturnyne, Betsy and Jamie Braddock, but not even Meggan shows up, let alone her and Brian’s daughter Maggie. No Excalibur, no Technet, no Crazy Gang. Instead we get an obscure villain from CB’s early days called Dr. Synne, some old dude in a Captain Britain corps uniform, and a random demon disguised as CB. All of this is disappointing and infuriating. There is literally nothing that makes this book celebratory, except the fact that Chris Claremont and Alan Davis got to work on two of the stories and did the absolute minimum.

But let’s get to the stories we actually got…

“Braddock Business“ is a disjointed Claremont tale that apparently happens between two panels of an old Captain Britain issue. And that’s exactly how it feels - confusing and redundant. It’s as if Chris Claremont had a stroke or didn’t know what else to write, so he pulled something completely random out of his ass. The art is sub par as well.

“Chains of Command” is the obligatory Alan Davis story. It’s a nothingburger, but at least there’s some reference to the Jasper’s warp. The art is good, but far from what Davis produced in his heyday.

“Another Day, Another World”: Dan Abnett infuses his story with some pagan mythology, making it the most interesting of the three tales. Unfortunately the art looks like a child drew it with burned matches.

All in all, there’s nothing special about these three tales, they just seem like random occurrences that happened somewhere someplace in Brian and Betsy’s lives.

My ultimate verdict: This special is not just another underwhelming anniversary issue. It’s a slap in the face of every fan of Brian and Betsy Braddock. more