Am I giving the first issue way too much credit? Possibly. But the premise of Armstrong's immortality on the fritz with him and Archer trying to find ways of doing that has a lot of nuance that gives me time to think.

Am I trying to raise my own website while doing this? I guess, but unlike Comical Opinions most of my reviews requests are for Kickstarters. Except for Valiant and Mad Cave and I regular get advance copies for reviews from them. Anyway I'll be updating this page as the series goes on: https://gutternaut.net/2022/05/archer-armstrong-forever-how-to-prolong-longevity/ more

Conan's actually the least interesting thing about this issue; he's just doing his thing when Deathlok shows up.

I'm more interested in the number of B-C listers of this team; because unlike Duggan's series, this team's here to stay rather than revolve around. You can tell a lot of thought was put into this group and how dynamics can affect the run, no matter how short it is. Elektra for example isn't just the star power to get casual fans interested, she's the most aspirational and most fitting to be leader with her experience and developments; okay Agent Anti-Venom does this to a degree too. But the relationships and inner demons all of these characters have make for great stages of pushing Cloak, Dagger, Dane Whitman, and Weapon H into the next chapters of their lives.

Although that also makes me concerned that Conan could be reduced to a third wheel. I have a page going into more details on my thoughts here: https://gutternaut.net/2022/05/savage-avengers-introducing-david-peposes-new-posse/ more

Nothing too major, just a superhero story with a pretty good origin for this issue's poster character. Just a little and a lot of everything going on to keep track of.

Might be a bit of a surprise if you haven't read the X-Statix Giant issue with the new cast. But as a fan of camp I have to love this stuff. No situation is ever boring and the characters personalities fill up scenarios left and right. Plus there's a real sense of suspense on the feeling anyone can die...

Okay, yes mutants can always come back to life with the Five these days. But come on, this is one X book that doesn't stay connected with Krakoa, they feel like superheroes on a variety show. In fact that's one of the appeals of Milligan and Allred's saga, it's very much its own identity devoid of relationships with other Marvel stories. That's what helps make this series so notable, it does whatever it wants without getting roped into the insanity of the Marvel universe; because it has plenty of its own. more

It really does feel like half of these were made in a rush with how the dialogue sounds like memes half the time. I swear the editors are too overworked/underpaid to catch stuff like that.

Gotta be honest the only bits I actually liked was the American Eagle story and the Kickapoo Captain America preview. America Eagle wasn't perfect with bits of cringey dialogue but it captures that feeling of being overlooked, feeling burned out, and there's a little more nuance to the imagery on display. Meanwhile the Captain America preview shows a guy just enjoying life while trying to help anybody out. I'm just wondering if his full appearance is worth the 2 dollars to a company that celebrates filling out a checklist with no effort. more

I always enjoy a callback to a character's creation. The whole reason Echo was made a Native American was because her creator learned hand signs from his Native relative. Sure the pace felt a bit rushed in this issue but I like how Echo communicates with some people. Plus now Forge isn't just a plot element, having the Adversary as a villain feels right to connect Echo to more characters.

After 1,5 years of boring and forced stories since joker war by Tynion, when it was announced that Williamson is the new Batman writer, I was super hyped, since every book he wrote in the past 3-4 years was great.

A new chapter begins, he concludes Tynion's run and start a brand new plot, and it felt natural, Williamson's writing is great and fits well with the book, the return of Batman Inc. is interesting. Jorge Molina's art with Tomeu Morey colors is damn good, everything in this issue was excellent, finally I'm excited to read Batman again more

Even though I liked Tynion's Batman, I think Joshua Williamson will be better than Batman. It focuses more on Batman and Batman leaves Gotham, which is actually good because it doesnt have the same story of Gotham City being destroyed by villains. I am so far enjoying a lot of Batman content. Keep it up DC Comics and Joshua Williamson!

Alright a lot less cringey dialogue and a pretty good change in art in the middle of the issue to reflect the era Echo debuted. That gives the impression of Maya's beginnings being under attack. It feels like the editors are taking things a little more seriously in terms of Echo's presentation, what with her appearance in Disney+'s Hawkeye. It's interesting to see where this is going with how her supporting character stands in terms of morality. Who's he actually helping Maya or this wannabe Shadow King? Plus the way this issue ends is interesting with some more details about the Phoenix's role in Earth's history because this was always alluded to Marvel's mythos. more

I love spy thrillers, especially when superheroes are thrown into the mix. Everybody in this cast is looking to be a hero but is grappling on what that means. I mean the Winter Guard practically tears themselves apart over who could be working with or against them. It sure means a lot when a god feels humble actually wanting to serve and help others for morality's sake. Also the way characters bounce off one another speaks volumes over their wants and needs. It's why when the Winter Guard comes out at the end does it feel like they really developed. And how much of a threat the Red Widow is.

Although I have to admit, not circling back to that explanation with the Black Widow from the beginning is kind of disappointing. It feels like it needs to be picked up in Jason Aaron's run. Not a bad thing, but it comes across as a little codependent. more