The best Lemire book in years. This is the most I've ever cared about Wally West. I need to know what went down with him and a certain character!

The Absolute line is the best thing going in modern comics.

Unless you're Gabe Hernandez, of course.

There is something to be said of how well how comfortable i've become with those new characters. I can't say this for too many of the new additions elsewhere. It's team effort in realitity, because this comics deals so well with both the old and the new, the new characters humanize the old and the old give them legimacy. The mood of jokes and mocking is a big part for this, it puts all of them on the same plane, they all feel equal both on power dinamic level and on level of the writhing. Everybody is just so sincere with how they act, which leads to the comedy a lot of the time. Based on those dynamics, this is always the first title i pick every week(F4 also).

This issue highlighs all this really well, as every issue of the run does honestly, but this issue even more so, because it connects more literally one of the main theames of the run: how kitty sees herself in those kids.it confronts this theme, how she wants better for the kids, because how much trauma being an x-men gave her. It's a battle of hers, that followed a lot of her comics, from Wheadon's tenure to this run, so its nice that it gets a issue focused on exploring just this, in a run that actually greatly expands in a new direction for her trauma and her growth and calm, even compared to when Wheadon wrote her. She finally finds the answer, finally finds why it was truly worth it. And it is because of the kids, which legitimazed them again and humanizes kitty.

I am sad that this comics is ending, but damn it is a perfect ending. more

in a way this gave me a really big retro vibes. Not only because it looks like it connects to some immortal iron fist, but of the way we are introduced to the narative.

Sure it is fast, but it feels like what is happening is connected to the world around it, in those more random, more natural way, that it did in the 80s for examples. It is a very interesting choice on the writers part because, there is so much that is left unsaid, so many stuff that is said by riddles and is alluded more than confirmed. All this creates excitement in me, it makes me want to learn me and it does it in this fun, naive way which balances so much the potential seriousness and epicness of what this comics could become.

The art albeit it may not be everyones cup of tea, i loved so much. it is so light and dyamic, so striking in the way it moves, it bends and it twisters, it flows and this way it give a lot of expression to the pages. All makes the mood i talked about earlier so well.

Overall i am really excited in the future of this series.
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This is competentent, but to me it feels somewhat creatively bankrupt. From what the city is, to the whole thing Jason is going through. It feels like Nightwing in the 90s and even some more recent red hood comics and maybe it is an effect that the writer wants to achieve, that wants to honor, but for me this comics has a hard time justifying its existance.

There is things to like. For example Jeff Spokes art is spectacular and the visial direction that he decied to follow also. The colors create this heavy hot ambience, that weights on every page. It has this roughness, brutish and again weight, that fits jason really well and the action scenes feel more intese and unpredicable because of it. It feels like not only it has a good idea of atonomy, but also of weight distribution. The visual depiction of the mood of the characters with colors and position is very very nice. the place feel hot, but also frozen in its hotness and dryness. A minor complain would be some page compositon and paneling decision, which ended up maybe a little bit confusing or just were not at the height of some of the others, bacause of which some moments felt blander.

As for the writing, i see a lot of people disliking how jason was written and helena also for that matter. I agree in the sense, that honestly, if we exclude the visuals, both of them do not really show much of a character in the way they speak or think. It could be made the case that it fits the atmosphere of the surronding and the mood, but where the mood of the surrondings feels opressed in heat and almost sureal in its proto rinascimento alla commedia divina glory, the words do not feel as stilled. This is an issue for both the dialogue and the naration, both lack this sense of not only urgency, but realistic intesity.

The plot also fails to grab me too much. I like some of the things that it leaves open, but for some of the other stuff i feel like it rushes and at the same time, does not manage to provide a good enough hook for the next issues. I would have loved to see a more interesting approach to the whole thing, to exploring jason's situation or even developing the current plot, because now both look like half measures and the development we got do not interest me much.

I honestly with the recent news do not know if this would be the last issue of the series. i could see the other issue being better, i could see how it is maybe planned to be better but as i said i truly don't know. I dont know if what Dc decided to do is right or wrong. As a non american is not truly my place to think anything about it, but a person who liked watching debates, i personally did not respect Charlie Kirk, not even because i do not agree with him,there are plenty of people i do not agree with but i do respect, but because of the tactics he used in those debates,the attitude he had in them, the missinformation he spread and the way he presented mostly the debates he felt confident in ''winning''. more

It seems that ever since Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder finished their Batman runs, every writer starts off strong but in the end falls flat. Tom King's run started off strong with his first arcs (The I am Trilogy) but then falls flat at City of Bane. I am one of the minority who personally enjoys James Tynion IV's Batman run, but I think it is very shallow. Joshua Williamson's filler run was not that bad, but it was forgettable. Chip Zdarsky starts off really strong with Failsafe, and while I did enjoy Dark Prisons ending (as that was Chip Zdarsky's true resolution), DC forced him to pad out and it ended flat post Absolute Power. I can tell that Zdarsky told everything he wanted about Zur-En-Arrh and wrapped up everything, but didn't know what to do with Vandal Savage.

My point being is that I was nervous coming into this run, but now I'm excited, and I pray that Matt Fraction run stays consistent. Jorge Jiminez is the definitive Batman artist of the 2020s, and it's like his work keeps on getting better and better. I Love how vibrant and pop this initial issue looks compared to James Tynion IV and Chip Zdarsky. It's very bright and colorful, I like Batman's new suit, and it is so nice to have a blue and gray suit instead of the black and gray suit. This is the exception where the trunks works.

I love AI Alfred, I like how this run really emphasizes Bruce's technology. I like how Matt Fraction doesn't want to deconstruct or break down Batman, but just make him have fun adventures. I like how Bruce talks to Killer Croc and opens up his trauma. I even like how Batman uses technology to solve mystery, similar to Christian Bale's Batman. Overall, while this debut issue isn't as action packed compared to Scott Snyder, Tom King, Joshua Williamson, and Chip Zdarsky. But after seeing Batman getting beat down and question his motivations..... it's nice to see Batman be hopeful for once. more

i would love to write a review on this, but honestly it's so boring and so stuffed with characters and writing styles and things i kinda like and i dont really that i dont know where to begin.
I understand the need to unite for a bit an era that is at its core very isolated, but in this issue also the different titles feel isolated and a lot of it feels dragged out. Also its overly santimental, not in the griefing for krakoa, but just in the characters interacting with each other. It does not ring true to them and to the nuances and maturity that those character are prone to displaying. more

if anybody ever decides that wants a taste of what this run has to offer, but does not want to go through the whole thing, like a situation similar to God loves man kills or the dark phoenix for claremont etc, this is the arc for it.

For starters this is some of the best work for every of the characters in it. Every single one of those characters has role, a specific role complements the others and also relates to them. In a way humanizes the characters, but also it does something way deeper than it. It shows how the brain, even the brain of so called God can't comprehent the death for what it is, even thanos, who has probably the deepest understanding of it.

What i want to say is that we treat those abstract concepts like they have it for us. Like they somehow care or are resposible for us feeling bad, when death is so much above us all. Even Thor incounters the power of the invariable that is death both literally and in that he forgets the people which he wants to remember forever.

What we get here is a proto aaron iteration of thor in a way, a God that feels fully obligated to be there for the people who worship him, which differeciate it from the real Gods like Death, because even when death is worshiped like with walker she does not wink. As thanos noted he operates in fully different ways, in ways that are far more open and close to people. There is also the question if he simply hates death, because he does not want to be alone in his immortality, which again it shows a deeper phicology behind every action of those character, like it is usually with thanos too

Thanos interpretation is also very essential to the story. He has a very poetic way of seeing death. Obviously we talk about a thanos that is way closer to Starlin's than pretty everything ever since. He sees death as pure, as someone that constantly gives meaning to life, gives comfort to suffering and always leads the way of life and at the same time is hated for it. He sees her as a real woman, a woman he appreaciates and loves and what's why he wants her to be more protective of herself, like he is. So again the way he sees the concept is totally in a human form he could understand.

For rick is slightly different, his connection to death is just starting to be explored, he is just a victim in the whole play of Gods and death. Its like the universe is playing a sick joke for him and like always his expecations are subverted to the tragic. He is tired of this role of always suffering for the others. In a way he does not care bout any of this, he just wants his normalcy. he reacts more animinalistically, more instinctively as most people do, he does not want to defeat death forever or to pretends he does. He just will not give up to save his loved one and this is because he is the most human of the bunch. As shows even in the end when he finally was wrong and death actually winked to him. I think this wink is also very imporatant, because it represent those moment when you feel like the missed you for reason, when actually even if you belive the world is based on cold logic, you somehow missed a sure death or incident.

As other things go, the story really carries some meaning in every panel and for most character since they are not really recurring you get a full picture. As expected from david he weaves light unexpected humor, without ever letting it rot the seriousness of the story, it only refreshes it tbh. It helps the story flowing better and omg it flows so good. The light writing of PAD and the dense meaning of the story it connects perfectly. Surely Starlin had an output and that is exactly why it is so good, because this story combines the strongest trait of 2 terrific authors complimenting each other.

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Overall i like the initiative of Claremont to expand on those old stories of his that did not have a room to breathe, like he did with Gambit. Here, i don't think it was needed, it doesn't feel as inspired and as driven, because there isn't much happening. I love the og wolverine Kitty series, but honestly, it was perfectly contained and idk how it fits with what is shown here. The artwork, a lot of the times, comes off as rushed. I get that it's maybe trying to have that more skeletal feeling of Klaus Janson, but it does not translate that well here. It looks wonky and cheap, with no finer touches. The issue spends a lot of time establishing where the characters are in their journeys, but it does not provide much to look forward to. Mostly, the appeal comes from the warm, nostalgic atmosphere. more

As expected, this arc does not carry the magic that the previous arc had is still pretty good, which is a testament to how good the fundamentals of the writing of the series are. Even if the mystique of the world is already pretty much gone, and having in mind that this is a slight rehash of the first arc, just with more info in, just the storytelling is cool and good, as well as the symbiosis of art, the pacing. Some moments do not carry the same weight and excitement, sure, but the characters still feel alive, the art, the paneling feel inspired, serving the characters well. Some stand out as the Gaby, she is something I am looking forward most definitely and to see how her trauma unfolds and where that would go. Still, everything feels more standardized. If you go past that, it's a blander copy(copy in a broader sense) of what we saw before; this is perfectly serviceable art. At least IMO more

This issue is full of McKayisms, which I would have loved to see explored, but sadly, it does not do a great job at it. Like a lot of the characters used do not get a moment to shine, actually pretty much nobody does, and it looks like the dephs that i came to associate with his writing on the title is gone, and here there is nothing that valuable in its place. The issue is like an example of an issue of Mckay but done in the worst way possible.

It seems like it builds to be an underdog story about Sam vs the new masters, which is cool, but also quite flat, cos i don't really see the contrasts between Sam and the masters. As we don't see much of the madness or the personal motivations of the master for their evil deed or at least enough of it for me to feel it realistically. It seems hollow both in the execution of the structure and in the voices of the character and the thematic, even the drama, not that inspired at least, and at least for now.

Because it really goes down to an underdog story with huge stakes, that personally i did not feel. Maybe it could be pulled off if Mckay tries something different, that he hasn't with title as cool breath taking moments and more instantenuas writing, but as for now I'm really not too excited about the future of this arc and having in mind that the scope of this issue is to establish all the pawns and the reasons to be excited, it really fails to deliver. more

This is cool and in a way it's really close to what remender did with his run about the nature of the american dream, obviously here is way more contained, but it's also quite clear, it may come as overly poetic so much so that it seems surreal, but that's expected from Nocenti. Captain America is affected by some stuff happening in his book at the time(go read Street of Poison, it is worth it), but Noccenti uses his different mental state to highlight the disappointment in how far America has fallen and how other countries do what America used to do better. But what the thing, the former soviet republics are fighting for their freedom, but as Daredevil said, the countries are not the ones fighting, it's the individuals and that's what give the grain of hope to cap. Even if sistemically America is corrupt, there are people who still go there with the promise of the ameerica dream and are not ready to be consumed by the pessimism that surrods them and that's exactly the reason cap continues fighting, because even if there is one person who believes in the American dream, Cap would fight for this ideal. more

Gail continues to do this very interesting blend of low-stakes, slice-of-life and ambitious, dense, packed with stuff comics, which in a way is profoundly an X-Men way of doing comics. It may took a minute to understand how everything connects to each other, especially here, how so many subplots that seem so different could be connected, but i think that there is a connection. After all there is probably a series for all those subplots to be narrated at the same time. It's not fully delved into, after all, it's just the first issue or the second, i guess(depends of the perspective), but there are hints of the importance that being a mutant carries, of the community and the sense of belonging that it creates, we see it in gambit, in the reaction of some of kids and in the new character. idk if it's gonna continue in this direction, because as I've alluded earlier, it is vague, but it's definitely interesting. The issue very respectfully kept its secrets well, its mystique well and it's a mystique ingrained into the pages, especially because of the atmosphere and just the pacing and the new reveals, that we just don't get tons of explanation for, which wakes up my curiosity certainly. Gail does not hold your hand here, she reveals more if the characters can reveal more and are in a position to do so. There is no forcing and probably some detail would be missed be me and probably other first time around, because again things are shown, but not explained.

For sure i am mostly interested in Gambit's plot, it had one issue more to establish his state of how much he likes his life and his comfortable spot and likes the people he is around. Here we get a little bit more than that, so that is fully established that he is in a great place. Gail realized there is no more to build around that and she decided to include the threat of it being destroyed to add more drama, a sense of worry into the reader, because we know already how important is everything Gambit has to him.

That's the thing, Gail ingraines these comics with things to look forward to, because she is patient and does not show her full hand and she does it in a meaningful, profound way, with no cliffhangers and cheap tactics, the comics is packed with info and it feels meaningful and just know how much to give you and how much left unsaid and also to make an atmosphere of uncertainty through out more

This is a big downer from the last few issues, which were capsules of pure intensity.

Neither this nor the last was Stegman's strongest work; there is a lack of detail, volume and as i mentioned, intensity. Villa is worse, way worse. Like bad Stegman is a good artist, bad Villa, oh God. It's terrible, the characters look like slaps of paint, the movements look minimal, it's like older A.i. Also Villa's nonconcrete, rushed as hell style and Stegman's style of exaggeration and details(even if they are not so much here) is so badly slapped together. I can't see a thematic reason, and their renditions of the characters is so different, which even makes the issue look even more like A.I and puts me out of it. That said Stegman's still has some moments of greatness in some pages, where he has control over the action.

But this still remains the cool title, not the emotional one, sadly, this cool here comes like the cool from 20-30 years ago, which honestly is the cool of a lot of x-men comics, contribution to the more wooden dialog here mainly. This arc has so many thing that reminds me of the last decade and I mean the appeal of the last decade, which is just giving us some new type of mutants, while the characters are not written badly, but without much soul either, and there is not much to it. Especially the end is so much a battle of the atom, which I hate with a passion. And also it's the second issue that fully relies on it's end, while it feels like everything else is written for us to go there. I really do not care about what happens next here, i don't care for the new group, because I don't know why I should care, nor the current antagonist. Like the new is coming out of the blue, there is also Cassandra Nova for some reason. there is so much, that happens so out of the blue, while we still do not get any meaningful development. And also last arc with Alpha flight was so very similar in it's appeal and it was better executed. it has this sense of worry, because so many things were happening so fast and there were so many reveal, but they managed to sell it. I think a little bit of realness and gritiness would have benefited this issue, especially when Stegman does not carry it with the dynamism that his art usually carries, but sadly, there is not much of this here; there is no urgency or sense of seeing something terrific, at least for me.

This title is not like this all the time, but now it is. This issue has terrible pacing, progresses very little; very little of importance happens here. more

so, so cool in so, so unexpected way. Ackerman does in in-depth analysis of the economic powers of this world so well that the rest does not matter. Loved last run, but this is so much tamer, so much forward thinking, so much more important. It has that chess plays and tactic that made the last run so good, but here is deeper, tenser in a calmer, more profound way. Iron Man is all about compromises, making the best out of the limited situation, building a better path within the system. It does not carry the explosiveness of the last run, but if you are patient, kinda like One world under Doom itself. It's cerebral comics, a colder one. it has no ego, let's say, it goes all in on the cerebral front, as its front character, it is both very much explained and complex, without much behind the pages. all showing tony's dedication and elevation to a level to challenge doom, nothing else matters, both in the story and outside of it. more

I loved this comic instantly. I have to say, this has already completely eclipsed Lemire's current JLA run. Honestly? I'd have Lemire focus on this and this alone, DC wise of course.

Barry is depicted as a good man from the off and his fondess for Wally is compelling. He has a vested interest in Wally that Wally's father seems to find problematic. It feels like there is more to this. Is Wally himself an experiment? Created by his dad maybe!

Wally's regret over what he did to Barry is felt in every page.

I feel it. But what exactly did Barry do here?

In terms of character designs, I dig the new version of Captain Cold. Hoping to see more character development for him.

Lemire does family drama as good as anyone in comics and that West family drama is the beating heart of this story.

Absolute DC continues this renaissance era for DC comics. I look forward to every issue. I haven't felt this way about so many comics at once in years. Long may it run. more

This comic never had much promise, but it made up for it with good art and narration execution. Now that's gone. We are so far from the initial little promise from the start, even after eight issues in, that we've lost even that.admitedly this issue picks it up a little bit, but it also left not such a great taste in my mouth.

Personally, i can't take Adamantine seriously, and honestly, i dont think it's a me issue. Fundamentally the whole concept is so stupid and honestly everything that is good about this comics is ruined by Adamantine. Last issue was teribly paced because of it, this also. The little conclusion we had to this plotline for now also, it seems too abrupt, with too little of a urgency for something that was sold as so big. Honestly, it's the same issue with Daredevil. And i get that maybe it's part of the intent to make those plotlines to float one into another but here it's like they crash and it's like one is just forgotten for the next, like Ahmed did not plan how to scructure them and thats why it slammed them into one issue. Why i dont like this approach here? because this way the plotlines lose their punch, those big moments as well.

Coccolo's art also i feel it took a nosedive; it looks rushed, it is not as refined, which is a shame because he is one of the best. here it lacks it's potency, it lack the direction, i learned to associate with it, as well as i feel that here it does not work well with Ahmed's writing, which btw is so static in itself and also lack the direction for a huge part of the issue that it had in the beggining. So the panels feel hollow.

The end of the main story, i kinda liked, it actually was heartwarming, especially Logan reflecting on his mother, but considering what came after, it does come off as little cheap to me also
. Plus, this plotline was the main attraction of the book, even if it was rushed for me, and its conclusion did not feel that earned.

DWJ's story is nice btw and kinda the polar oposite to the main story. Intense with good energy more

I really liked this. I think Joe Kelly really stepped up his game here. Maybe it has to do with the freeing nature of this being an ongoing that simply won't be cancelled. Maybe when given as much space as possible, Kelly is able to slow himself down in a way he couldn't on titles like Non-Stop, Savage or even 8 Deaths just before this. I really did like Spider-Man/Deadpool when he was doing that, and I hope we get something more in line with that, pacing wise. I thought the comic was well paced, and refreshing in spite of just how much is being carried over from the Wells run. Everyone's likeable here. There's no forced drama. It felt almost comforting, even if the supporting cast isn't necessarily the classic line up. I saw someone compare it to BND/Big Time, and that's apt. It's just a very clean starting point, but not in a way that feels super disconnected from what came before. The art by Larraz is great. JRJR's art is what you'd expect. He's dynamic, he's got great panel composition, but... it's just kinda ugly sometimes. If you've seen his work on the Wells run, you won't be shocked by what you see here. The backup with Norman is exciting for me, because I do want them to continue his character growth. I really expected him to fade into the background until he inevitably showed up as a goblin again. The final backup is the one part of this issue that's a real miss for me. I just... I don't want what they're selling there. Maybe it'll work better than I expect. more

i see a lot of people saying how much this reminds them of Immortal hulk and i get it, i mean it does come close to the things we associate with Hulk, but surprisingly i feel like there is a lot of manga influence here, in the drama of it, the tension and just overall the visual language. The building up of anxiety, the fast pace, and the gradation of it, plus the suggestiveness of art and especially the colors, make those moments really really innerving and all-consuming.

It's a comic that is a lot clearer than some of the other titles of the Absolute line, a lot more tried, and it does not feel as fresh in its structure. I praised the fast pace, but at times it comes at a cost of introducing stuff more naturally, so it feels overtly simple this way, which also leads to the suggestiveness of art being too much, too, like when hal does those anime profile pic poses and those are so hard to take seriously. Like this comic is direct for better or worse, so much so that at times it is jarring, and it does not feel earned, at least to me. That being said at the same time, it feels like there is so much story here, and even if we moved fast, we did not see much of what was laid as a foundation, like the foundation was built fast, but we did not get a single answer. So many things are to be explored, and this genuinely excites me. Knowing Ewing, this could evolve in many directions.

As i said, it works really well in those more extreme situations of building up tension, where the extremeness of the situation calls for the extremeness of the art, in those other situations not soo much. more

Why the hell is this site still including reviews by Gabe Hernandez?

The guy literally gives EVERY single comic a low score. He single handidly is bringing down the averages of several great series on this site. His reviews read like rage bait in order to drive up hits on his page.

The guy is a hack, and this site loses credibility by including his reviews.

PS This issue is a 10. more

it had been a while since an issue brought tears to my eyes. Ben has been human for so many times by now, that it's amazing how North found a way to do it refreshingly, while staying true to the character.But that's honestly not the most important thing, but the important thing is how emotional, how real it feels. For a run that is so focused on the science aspect and on the wacky creativity and joy of the team, the emotional notes always hit hard and always hit close to the heart. But here is even better because this comics does not pretend to be new, it embraces that it comes like 800 plus issues into the series, that the characters are already matured and attuned with what they are, so it hurts when what they are is taken for good.

Ben has a hard time letting go of what he is specifically and that's since Lee's days, the difference is that now Ben completely lives for the others, that is what he is accustomed to, to be the rock for the team, to be the unshakable and unchanging giant, he has embraced this to be how he sees himself. How he perceives that other people see him. It's fundamentally an issue that deals with a struggle that is typically a male one. The struggle to feel worthy of love, to be the guy that never causes problems, to be helpful to your loved ones, and to control and restrain yourself because of them. The way we see Ben is refreshing, because at least i never seen his identity being taken to such an extend from him, but when his shell is taken we see the true person under it, we see that fundamentally Ben wants to be helpful, fundamentally he lives for his loved ones and this is in the core of his being.

to say some other things about the issue: the way it progress is also quite nice, it reveals more and more about how ben feels, it actually progresses, his grief progresses and i would say that every stage is explored well and is given time. We see him as being sad and depressed, just processing what happened, wanting to be outside his live, to actually trying to be normal, till the realization strikes, that he isn't and understanding his issue more, which leads to him forcing it and even putting himself at risk, being that desperate and weak, to him collapsing at the end. It's quite beautiful and impressive how such a full arc could be fit into 20 something paged issue with all the nuances and little emotions. more

i believe in the current X-Men line, but this not it. it seems like it was just moving out of how fast it was paced, of always someone coming or something exploding. it feels like those comics were not supposed to be like that, like they try to make this story fit into their larger stories, but It does not come as naturally, because so many of those titles are so far way from what this crossover was about. At its core, it is just a dumb chase, like it was only meant to take a lot of those characters to the same place, without the proper build-up.That could have worked if we hadn't seen something like this in a while or if it felt bigger, but most of those comics are on their 9 issue. Right now it felt random. There were good moments, moments that hit close to the core of what the line is right now, but they are so scrambled, so disconnected in such a big tornado of useless and non-exiting fights and just running from one place to the next. It's weak, but also it's expected; they should have let the different titles breathe more before a crossover like this.

As for the issue, some decisions are actually creative here. Like I can see the ideas or the moments it was built upon, I like how Charles left, liked how it was not paraded, and it did not feel big, symbolizing this new era we are entering. I really hope that Charles is out for longer, or even in general, but I am not that much of a dreamer. Like finally, the dream is officially over, and it's a bittersweet moment, it's not completely sad. Like everybody is free from now on, to build new foundations. Uncanny actually had some ground, that i believe would have worked if realized here, like the whole first arc was build on Charles being a cataclyst, even if he is not guilty per se for traumas, which is kinda close to Scott, if defended correctly. Plus the art humanized Charles.

i did not like a lot of the things that were building this moment, the conflict in general was weak and here the pacing was quite off, just being really slow in the start with no real reason behind. I did not like Cyke and Wolvie's moments(not to spoil it), it felt out of this issue and also did not carry any consequence, because they were cool after 2 pages, saved by the plot. So yeah, again a lot of ideas for cool singular moments, not a nice idea of how to mesh them together. more

This comic turns out really interesting. It blends well the almost satirical with the genuinely sad, while is still so fast-paced. If you stop to think about certain choices, makes i think that a lot can be extracted from what we got here. I try to stay up with what's happening in America. Still, as a non-American citizen, i also try to not talk too much about it, because my life is too far from it to understand everything in all its complexities truly. Still, here it's somewhat unavoidable, so take it with a grain of salt.

I love how this comic paints a picture,as I've said it does it fast, but in the same way there is a merit in this more direct approach. It's obvious that Eaglestar is bad from the start, it's just the way he talks, the way he presents himself and the others, it's meant to be disgustingly obvious, but in the same time, showing a little bit of fake decency, which makes it honestly even more disgusting. like he does not care or even sees the others as his equals to try to be more convincing. That's what Eaglestar is, a corporation that wants to take from the socially weak, wants to use them, but at the same time take from them. But it's also sad because people have hopes, they are so broken they have hopes that what he is selling might be true, but also these people's life is so broken because of the systemic oppression, that they are obligated to agree to the terms even if means selling themselves and being a happy slave. it's amazing how much it's packed in just 2 issues and again how full the picture of how the oligarchy's oppression over the afro-americans works. It's a lot to take, which is why Sam took a backseat for most of it and it raises the question if his dream is attainable or even if his dream is healthy for his community even? looks like this question is on his mind too. The first issue did a great job of characterizing Sam, of showing you with 3 pages what drives him, the dream to fly, for him to fly, and for the others. He is flying but is it possible for everybody? Right now the answer seems to be a no, which makes the future of the series really exciting.

One thing that really turns me off is the art obviously, it looks so so rushed, proportionally is bad, it looks like half baked as hell. the coloring and the compositions are not bad, they do their job, even tho again are not distinct and it does not carry much of range. All this made the reading experience not that stellar, which would bring down the points for me. happily, it does detract much of the story, but just does not add much to it either. more

In Superman's very first appearance, he's introduced as a champion of the oppressed. In Action Comics #3, his third appearance, Superman intentionally traps a mine owner in his own mine, with rusted safety devices from his own neglect and carelessness for his workers failing to activate. This is directly in response to bad conditions in the mine leading to one of its workers being injured. If you think this comic is hamfisted or somehow out of left field, you've got to try reading some early Superman. I was not very excited for this one as the pitch didn't really feel like something I'd want to read. Thankfully, the pitch sort of buried the lead in what this book would be about. It's taking Superman back to some of his earliest roots, and that's something I've been wanting to see more of for years now. Glad there's a space for it. more

My opinion on Annihilation is controversial, that's exactly why I chose to express it. Nobody should agree with me or anything, i am just explaining how i feel. I do not love these comics, I do not hate them either, I think they are fine.

I think it's commendable to fit so many characters into a comic and to rebuild so many characters with different mini-series. Not every mini was this awesome, sure, but in a way they all helped for the main event to not worry about building any foundation. Clearly, it is an ambitious story with a lot of moving peaces and it give a new life to the marvel cosmos and gives every one of those characters a new status quo, which can be explored. Like I admit it's an important moment for Marvel. But I feel that so much is so weirdly paced and so many things still slip through the cracks of this planning.

Firstly I really do not enjoy Giffen's writing this much here for exactly those reasons. He is good at balancing the characters, but he is not that great with every character, he did a very good Ronan, but Ronan is quite simple and that's the thing he is good with the simpler, more one-note characters(btw Ronan is great, him being simple do not take away from him at all). The conversations between Richard and Peter were painful to me, especially since they do not have much of a relationship and it all came from nowhere essentially like the relationship between Rich and Gamora. The whole skip between the minis and the main event was really weird for me, because why do we spend so much time on building a foundation and to everything to be clear then to then skip and introduce characters off-screen? Especially since Giffen spend half his silver surfer building and nothing else, just establishing where the characters are. He did not do a great job with Nova for me, which is a huge contrast with Abbnet. I do not connect emotionally to how he writes this has a lot to do with the art too and in turn it's kinda hard for me to understand how tired Richard is for example, how much it all took a toll on him for him to take the decision he did. Like i mean i get it, but i do not feel it. Again, this is huge contrast to Abbnet's mini, where it's both clear in the art and in the way he speaks where he comes from. A lot of information comes from just talking, of narating, of exposition so it seems static for the most part, everything Giffen wrote from the Thanos issues which are probably not collected here is like this for me. Still, he has good ideas, good ideas about how to progress the characters, how to weave them together, but this is really not for me and i feel a lot of threats just disappeared or were not explored this well, where more could have been done with them. This simplicity has merits don't get me wrong, it makes it all digestible, but again personal i would have liked more flavor.

Annihilius was a threat in some of the minis and has some moments here, but overall I really find him to be boring, i find his whole order and lackeys to be boring too. Once Thanos stepped in, his threat power even became smaller for me and he stepped into the maniacal villain-type early Ultron. Thanos did most of the stuff, Thanos actually was the one that was moving the needle for him. There really isn't much to him, even his main, secret motivation is pretty hollow given what we've seen in these comics.Also i did not like how the final battle was drawn ,sure it had a badass ending, (btw this comics uses the brutal quite good), but I felt it was missing panels, as honestly i did with a lot of this story.

i don't want to be overly long, but yeah, this is a fine comics, but it does not stand above every event marvel produced for me, it's of the better ones for sure, but that's the most i can say now. Hope that someday i get the hype. more

Proof that smaller scale, introspective issues can work well even back in the day. What is essentially a reset for the New X-Men with the reintroduction to Charles Xavier since his departure into space, he takes a hard line with the new members of the team, treating them as green as they used to be. Cyclops, taking responsibility for them as well as his leadership skills in Xavier's absence is showcased well.
I appreciate the levity given in the issue between Kitty and Storm. Everyone is okay finally getting to relax and spend the day with one another. It's a fantastic representation of a what we lack in today's comics. Not everything needs to be a slice of life but sometimes the mundane moments tell the most about the characters' personalities.
This is a great introduction for Kitty Pryde, hinting at an interest in Colossus and even more expansion on his feelings of isolation within the X-Men. more

A direct quote from Gabe's review, “Why on Earth does Jonathan Hickman believe Spider-Man fans are interested in the interpersonal dynamics between MJ, her sister, and her mother?“

Because people have been asking for more from the wider Spider-Man family for years and now, that family is a FAMILY. If you don't create characters with depth, interpersonal dynamics or anything to do, you're left with what the main Marvel universe has. Every character going from one event to the next, no time to talk to Aunt May, Tony running the bodega, Jonah, anyone unless they force themselves into the story. Peter wouldn't have time or make time for anyone if the current 616 editorial team had their way with it so I'm sorry Gabe that I and the wider audience of this run seem to really like these character/world building issues you seem to have such a problem with. Maybe go back to reading the Golden Age where every human interaction was two panels of dialogue and 4 pages of action. Maybe that will clean your palette from your distaste for displaying human connection in a medium so devoid of it of late.

Look at the overall user scores of USM. Take into account really just the ones where people took the time to actually review the book and you'll get a good gauge on the general consensus. Gabe is the odd man out but hey, being a contrarian gets clicks. It's a tried and true way to get foot traffic. I proved that myself in finding his quote. Getting clicks generates revenue for the site which in turn keeps the cycle going and allows reviewers access to more free issues, invites to events, exclusive interviews, etc.

I don't generally believe in pumping up a book just because someone rated it poorly. I'm not even promoting it here but just because something has great reviews also doesn't mean that one has to try and balance things out. If a book is good, it deserves the praise. I believe in rating books fairly because otherwise, what's even the point? A 7 deserves a 7, a 10 is a 10, but the thing about that is everything is subjective. Someone could genuinely not like this issue but what baffles the mind is the complaint here is that you get more out of your characters and somehow that's a problem. more