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Review: Magneto Not a Hero “And the clone returns…”

Magneto: Not a Hero
Writer: Scottie Young
Artist: Clay Mann & David Curiel (present)
Gabriel Walta & Rachelle Rosenberg (past)

Once upon a time, in the mid 90’s, Magneto had a clone named Joseph. Joseph was “created” by Astra, one of the founding members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Joseph, fallen under amnesia from a battle with Magneto,  was shortly found by a nun, who cared for him. Inevitably,  Joseph found his way to the X-Men, as he truly believed to be Magneto. His time spent with the X-Men was a great run; fighting toe-to-toe against Onslaught to traveling light years away, going on “Stars Wars” esque adventures. And then he sacrificed himself, undoing a wrong beset by the real Magneto, during the Magneto War.

Now, Joseph has returned, along with Astra; whose been busy cloning Joseph his own Brotherhood… though she’s lost her touch cause these guys are physically beyond normal. From there, you’ve gotta pick up the book to read the goodies inside. But I will tell you, this was a fantastic book. This wasn’t just a giant brawl of magnets, there is great characterization fleshed out by both Erik and Joseph. Scottie Young has a knack for portraying Magneto, as a powerful, yet refined force. Also, double kudos must go out to Young, as I know him mainly for his art and have only read his short tales from X-Men mini series.

Clay Mann was a perfect choice for this series. I fell for his portrayal of Magneto during his run on X-Men Legacy alongside writer: Mike Carey. Clay’s action has a great flow, you can almost feel the metal fragments float on page; which brings to mind one of my favorite scenes; where Erik and Joseph have a conversations the way only two Magnetos could, while walking upwards on floating metal pieces, above the Alps! Gabriel Walta joins the art team with this issue, penciling and inking a flashback sequence. Honestly, I didn’t realize going in that another artist contributed in this issue , so I thought mid-way through the flashback, Clay Mann rushed these pages, so i confer that I wasn’t moved by Waltas portion.

This mini series has been great thus far. There’s been a lot of character set up within the first two issues and I hope the next two continue to move the plot along and bring to life more dramatic tension between Erik and Joseph (the bag of ideas is endless here)  before they rip each other apart. I do also hope that Rogue makes an appearance before all is said and destroyed, as she was once romantically entangled with Joseph, as romantically entangled you could be with a gal like Rogue back then.

I am really grateful for this series though, cause I’ve loved the idea of  Magneto joining the X-Men since the Age of Apocalypse and I savor every moment I’m getting with his semi-new status quo… cause we all know, Magneto is NOT a hero.

Story: 8.5
Art: 8.5

Also Recommended this week:

Uncanny X-Force #18 – Reviewed by Roger Riddell, Here.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer S.9. #4
Avengers X-Sanction #1

Follow me on Twitter @ddsuperbatnix

 

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Review: Carnage U.S.A. #1, Midwest Mayhem!

Carnage U.S.A. #1
Writer: Zeb Wells
Art: Clayton Crain

Before last year’s Carnage mini-series (also by Zeb Wells and Clayton Crain), I pretty much cared very little for the character.  He was one of Spider-Man’s most one-dimensional villains:  A serial killer who ended up with a symbiote spawned by the Venom symbiote, which basically allowed him to kill on a more massive level.  It’s a pretty basic villain archetype, as he’s just a guy who likes to kill people.

Anyways, that series was essentially what the “Maximum Carnage” storyline of the ’90s could have been if it were done right.  As much as Wells is good at writing a light-hearted, fun Spidey book over on Avenging Spider-Man, the guy writes AMAZING dark Spidey stories.  For the best evidence, you need look no further than his “Shed” story arc from Amazing Spider-Man last year where Curt Connors ate his son Billy after transforming into the Lizard once again.

As we learned in Carnage, Cletus Kasady was alive and well, as was the Carnage symbiote.  Long thought dead after the Sentry had torn him in half in space during an Avengers storyline a few years ago, the symbiote had actually kept Kasady alive as they floated in Earth’s orbit.  Eventually, a weapons designer with little foresight and no integrity had the symbiote and Kasady retrieved from orbit, Kasady was held in a secret facility after being given a robotic lower half, and the symbiote was used for new technology…until it reunited with Kasady, allowing a typical Carnage killing spree.

The two escaped from Spider-Man and Iron Man at the end of that series, and in Carnage U.S.A., we find that Carnage has taken his latest murderous rampage to the Midwest and claimed the entire town of Doverton, Colorado as hostages.

Of course, Spider-Man and several Avengers — namely Captain America, Wolverine, Hawkeye and the Thing — show up, but that might not be enough to deal with a serial killer who’s using a baby as a shield and has symbiotic tendrils around the throats of an entire small town.

After having not cared about Carnage or the majority of the symbiotic characters since I was about 9 or 10, it’s been nice seeing Wells breathe new life into the character and make him interesting again instead of just a symbiotic Joker knock-off.  That, combined with Remender’s revamp of Venom, has made the last year somewhat interesting.  Of course, Clayton Crain’s painted (PAINTED!) artwork makes the story that much better, given his ability to bring out a gritty realism in his work.  These panels are absolutely beautiful.

If this series turns out anything like that last one, it’s only going to get crazier and darker from here.  Here’s hoping the detail of the artwork doesn’t hold up the schedule like on the last book.

Story: 9/10
Art: 9.5/10 

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Review: Uncanny X-Force #18, OR Apocalypse Wow!

Uncanny X-Force #18
Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Jerome Opeña with Esad Ribic

After several months, Rick Remender’s epic “Dark Angel Saga” concludes in Uncanny X-Force #18.  Over the course of its eight chapters, the story saw the transformation of Archangel into the new Apocalypse and took readers on to the Age of Apocalypse timeline and back.

Most notably, it put Wolverine in the backseat for a change.  Admittedly, Logan did have some spotlight moments with the Age of Apocalypse incarnation of Jean Grey, but let’s face it, the “Dark Angel Saga” revolved primarily around the relationship between Psylocke and Archangel, as well as the love triangle that has been building since Fantomex’s attraction to Psylocke was thrown into the equation.

Several plot threads come to a head here.  Namely, there’s the aforementioned love triangle, Archangel’s affinity for planting “seeds” (*cough* Pestilence *cough*), and what exactly Fantomex has been doing with the reincarnated child form of En Sabah Nur, the original Apocalypse, who he’s kept in a test tube ever since the rest of X-Force believe they had assassinated him in the book’s original story arc.

There’s not a lot I can really say here without spoiling too much.  If you’ve loved Remender’s work on this book so far, you’re probably going to like this issue.  It resolves bits of plot that have been around since the first issue hit shelves last year, all while weaving in new threads and underlying themes of the “nature versus nurture” argument and the futility of war.

If you’ve read any of my other Uncanny X-Force reviews, you probably also already know that I’m a huge fan of Jerome Opeña’s art on this book and that, combined with Dean White’s color job, it really reminds me a bit of the art style from Watchmen.  It’s not overdone, and is highly detailed while remaining fairly simple.  Cover artist Esad Ribic also handles a few pages of the issue, which have a washed out feel compared to the rest of the  issue.  For what those pages are supposed to convey (once again, I’m not going to spoil anything for you guys), it works to great effect.

Overall, “Dark Angel Saga” has been a fun, dark ride.  I’m looking forward to seeing how X-Force is worked into the new X-Men status quo now that the book is joining the rest of Marvel’s X line-up in the “Regenesis” crossover.

Story: 9/10
Art: 9.5/10 

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Review: Mega Man #8 The Blue Bomber wraps up his second story arc

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Story By: Ian Flynn

Art by: Chad Thomas

Cover By: Patrick Spaziante

Review Score: 7/10

Since its debut earlier in the year Mega Man has been a very interesting Comic book to read. This issue wraps up its second arc as we see whether Mega Man will be able to defeat Dr Wily ,  his eight Robot Masters and save his sister in the process . Ian Flynn keeps his story simple and gets Mega Man from point A to B in the quickest way possible . The action sequences are quick and pretty straight forward. Where Ian Flynn does try to show some creativity is with each Robot Master . He gives each Robot their own voice . Iceman is shy and always worried, Fire man is a western gunman , Gutsman is a slow witted lovable oaf etc. Some of the other personalities are a big miss, Oil Man sounding like a teenage rapper comes to mind,  but I give Ian kudos for at least injecting each character with a bit of personality.

Chad Thomas does a decent job with the interior art , but the cover artist Patrick "Spaz" needs to return to interiors

The art itself isn’t that bad , Chad Thomas does a good job with the action sequences but over all his work seems a bit stiff. Emotions on characters faces tend to all look the same after a while and the inker actually makes Chad’s pencil work look heavier than it should. The cover Artist Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante did the first arc for the series , and there has been a noticeable dip in the art since. I’m hoping he comes back for the next arc because the art work was one of the major reasons I was enjoying the book.

It’s no surprise that Mega Man is able to save the day but Dr. Wily gets away in the process. This issue ends setting up the next story arc which is going to introduce Protoman , as well as The Robot Masters from Mega Man 2 . I definitely recommend this book to fans of the video games . There is enough fan service in the book to make it enjoyable. New readers may not be on board as much . If the writing can continue to improve along with Cover artist  “Spaz” coming back to interiors I’ll continue to keep Mega Man on my pull list , if not next issue may be my last. I can always go back to playing the games to get my fix.

Mike DeVivo

Follow me on twitter @pandasandrobots

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Review: Avenging Spider-Man #2 – Two Ways to Get Out of a Giant Worm’s Belly

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Avenging Spider-Man #2
Writer: Zeb Wells
Art: Joe Madureira [art] and Ferran Daniel [colors]

Zeb Wells continues his fast-paced Spider-Man/Red Hulk team-up in Avenging Spider-Man #2 by opening the book right where the first issue left off — with Spidey and Rulk in the belly of a giant worm.  Naturally, there are only two ways out of the belly of a giant worm, and we find out one of them here.

This should tell you everything you need to know about the overall weight of the book so far, namely that it sticks with being a fun, perhaps even campy, book with a sense of humor.  In that sense, Wells relies on what made superhero comics work to begin with, but adds some modern flair to it, like with the Red Hulk’s attitude.

The Spider-Man/Red Hulk team-up works for the same reason Spider-Man team-ups have always worked, as well:  Spider-Man is a wisecracking smart ass and most of the other heroes in the Marvel Universe take themselves fairly seriously.  Rulk is no exception, and this allows a lot of room for witty banter — another area where Wells really demonstrates his grasp of the character.

The best example of this is probably on page 7 when Spidey wakes up from the worm/slug’s neurotoxin to find that Rulk has been awake several hours and the two debate strategy.

Storywise, there’s some more exposition about how the Mole Man and the moloids lost Subterranea to the invaders, who are revealed to be another race from even deeper below ground.  Mole Man sent the moloids to capture the “king” of the surface world, and they unfortunately brought back J. Jonah Jameson (mayor of New York in the Marvel Universe, if you haven’t been keeping up) instead of the Avengers he was hoping for.  In typical Jameson fashion, he brashly refuses to bow to Ra’ktar, the king of the underground barbarians, and ends up finding himself in a duel to the death.

You can kind of figure out what this sets up…

Overall, an excellent story — even if I’m still trying to figure out where it belongs in continuity.  Wells really gets the tone of Spidey and, if we’re being honest here, is the only person I would want to see writing the flagship Spider-Man book if Dan Slott ever leaves (but here’s hoping he stays there for a long time).  Like last issue, Joe Madureira’s art is absolutely gorgeous and Ferran Daniel’s colors really make it pop.

I’m anxious to see the next part.

STORY: 8/10
ART: 9/10 

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Review: Venom #10 – Jack O’Lantern is Finally an Interesting Character?

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Venom #10
Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Lan Medina [pencils], Nelson Decastro [inks] and Marte Gracia [colors]

Early on in this series, Jack O’Lantern was established as the arch enemy of the Flash Thompson incarnation of Venom.  That rivalry was put on hold during the recent “Spider Island” event, but it picks back up in Venom #10 in a big way.

As far as I can remember from ’80s issues of Amazing Spider-Man to now, Jack O’Lantern has never been much more than a D-lister in the pantheon of Marvel villains — little more than a Goblin wannabe, at best — no matter who was under the pumpkin mask.  In this issue of Venom, however, Remender builds on what he’s been doing with the character all year and pushes him to the next level.

The book opens with the funeral of Flash’s father, whose death was a focal point of the last few issues.  Lurking in the background at the funeral is the current Jack O’Lantern, sans-costume.  If you remember, Lantern discovered that Flash is Venom several issues ago, which obviously makes him a much more dangerous foe.  Not only is he creeping at the funeral, Lantern (who was badly burned and disfigured at the hands of Venom) actually approaches Flash and his girlfriend Betty Brant after the service is over, introducing himself to Brant as a veteran that Flash saved during the war.

This is a fantastic, ominous plot point that I haven’t seen done to such great effect since J.M. DeMatteis’ classic Spectacular Spider-Man #200 where Harry Osborn had reverted back to being the Green Goblin and was stalking Pete around the city (FYI, that’s also the must-read issue where Harry originally “died” before being revealed as having never died at all a few years ago).

Anyways, Betty leaves to console Flash’s mother and sister and the Lantern takes Flash to see his boss, who says he has a job for Venom to do…and if he doesnt’ do it, of course, he’ll kill Betty, Flash’s family, and everyone Flash knows.  Typical villainous stuff, right?

This of course, means Flash has to get his hands on the Venom symbiote, so he goes to the Project: Rebirth facility…only to find out that Captain America, now in the know about Venom’s use as a government weapon, has shown up to shut the facility down and take the symbiote into custody.

I think you can see where this going…Venom vs. Captain America!

Who isn’t fighting Captain America this month?!

Overall, this is a compelling beginning to this arc.  Remender making Jack O’Lantern interesting is good enough alone, but the overall story throws in just enough classic plot devices to make it hard to put down and disappointing that it ends until next month.  The artwork is breathtaking, as well, with some of the best panels being close-ups of Jack O’Lantern’s charred, twisted, toothless face.

Until Remender came along with this series, I was fairly sick of symbiotes and Venom.  It’s safe to say now that I’m once again really into the Venom character.

STORY: 9/10
ART: 9/10 

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Doctor Sexy Time! Defenders #1 Review


Defenders issue one opens up with a bunch of people in Bucharest losing their minds, due to a raging black monster who may or may not be shattering reality, based on the dialogue. The rest of the issue sets up the premise of the book. Doctor Strange is having sexual relations with a comely grad student, who he regrets sleeping with, and Fraction shows him grappling with plenty of his other internal demons, until he is visited by the Banner-less Hulk, who has something to do with the black monster in Bucharest.

The rest of the issue has the two of them go on to recruit the rest of team, Namor, Silver Surfer, Red Hulk, and Iron Fist to take on the Rage monster, who is a left over out of Fear Itself.  Fraction does a great job introducing each character and blending the different personalities. I’m particularly enjoying Namor’s scenes with the Silver Surfer, and Doctor Strange’s interplay particularly with Iron Fist. There isn’t a ton of action in the issue, but definitely am intrigued to see where this is headed. It really seems like this book is going to be a lot of fun, and that Fraction is having a blast writing it.

Terry Dodson’s art is dynamic and perfectly suited for a book like this. The characters are all larger than life personalities, and Dodson draws them like that. Also really impressed with Rachel Dodson’s inks, and Sonia Oback’s colors. Can’t wait to see what they are going to do in the coming issues.

Last thing, is on the bottom of nearly every page, there are messages from the editor(?), Fraction(?), Marvel HQ(?), Space(?) about everything from plot teases, to advertisements for other books (such as Avengers Academy), to notations for where the plots continues. Not sure if this is going to be a new trend for all Marvel books, or just this one, but I am not sure how I feel about it. If it is to add to the story, I say great. If it’s not, it has to go.

Story: 9/10

Art: 10/10

Follow Nick on Twitter @nicosandila

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Review: Deadpool #47 – Deadpool Vs. Captain America!

Deadpool #47
Writer: Daniel Way
Art: Salva Espin [art] and Guru eFX [colors]

Over the past few months, Deadpool’s evil twin (composed of dismembered ‘Pool parts) has been running rampant through the pages of Deadpool, crashing a jet into the George Washington Bridge and blowing up several bombs in New Jersey [Like anyone cares about that place…], among other things.

Unfortunately for the real Deadpool, Captain America doesn’t know about Evilpool and pins the blame on the non-doppelganger Wade.  Deadpool manages to get the better of Captain America and escape for now, but it’s no sooner than this that we find Evil Deadpool is trying to make a deal with Chinatown crimelord Mr. Negative. [Hey, I remember that guy from the Spidey books.  Where’s he been?]

Negative wants Evilpool to kill a kid.  Whose kid?  I’ll just say it’s someone from a certain friendly neighborhood wall-crawler’s book and leave it at that.

[But…but…Spider-Man doesn’t have kids!  I mean, he had one once, but Norman Osborn kidnapped it and nobody ever heard about it again, but then that got retconned so it never really happened…]

That’s enough from you, inner monologue!

Anyways, Deadpool eventually realizes that to clear his name and find Evilpool before he can sully it even more, he’ll need to think ahead of him and do something drastic, leading both his evil twin and Captain America to him at the same time so that Cap can see that he wasn’t lying about his evil twin committing all of those acts of terror.

Are you still following along?

This issue takes a more serious turn from the slapstick of the first two parts of ‘Evil Deadpool,’ and I love how Daniel Way found a way to incorporate characters from Spider-Man’s cast since the story takes place in New York City.  I’m also not sure if I’ve ever pointed this out before, but Espin’s facial expressions are absolutely fantastic.  His pissed off Captain America on page three and confused Mr. Negative near the center of the issue are both priceless.

Part three continues to maintain a steady pace.  We’ll see if it holds into part four.

STORY: 8.5/10
ART: 9/10 

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Review: Amazing Spider-Man #675 OR “Spider-Man Team-Up: Ex-Girlfriend Edition!”

Amazing Spider-Man #675
Writer:  Dan Slott
Art:  Giuseppe Camuncoli [pencils], Klaus Janson [inks] and Frank D’Armata [colors] 

Last issue saw the return of the Vulturions.  If you can remember way back to the ’80s, they were those annoying little bastards that did all of the Vulture’s work for him.

Well, the new Vulturions are goofy-looking goth kids who nobody seems to want to refer to as Vulturions.  They’re still causing trouble in this issue, at least until Spidey runs into them.

And even HE doesn’t make a Vulturion reference or wisecrack.

DAN SLOTT!  WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?!?!

Anyways, I’ll overlook that…for now.  In Amazing Spider-Man #675, Slott concludes his ‘return of the original Vulture’ story with a team-up in the mighty Marvel manner, as the Amazing Spider-Man teams up with…his recent ex-girlfriend Carlie Cooper.

It works, though.  The dialogue between Peter Parker (as Spidey) and Carlie (who ditched Pete after figuring out he was Spider-Man) carries all of the tension present between recently split couples — although most couples don’t involve a CSI detective and a guy with the proportional strength, speed and agility of a spider. Even the facial expressions convey an uneasy air when the two are interacting, which is a testament to Giuseppe Camuncoli’s absolutely gorgeous art and made all the more better by Klaus Janson and Frank D’Armata’s inks and colors.

The Vulture looks absolutely creepy in this story, as he should.  I’m wondering, however, what happened to his wings?  I know they were pretty much just for aesthetic purposes since the harness he wore used magnetic fields to keep him defying gravity and in “flight,” but he just looks weird and even creepier floating there with no “wings” attached to his arms.

Anyhow, I digress.  This two-parter does a solid job of reintroducing O.G. Vulture, Adrian Toomes, and establishing him once again as a credible threat to Spider-Man — which is saying a lot, considering Toomes has to be an octogenarian at this point.  I’m still wondering, however, what happened to the more recent Vulture that had the red suit, Predator-like mouth, and acid spit.

It’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t cross paths with Toomes or his delinquent goth mini-mes while they were pulling heists, but that’s probably a story for another time.

STORY:  9/10
ART:  9/10 

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Reviews: Swamp Thing #4 and Animal Man#4 The Rot continues to run wild

Its issue four for both books and Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire continue to push the story of The Green , The Red and The Rot into a head on collision between Animal Man and Swamp Thing. This month both books show their hand a bit more as the plot begins to thicken and “flesh” out (pun intended). With out further adieu , lets begin the reviews.

Swamp Thing #4

Story by: Scott Snyder

Art by: Marco Rudy , Michel Lacombe , Sean Parsons

Review Score: 9.5/10

After last issues introduction to The Rots new Avatar, William makes his way into the Rural town of Western Texas. Immediately Snyder shows us just how corrupted William has become from the Rot . All it takes is a Waiter to get the flavor of his Milkshake wrong and William goes all Damien from the Omen on the place. Snyder tells us exactly what Williams powers are now. Hes able to control and manipulate all forms of death and decay in this world. Which includes Tumors, abscess teeth, arthritis, you name it . Again Snyder doesn’t hesitate to amp up the gore while also managing to have fun in the process, showing the Diner in shambles and closing it out on a final panel that shows us that yes William did finish Milkshake before leaving . Scott Snyder creates a very morbid situation by giving a child this power , its small touches like this that add to the over all sense of macabre that he creates issue after issue .

We are then taken back to Alec Holland and Williams’ sister continuing their search for her disturbed brother. They end up discovering the carnage William left at the Diner and decide to get some rest before they continue their search for him in the morning. Alec starts to Dream and Snyder uses this opportunity to delve a bit deeper into the history of the Green and its continuous battle with The Rot. You get a sense that The Green may have some other motivations they are hiding from Alec . The Parliament of Trees continues to tell Alec that the girl he is with will be his undoing , but Alec’s former memories of her as Swampthing prevent him from taking her life. Page after page we are treated with amazing panels and splash pages showing us the war between both The Green and The Rot.

The art again continues to be one of the most amazing and consistent aspects of this comic. The shock here in this issue is that it is handled by three different artists this time around. Yannick Paquette is nowhere to be seen inside this issue but  you wouldn’t be able to tell by how great these three artist are at emulating his style. Marco Rudy , Michel Lancombe , and Sean Parsons all put in amazing work and detail in issue 4. The dream sequences alone are nothing short of amazing and the use of plant foliage to break up the panels is back . Dino Zombies have never looked cooler. I especially was taken back by one page where both Alec and Williams’ sister are sleeping next to each other. His side full of foliage and vibrant colors and hers turning into barren land and ash. The most shocking thing here is that even with multiple artists in one issue , the art never suffers or severely changes from one style to another.

Alec chooses to follow his mystery woman towards William , however it seems William has found a perfect place to hide out at , Texas’s largest Meat processing plant aka Slaughter House. What this means for Alec , tons and tons of dead cattle heading his way next issue. What it means for us the readers , I’m willing to bet another great issue to Snyder’s already strong run.

Animal Man#4

Story By: Jeff Lemire

Art By: Travel Foreman

Review Score: 8.5 / 10

Who would have predicted that out of all of DC’s new 52 titles few would be as good as Animal Man has been over the last three issues . I’ve been consistently surprised with how fresh Jeff Lemire’s take on Animal Man has been.The Baker family are still split up during this issue, with both Maxine and Buddy inside of the Red and Buddy’s wife Ellen and son Cliff heading towards their safe house . The problem is the detective that’s driving them is actually one of the Hunter’s Three . Travel Foreman shows us as much by illustrating a peaceful drive  down a scenic road while also showing us the whereabouts of the real Detective, who is stuffed in the trunk of said car.

Inside of the Red Buddy continues to battle the remaining hunters and is not doing so well . The Totems inside the Red tell Maxine she must step in to help and she does sending the Hunters out of the Red and healing her father from his wounds. We learn that the Hunters Three are  former Animal Totems who were infected by The Rot and now are after Maxine who is the last remaining living Avatar. Lemire finally decides to bring Alec Holland into the mix and we are seeing the beginnings of the crossover both Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire have planned for Swampthing and Animal Man.

Travel Foremans art continues to impress me . He has a sick sense of pacing and being able to capture emotion panel after panel. This is a comic that lives and breathes of creative art and page layouts . You get a sense that Foreman truly pushes himself to create something different you haven’t seen before . All the while managing to keep us not confused with what is happening on any given page .

At the end of the issue Maxine , and Buddy along with their new cat Socks are heading towards the remaining family members . This issue feels a bit too small for my liking but that’s because it’s just so Damn good. Next issue looks like it will be the end of the first chapter to what I’m hoping is a series that will last for years to come.

Mike DeVivo

Follow me on Twitter @pandasandrobots

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