Back in Black

Action Ash
Greetings dudes and chix0rz,
I have recently returned from my trip to visit family in the squaresville that is known as Peterborough. The population consisted mainly of chavs and mundanes, with a few small town emos thrown in for good measure.
I found myself being stared at wherever I ventured, as if they knew I was an outsider. However I'm used to this, mainly because I occasionally dress like a cross between an 80's metal head and the second coming of Rude Dog and the Dweebs.

While in this city I managed to find a quirky little comic shop named The Great Nothing which, interestingly, doubles as a piercing studio. Here's what I picked up:

New Avengers #4 - I like the Bendis and Immonen team and this is probably going to be the only Avengers title I buy from now on because I need to cut down on the amount I'm buying.

Scarlet #1 and #2 - I thought it looked nice and it was recommended Valhallahan as a good read.

X-Force: Sex and Violence #3 - Last part of a great little mini series and I can't wait to see how it ends. The last of the good X-Force line up too, in my opinion.

X-Men #3 - Still surprised that I'm enjoying this as much as I am.

Secret Avengers #4 - I got this to finish the story arc but this probably be kicked to the curb in my cutting back of comic purchases. It's been good though.

After I got back home I realised there were other bits I needed to get, so it was off to Chaos City to find the remainder of titles I wanted from this week and last.

Taskmaster #1 - A fun looking mini series that was recommended by Valhallahan and may be the subject of a swap shop massacre very soon.

1 Month 2 Live #1 - Sounded like the sort of thing I'd like. A good concept that makes you think.


Shadowland: Blood on the Streets #2 - More ninja-noir action from the Shadowland event.

Conan #23 - I never miss a Conan and I don't see any reason to start now.

I also bought Legacies #4 and Prince of Power #4 because I was broke the week they came out and couldn't get my whole stack.

Also I found a Calvin and Hobbes collection in a charity shop for 50p

Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons - You've gotta love Calvin and Hobbes.

Wolverine # 900 Review

Valhallahan

I bought Wolverine #900, because (as I said in an earlier post) Wolverine is one of my favourite fictional characters in any medium, he’s up there With Batman, Jesus, Phillip Marlowe and Jeffrey Lebowski. I also really like anthologies, due to their nature they're generally a mixed bag, like revels, some people like the coffee ones, others like the toffee ones, and everyone likes the nude Minstrels. Well this was more like a bag of Revels where there where there're a handful of nude Minstrels, but every other flavour has been replaced with small pellets of excrement, so not so much a mixed bag, as a mixed sack of crap. Appallingly the highlights are reprints from a few years ago. The Wolverine/Hulk story from Ed McGuiness (#50) and the Spider-Man and Wolverine go to a bar story (Amazing Spider-Man Extra #2) are the highlights, particularly the bar story.

The Original content however veers from the OK, (Goes drinking with a graphic designer - Honestly) to the downright insultingly bad. I can’t believe anyone would pay someone to produce the trapped-in-a-cave-with-the-Morlocks story. I can only assume that it was commissioned as filler over a decade ago (when the story is set) and was found in a drawer. The plot is dire and the art seems to be entirely traced from late 90s X-Men covers by someone who's clearly never seen a real pair of breasts in his life, if his anatomy is anything to go by. I can only assume that it’s by an editor’s nephew or some such, perhaps by someone with some incriminating photographs.

Ironically, this deeply uninspiring package is actually a good staring point for the character. It’s got a 'New-Avengers-Double-Act: Wolvie and Spidey' story, a Noir-ish story where he does some investigating for an old friend (with a shameless Yellow Claw red herring seemingly thrown in just so the artist could draw him), a (shithouse) X-Men story, a Versus the Hulk Story, a Wolverine likes hanging round with young girls story (a particularly naff one at that) and a few more t'boot. So if you’re a new reader, then this is actually a good introduction to who he is and what he do, and if you like this, wait till you read the good stories! Also there is a lot of story for your money albeit of debatable quality.

Two mouldy bone claws out of a possible six shiny Adamantium sharpies.