Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1
(W) Jed MacKay (A) Dev Pramanik
(C) Rachelle Rosenberg (CA) Erik M. Gist
MOON KNIGHT: MISSING! Marc Spector has been many things — an Avenger, a Fist of Khonshu, a Karnak Cowboy and now… KIDNAPPED?! But by whom? And why?! Don’t they have any idea they’ve trapped MOON KNIGHT?!
The Avengers #35
(W) Jed MacKay (A) Sergio Fernández Dávila
A NEW UNIVERSE?! The Avengers and Twilight Court must face the destruction of the universe! But will their combined might be enough to save it? Or will this be the end of the Marvel Universe as they know it?
Nova: Centurion #4
(W) Jed MacKay (A) Matteo Della Fonte
(C) Mattia Iacono (L) Cory Petit
(CA) Alessandro Cappuccio, Rachelle Rosenberg (VCA) Federico Vincentini and Edgar Delgado, Jeremy Wilson
Being NOVA PRIME ain’t easy — between doing good and doing what needs to be done to keep the Worldmind running (which sometimes includes doing good), RICH RIDER barely has time to sleep. But when his ship gets stolen by dishonorably discharged ex-Nova Corps member and intergalactic criminal mastermind EDEN RIXLO, Rich is at risk of not even having a place to lay his head…
Bring on the bad guys! In the wake of the Age of Revelation, the gene-terrorist group 3K has been revitalized. But will their internal schemes undo them? X-Men #24 puts the spotlight on the villains after the events of the “Age of Revelation.”
While I read the first few issues of the latest X-Men run, I quickly dropped off. It wasn’t bad but it also didn’t hook me like it did when I was a regular reader. So, when it comes to groups like 3K, I’m fairly in the dark as to their history and motivations. But, X-Men #24 delivers enough you don’t need to know any of that. After the previous issue focused on Cyclops’ return to the present after being flung into the future, X-Men #24 focuses on the impact of the event for 3K.
Writer Jed MacKay delivers an interesting issue that shows a group of villains in disarray and sniping at each other as leadership vacuum is present. In just one issue, you get a sense of personalities and motivations, but most importantly the conflict within the group. This is one that will be its own undoing with attacks on each other as they each try to take control. You don’t get the full history, but the issue catches readers up and then charts a path forward.
The art by Tony Daniel is good with interesting character designs and some nice action as the situation plays out. With ink by Mark Morales, color by Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, and lettering by Clayton Cowles, this isn’t an issue of flash, full page spreads, and memorable art. It plays out more like a focused play with a few sets and mainly about characters interacting with each other.
X-Men #24 is good in that it catches up readers, reflects on the recent event, and then moves the story forward. It shows off a group of villains that are flawed and interesting in their dysfunction. They don’t come off as major threats though, overall they feel like the villains who are constantly defeated due to some minor detail they missed. Still, the issue answers some questions and sets things up for what’s to come.
Story: Jed MacKay Art: Tony Daniel
Ink: Mark Morales Color: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
X-Men #24
(W) Jed MacKay (A) Tony S. Daniel
Bring on the bad guys! In the wake of the Age of Revelation, the gene-terrorist group 3K has been revitalized. But will their internal schemes undo them?
The Avengers #34
(W) Jed MacKay, Brian Michael Bendis (A) Farid Karami, Mark Bagley
AVENGERS LEGACY ISSUE #800! EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES mark a critical MILESTONE with eight hundred issues! Everything has been building toward this: MYRDDIN’s ENDGAME! KANG stands revealed at the precipice of a NEW UNIVERSE! PLUS: This issue will feature a special 14-page backup story written by Bendis and drawn by superstar artist Mark Bagley, reuniting the powerhouse pair known for their work together on Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers Assemble.
One X-Man of the present has been stranded in the Age of Revelation, fighting against impossible odds in the world of tomorrow. But while they’ve been there, what has their future counterpart been doing in their body in the present? X-Men #23 fills in a gap in the “Age of Revelation” storyline and sets up the next storyline “Shadows of Tomorrow.”
Written by Jed MacKay, X-Men #23 is an interesting comic. It is sort of an epilogue to the recent “Age of Revelation” event, but also leads into what comes next. It answers some questions readers might have had that weren’t answered during the event.
In “Age of Revelation” the consciousness of Cyclops got pulled into the future into his body while his future consciousness was put into his younger body. We know what happened to the “future self” version but this reveals what happened in the present and checks off one burning question… why didn’t they just try to kill Doug Ramsey aka Revelation?
We see how things played out and yes, future Cyclops attempts to kill Ramsey and clearly fails but that sets up strife within the group and also teases, maybe the “Age of Revelation” isn’t a guaranteed future?
Though it’s subtle, MacKay gives an out with future Cyclops remarking how things were slightly different and not how he remembered it. It could mean that he just misremembered or it means that this past is different and might not lead to his future. It’s a two page interaction and moment, but is a key one going forward that hopefully will be revisited when things revert back.
The art by Tony Daniel is solid as expected. There’s some great pages and panels and while the action is solid, it’s a simple moment between Magneto and Cyclops that stands out. With ink by Mark Morales, color by Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the comic looks great with a visual feel of tension and chaos. The characters look solid and Daniel really emphasizes the emotional aspects to MacKay’s story.
X-Men #23 is a comic that’s key for those all in on the “Age of Revelation” storyline and what comes next with “Shadows of Tomorrow.” It answers some questions but also sets up some key aspects for what’s to come. This is more for the die-hards already invested in the story but those who want to jump on might want to start here too.
Story: Jed MacKay Art: Tony Daniel
Ink: Mark Morales Color: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Comix Experience – Zeus Comics – Kindle
X-Men #23
(W) Jed MacKay (A) Tony S. Daniel
AGE OF REVELATION EPILOGUE! One X-Man of the present has been stranded in the Age of Revelation, fighting against impossible odds in the world of tomorrow. But while they’ve been there, what has their future counterpart been doing in their body in the present?
Nova: Centurion #3
(W) Jed MacKay (A) Álvaro López, Matteo Della Fonte
(C) Mattia Iacono (L) Cory Petit
(CA) Alessandro Cappuccio and Rachelle Rosenberg (VCA) Clayton Crain, Jan Bazaldua and Erick Arciniega, Tribute Games and Dotemu
NOVA ON THE VERGE! An old grudge from the Annihilation War comes due as NOVA and RAVENOUS throw down with credits — to say nothing of life and death — in the balance! Will Rich Rider survive to see a positive number in his bank account?! All is not as it seems, though, and crew member CAMMI will make a discovery that changes everything!
X-Men: Age of Revelation Finale wraps up Marvel’s mutantkind’s latest event with an ending that’s interesting but overall is a rather blah event.
Written by Jed MacKay, X-Men: Age of Revelation Finale is a rather interesting ending for the story that saw Cyclops and Beast’s conscious shifted to the future where Revelation has created a new mutant nation and not all is right. Without a main series to read, this event has been intriguing spread across multiple miniseries, some feeling more focused on the main story than others. Each miniseries pieced out a bit of the puzzle that put together gave a much clearer picture of what was going on.
X-Men: Age of Revelation Finale ties it all together as various forces rally to stop Revelation and while the event overall is one of the weaker X-Men events, what it delivers is something interesting and refreshing in ways.
The issue is mostly one big fight as Apocalypse and his forces and the remaining X-Men take on Revelation. During that, Beast races to get himself and Cyclops back to the present in hopes they’ve learned enough to stop everything from happening. Why is that important? For once, the bad guy wins.
Yes, Revelation’s plan goes through and plays out as Earth itself is transformed. We get some logic that the increasing death count from Revelation’s earlier plans of the X-Virus forced him, gave him permission in some ways, to go bigger in his vision. And in the end, the bad guy wins. This isn’t a story where the X-Men stop the future horror in some way, wrapping it up in a miniseries. It’s one that plays out as Cyclops and Beast head back and must really do what they can to prevent it from even happening creating very difficult choices.
And that’s where there’s some good and bad, we find out the Beast in the future wasn’t the mind of the Beast from the past, but someone else. As Cyclops returns to his body, Beast has no knowledge of events and we find out it was someone else pulled through time. This is big in that there’s one less person with key knowledge in how to prevent Revelation’s rise to power and someone else does have it. It makes the future feel more inevitable and ominous.
X-Men: Age of Revelation Finale itself isn’t really what’s interesting, it’s how the story plays out and what that means for the future of the line of X-Men comics. This is an event that has long term ramifications as it’s not resolved. Time didn’t get fixed. Things didn’t revert like so many other time travel stories. This is one where the X-Men now know of a dark future and must act to try to prevent it without all the tools they were supposed to have.
The art by Ryan Stegman and Netho Diaz is solid. There’s some great panels and pages as the battle rages. It’s not all great, a rambling speech by Revelation lacks a certain something, but there are moments that give you the “hell yeah” you’re looking for. With ink by JP Mayer, color by Marcio Menyz, and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the comic looks good and pops at key moments. There’s some good action and good emotional punches that hit right.
Overall X-Men: Age of Revelation Finale isn’t really interesting for the action or art, it’s how this event was structured. It felt like there was no main series to follow and in the end, it doesn’t wrap up with a resolution to the problem, but instead kicks off the next chapter of the story where more challenges are presented. While itself had me down on the X line, what comes next shows potential.
Story: Jed MacKay Art: Ryan Stegman, Netho Diaz
Ink: JP Mayer Color: Marcio Menyz Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 7.25 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.25 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Comix Experience – Zeus Comics –Kindle
