Uncanny Avengers #4 (of 5)
(W) Gerry Duggan (A/CA) Javier Garron
Rated T
In Shops: Nov 15, 2023
SRP: $3.99
THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND!
(For one issue) Orchis comes to the conclusion that they cannot control Captain Krakoa, and on the eve of his great triumph, with the world about to burn, they must turn to…the Avengers’ Unity Squad? Plus, witness the blooming of the unlikeliest romance in Uncanny Avengers history!
Uncanny Avengers #3 (of 5)
(W) Gerry Duggan (A) Emilio Laiso (CA) Javier Garron
Rated T
In Shops: Oct 25, 2023
SRP: $3.99
The Unity Squad faces off against the Mutant Liberation Front. Blood will be spilled, and one will fall – TO THEIR DEATH! Plus, Captain America’s been hit with grenades, bullets and bombs, but somebody lobs something at Captain America that we’ve never seen before. ‘Nuff said!
Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.
These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.
Logan
Hawkgirl #3 (DC Comics) – Kendra, Galaxy, and Argus hit the road and fight the Court of Owls in Gotham with the assistance of Batman and Chef Alysia Yeoh in Hawkgirl #3. Artist Amancay Nahuelpan‘s visual tricks and skill with layouts get a workout beginning with a hilarious, yet epic riff on “I’m Batman”. He and writer Jadzia Axelrod continue to have wonderful chemistry as she puts captions revealing Kendra’s inner thoughts, and he brings the fisticuffs and handles the shift in timelines with style and grace. Letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou also adds flavor to Axelrod’s dialogue with his bubbles, font choices, and timely capitalizations and underlining and highlights some big emotional beats like Galaxy’s insecurity around Batman or Kendra’s nigh-metafictional rage about how she’s been treated by different characters in the DC Universe over the year. Hawkgirl #3 is a fun team-up, adds depth to Galaxy and Kendra’s characters, and also progresses the Nth metal mystery plotline as the book continues to be one of the cutest, gayest, and most badass current comics on the stands. Overall: 8.8 Verdict: Buy
Brett
The Blackout Bombshell #1 (Sumerian) – Written by Louis Southard with art by Dean Kotz, color by Patrick Buermeyer, and lettering by Buddy Beaudoin, The Blackout Bombshell #1 nails everything you’d want in a PI/noir story. The private dick is a… dick, a blackout drunk who can’t remember why he wants to find a mysterious woman. She also just so happened to show up at his door and tried to kill him. Then there’s an attorney who himself has some ethical and personal issues. An ever growing pile of dead bodies are mixed in and it’s all set in a post Vietnam world, and you’ve got an intriguing start that’s full of individuals you want to slap. The art is solid, using a noir-ish style but a more modern setting. It all comes together for a start that fans of detective stories will want to get. Overall: 8.5 Verdict: Buy
Avengers Inc. #1 (Marvel) – Writer Al Ewing, artist Leonard Kirk, colorist Alex Sinclair, and letterer Cory Petit deliver an intriguing Avengers team that mixes your typical spandex superheroes with a bit of a detective/crime spin. It all works well setting things up for what should be something a bit different from your regular Avengers title. The art by Kirk and the team is solid with colors popping to set up each scene. Overall: 8.25 Verdict: Buy
Catwoman #57 (DC Comics) – The third part of “The Gotham War,” writer Tini Howard, artist Nico Leon, colorist Veronica Gandini, and letterer Lucas Gattoni give us events from Catwoman’s perspective. It’s a decent entry in the crossover event as she must figure out how to proceed through Batman’s stubbornness. But, the comic also focuses a lot on the Red Hood, almost distracting from the title character. The end adds a bit of a wrinkle to the story but beyond that, the entry is rather forgettable. Overall: 7.25 Verdict: Read
Alpha Flight #2 (Marvel) – Overall, Alpha Flight’s entry in Fall of X has been entertaining by predictable. Written by Ed Brisson with art by Scott Godlewski, color by Matt Milla, and lettering by Travis Lanham, it hasn’t surprised too much. Still, it’s interesting to see this sort of resistance against Orchis and the government’s bending to their will. While the overall story follows the beats you’d expect, individual choices and moments stand out. The art is good and the characters all look like the Alpha Flight we love with some nice fights and dynamic moments. Still, the comic feels like it’s playing it a bit safe instead of pushing the underlying concepts and themes of Fall of X. Overall: 7.5 Verdict: Read
Dark X-Men #2 (Marvel) – Writer Steve Foxe, artist Jonas Scharf, colorist Frank Martin, and letterer Clayton Cowles continue to deliver what is the standout of Fall of X. The team is dysfunctional but on a mission that’s familiar, save mutants. But, it’s that dysfunction of this misfit team that really stands out and nails the spirit and classic feel of the X-Men. Add in solid art and some dynamic visual moments and you have a comic series you hope continues well after this storyline event ends. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy
Uncanny Avengers #2 (Marvel) – Writer Gerry Duggan, artist Javier Garron, colorist Morry Hollowell, and letterer Travis Lanham take on the newest unity team as they fight Captain Krakoa and the new iteration of the Mutant Liberation Front. There’s a lot of interesting moments but really we just want to find out who is under the mask of Captain Krakoa, and we’re given a major hint here. Overall, the comic is entertaining enough with some decent action and good art but it feels like a piece of a puzzle rather than a comic that stands on its own. It’s only job is to get the plot from point A to point C, when it could be far more. Overall: 7.75 Verdict: Read
Krakoa will never not exist. Will never not be an aspiration and an option. — Spencer Ackerman
And do I have some news for Sebastian Shaw about civil forfeiture. — Kaetun Khlynne
A journalist and a physicist join me to talk about The Fall of X, the 2023 summer X-Men comics event about the fall of Krakoa, the mutant homeland. The first part of the episode is spoiler free. We are very clear when we go on to spoilers. We discuss series including: The Hellfire Gala, Immortal X-Men, X-Men, X-Men Red, Uncanny Avengers, Dark X-Men, Alpha Flight, Realm of X, and Jean Grey: Flames of Fear.
Spencer Ackerman is a Pulitzer Prize and National Magazine Award winning national security reporter and a new columnist for The Nation. His book, REIGN OF TERROR: HOW THE 9/11 ERA DESTABILIZED AMERICA AND PRODUCED TRUMP, won an American Book Award and was rated a 2021 book of the year by the Washington Post, the New York Times and the PBS NewsHour. Along with Evan Narcisse, he’s the co-writer of the new DC/Black Label miniseries WALLER VS WILDSTORM with artist Jesús Merino and color artist Michael Atiyeh. Spencer was on my show to talk about his comic.
Fan & Physicist out of Austrlia, Kaetun Khlynne was on Cerebro Podcast to talk about Gateway and Manifold, two of the Indigenous Australian X-Men. Kaetun leads an eyeopening explanation Aboriginal culture and resistance to genocide in Australia and Rwanda. Listen
Uncanny Avengers #2 (of 5)
(W) Gerry Duggan (A/CA) Javier Garron
Rated T
In Shops: Sep 20, 2023
SRP: $3.99
At a time when mutant and human relations are in the toilet, the Uncanny Avengers have run smack into a new BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL MUTANTS, and, folks, lemme tell you – they came here to beat up Avengers and X-Men and chew gum, and they’re all outta gum. Wake up, babe, a new romance hits that will make readers froth at the mouth. Plus, Ben Urich. Always the mark of a quality and important Marvel Comic. FOOM!
It’s a new week and we’ve got a lot coming at you. We’re kicking it off with comic news and reviews from around the web you might have missed.
Deadline – Cowabunga! ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Franchise Reignited With $1 Billion-Plus Global Retail Sales For 2023 – That’s an impressive boost.
Boing Boing – According to Pizzagate conspiracy theorists, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Pizza Hut boxes are encouraging Satanic ritual abuse – This helping to drive that billion dollars?
Reviews
Collected Editions – Gotham Academy: Second Semester Vol. 2: The Ballad of Olive Silverlock
CBR – Immortal Thor #1
The Beat – Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula
CBR – Realm of X #1
CBR – Uncanny Avengers #1
It was new comic book day yesterday. What did you all get? What did you like? Sound off in the comments below! While you decide on that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.
Comicbook – Manga Creator Nami Sano Passes Away at 39 – Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and fans.
Kotaku – Cop Arrested And Fired For Allegedly Stealing Pokémon Cards – The wrong “gotta catch em all”?
Reviews
Comicbook – Godzilla: War for Humanity #1
Collected Editions – Superman Adventures Vol. 1
Comicbook – Uncanny Avengers #1
Uncanny Avengers #1 (of 5)
(W) Jonathan Hickman, Gerry Duggan (A/CA) Javier Garron
Rated T
In Shops: Aug 16, 2023
SRP: $4.99
The FALL OF X calls for the return of the Avengers’ Unity Squad! Innocent people and world leaders are dead after simultaneous attacks on the U.S. and Krakoan governments, and that means one thing: It’s time for a new squad of Avengers. False-flag attacks meant to whip up anti-mutant hysteria are unfolding, and hey, some of Steve Rogers’ best friends are mutants. Your new unity squad is: Captain America, Rogue, Deadpool, Quicksilver, Psylocke and Monet. They must solve the mystery of who the new, murderous Captain Krakoa is – and stop his team of killers from igniting the fires of a new world war. PLUS: A bonus page written by Jonathan Hickman – WHO ARE THE G.O.D.S.?
When faced with fascism what’s the appropriate response? How far should we go in self-defense against those who would see us dead? Uncanny Avengers has an answer for that vital question, in response to fascists you use any means necessary. Uncanny Avengers delivers buckets of fascist blood and a compelling mystery to boot.
After the devastating events of this year’s Hellfire Gala, the anti-Mutant organization Orchis has won. Mutants are scattered across the globe and beyond. Krakoa has fallen and the remaining Mutants are being deported to the Mutant world of Arakko, itself in the midst of a Civil War in part orchestrated by Orchis. In response to all this Captain America once again assembles a new Avengers Unity Squad to fight back against Orchis. The team is heavily stacked with Mutants like Rogue, Psylocke, and Monet while also comprising the X adjacent characters of Quicksilver and Deadpool, and of course Captain America himself. It’s a fitting ensemble full of heroes who don’t pull their punches in the fight against fascism. Opposing the Unity Squad is the New Mutant Liberation Front, a false flag operation by Orchis to turn public sentiment against Mutants. The new MLF is led by a mysterious figure who has dawned the Captain Krakoa armor once worn by Cyclops earlier during Duggan’s run of X-Men. He’s joined by the bloodthirsty Wildside, A duped Blob, and the Nazi incest siblings themselves, the Fenris twins. The mystery of the identity of the new Captain Krakoa has been much talked about in the leadup to this book, while this issue doesn’t answer that alluring question it does very much play into the reader’s curiosity of who’s behind the mask.
The highlight of Uncanny Avengers #1 for me is certainly when our heroes unleash bloody violence on Orchis soldiers, it’s gory and glorious. Now one might worry that the moral paragon of Captain America might have a liberal tendency to be opposed to killing fascists. You’d be wrong, Captain America is arguably comics’ most famous anti-fascist, from the cover of his first appearance he’s been punching nazis. So it’s refreshing and true to the character to see him hold no grudges against his teammates for slicing and dicing.
Gerry Duggan’s writing is slick and compulsively readable. Duggan is putting in a lot of work for the Fall Of X event doing Uncanny Avengers, Invincible Iron Man, X-Men, and of course, he kicked the event off with this year’s Hellfire Gala. One of the subjects Duggan has been tackling through his various works is fascism through the lens of Orchis. I was dubious at first if Orchis meant the criteria for an academic definition of Fascism but as Professor Steven Attewell recently pointed out on his blog Orchis fits within the framework and rhetoric of recent neo nazi talking points like for example the great replacement conspiracy theory. Duggan demonstrates this very fact in the rhetoric of the villains with phrases like “America has gone downhill” and the fake Captain Krakoa’s praise for nazis of old. Orchis’s fascist tendencies have never been more explicit than in Uncanny Avengers.
The art by Javier Garron, colored by Morry Hollowell is action-packed and fabulous. There’s some action here that took my breath away. The colors are bright and heavy and the page layouts smart and dynamic. If I had one complaint it would be the fact that Garron tends to draw everyone very young. It’s a little bit jarring when older characters like the Blob or reporter Ben Urich look like fresh-faced twenty-somethings. Overall though the art more than delivers great action and stunning visuals.
Uncanny Avengers #1 is a great first issue to the limited series. It has action, mystery, and oh so many dead fascists, what more could you want?
Story: Gerry Duggan Art: Javier Garron
Color: Morry Hollowell Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 9.0 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in
Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.
Alpha Flight #1 (Marvel) – Protecting Canada from mutants? We’re fans of the classic Alpha Flight and we’re intrigued about this new series.
Astrobots #4 (Massive) – Fantastic so far, we finally have an idea of what is up and with tensions, and the violence, escalating, we want to see where this goes.
Barb Vol. 3 Battle for Bailiwick (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) – Every volume has been fun so far and perfect for young readers who want a fun fantasy series.
The Cull #1 (Image Comics) – Five friends set off to shoot a short film on a forbidden rock near their home the summer before they all go their separate ways. But that’s not really why they’re there. One of them has lied. And that lie will change their lives forever. Sounds like a nice tease and we’re excited to find out more!
Dark X-Men #1 (Marvel) – Have you seen the lineup? That alone is reason to get this!
Disney Villains: Hades #1 (Dynamite Entertainment) – Dynamite has been knocking it out of the park with their “Disney Villains” line , so we’re excited to check out this new one.
Rooster Fighter Vol. 4 (VIZ Media) – Yes the concept is silly but it works so well. The tease of Keiji’s half-brother has us pumped for the latest volume.
Uncanny Avengers #1 (Marvel) – Fall of X has been intriguing so far so we want to see what a new “unity” team will be like considering the climate in the Marvel Universe.
Under the Influence #2 (Mad Cave Studios) – A series about a cult spun out from a social media influencer and memes? Yes please!
Void Rivals #3 (Image Comics/Skybound) – If you’re a Transformers fan, this series is a must!
Washington’s Gay General (Abrams Comicarts) – Learn about General Von Steuben!
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