Uncanny X-Force #1 Review

Nitty Gritty:
Writer       -  Sam Humphries
Artists       -  Ron Garny, Dana Miki
Cover Art  -  Olivier Coipel, Laura Martin

The Story (MAJOR SPOILERS):
Since the early days of my comic book addiction I've always loved X-Force.  From its first inception with Cable, to the most recent lineup featuring Ororo and Psylocke.  The stories have not only touched on key events in the Marvel universe, but they have also brought some amazingly personal looks into the backgrounds of some of the most decorated Marvel superheroes.

The new Uncanny X-Force begins with Betsy Braddock (Psylocke) and Ororo heading to meet up with a contact to tie up some loose ends from Betsy's past.  She is given this non-mission by Wolverine who is now the headmaster at the Jean Gray School for Higher Learning, a school started by Professor Xavier.  This prep school is a sanctuary for young mutants who wish to learn how to control their powers, and also put them to good use in protecting humans and mutants alike.  

Betsy Braddock (Psylocke) had been gone for about 6 months prior to her return.  Now she is a student at the Jean Gray School for Higher Learning,  and  she is finding it hard to adjust to more of a normal life.  Her previous experiences have left her worn and bitter, and Headmaster Wolverine is tired of her creating trouble at what is now his school.  He tells her she needs to get away, and gives her a lead to a loose end in her life that would give her a good excuse to get away for awhile.  Psylocke takes (or is ordered to take) Ororo with her to make contact with one of Wolverine's spies out in the field.  The informer is a short little guy named Puck, a friend of Ororo and also a pervert who lives for information and loose women.

Puck has been investigating a new drug in the area called TAO which has been distributed by Spiral, a mortal enemy to Betsy.  TAO has a mind controlling side affect that creates a hive-mind between those who use it frequently.  As soon as Betsy sees Spiral she attacks while Puck and Ororo use the distraction to investigate Spiral's stash.  

When they get in to Spiral's vault, Ororo and Puck find a young mutant girl who seems to be controlling those who are under the influence of TAO.  In the mean time, Betsy holds Spiral hostage in the midst of an angry mob of brainwashed addicts.   This part is to be continued in issue #2.  

The last of the comic introduces Fantomex and Lucas Bishop into the foray.  Bishop was last seen like 2000 years in the future, and there is literally nothing more with him in this issue. 

However, Fantomex's intro is a bit more fascinating.  First of all, he is now 3 people instead of 1.  After the results of the previous Uncanny X-Force series, Fantomex was cloned again.  However, when this happened each of his 3 brains grew into a new person.  One of them is a hottie named Cluster (which Fantomex makes out with at the end of #1 WEIRD), another is Fantomex himself, and the third is only known so far as the Evil Triplet (queue Twilight Zone music). 

Critique and Observations:
Seeing the return of Psylocke immediately made me a fan of this series.  Her interaction with Ororo was very intuitive to how their relationship will strengthen throughout the coming issues.  Puck is also a very strong supporting character that meshes well with Ororo and Psylocke aside from the fact that Puck is a raging pervert that I hope will continue to make Betsy uncomfortable.  

I would've liked to have seen more of an introduction to the conflict between Betsy and Spiral.  There was a brief image of what went down between them, but I know many who pick up this comic may not know what happened.  If you are one of those "not in the know", I suggest checking out their history.  It is a good read.

The last bit I would like to talk about is the progression of Fantomex.  In the previous series he not only showed the patience and understanding of a hero, but he also had a very villainous side to him (i.e. he killed a kid).  Now there are 3 separate bodies for Fantomex so I am excited to see how much trouble he has to get himself out of, that he put himself into. 

The Breakdown:
Artwork:       4 out of 5
Story:            4 out of 5
Cover Art:    5 out of 5
Cost:              $3.99

Godsend Review

Godsend is a new comic series from the folks at About Time Comics that tells the tale of an independent farm boy whose journey to the big city takes a very surprising twist of fate which leads him to what looks to be an amazing journey.

Nitty Gritty:
Writer       -  Lee Jiles/Peter Mcleod
Artists       -  Yannez/Dotson/Horton/ Meehan
Cover Art  -  Ken Hunt

The Story (MAJOR SPOILERS):
Godsend starts off on a small farm where a boy named Austin is taking his first steps into becoming a man on his own.  With some hesitation he bids farewell to his brother, sister, and parental units to take on life in the big city.  While driving, he is met by a chubby little monk who is being chased by a cult whose leader is marked with a symbol of a cross tattooed over his right eye.  This obviously evil man is out to kill everyone who opposes them and reclaim something only mentioned as "the artifact."

After Austin helps the monk escape a package the monk has with him starts to glow.  The monk makes an odd remark and disappears leaving his package behind. Austin continues onward to the big city where he meets his older brother's friends who he will be rooming with while he gets settled.

Austin is still unsure about the events that are happening in his life, but he decides to go out with his new roommates for a few drinks.  While at the bar, Austin gets a "spidey sense" style aura that tells him someone is in trouble. Outside the bar,  a woman on the phone calling for backup makes mention of a new manifestation, and is then promptly attacked.    As soon as this happens, Austin busts out the back door and manifested an ass beating to all parties involved (except for the chick).  He is surprised by his own strength, but later that night something even weirder happens.  He unwraps the package the chubby monk left behind, and inside is a sword that transforms Austin into (what I can only describe as) a "mother fucker."

Critique and Observations:
There are only 2 complaints I have about this comic.  First, this good vs evil story seems to have some very religious roots to it, but there is not much introduction in the first issue.  I would have loved to have had a little back story to some of the key characters.  For example, who are those people who are being attacked at the monastery?  Who is the super evil dude who was not named or introduced  that lead the attack?

The second bit of feedback is about story transitions.  I will say that this is a very minimal complaint and it only happens a couple of times throughout issue #1, but these instances happen at some key points of the story.  For example, when what appears to be the antagonist gets marked with the cross over his eye, it would have been nice to have the scene set up.  All that it would take to fix this was a text box that indicated where it was taking place (i.e. "Templar Stronghold" or "Cult Cave").   A part of me feels some of this information was left out on purpose to  attain a level of  mystery behind the key players.  However, giving some basic direction/location information to the story is not a bad practice when ramping  up a new hero nor does it give too much critical information away.

I know I dedicated 2 paragraphs to the things I would change about this issue of Godsend, but I can assure anyone reading this; I am engrossed with this comic and will be continuing with the series.  .  These items are only what I would have liked to see, and in no way changes my excitement for Godsend.  Overall, I feel that it is an amazing start to what will hopefully be a strong series that  keeps readers interested for a long time.

The Breakdown:
Artwork:       3 out of 5
Story:            4 out of 5
Cover Art:    4 out of 5
Cost:              $4.00

Star Wars #1 Review

Star Wars #1:

Nitty Gritty:

Writer      -  Brian Wood

Artist        -  Carlos D’Anda

Cover Art -  Alex Ross

Dark Horse Linkage: http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/19-812/Star-Wars-1

Introduction:

Star Wars is a comic  based on the Expanded Universe of every nerd's classic tale of good vs evil.  This new comic series takes place between episodes 4 and 5 and introduces a story of espionage that is sure to bring new light to how the Rebel forces sealed their victory over the Imperial forces in Return of the Jedi.

Before I get into my critique of this comic, I have to say the cover work done by Alex Ross is by far some of the most amazing work I have seen in a Star Wars comic in some time.  The good news is that he is slated to do the cover for at least the next 3 issues.  The look of #1's cover art takes me back to the original movie posters from episodes 4, 5, and 6.

The internal art work is done by Carlos D'Anda and he captures in great detaill how a Star Wars story should feel.  For example, this is one of my favorite moments thus far in the series:

From this pane alone it is clear Carlos not only loves Star Wars, but he also has the ability to capture the little nuances that sets Star Wars apart from many other science fiction titles.  He continues this amazing rendition of the Star Wars universe from cover to finish.

Here are some other noteworthy scenes where I thought Carlos shows amazing expertise in creating a memorable and  believable Star Wars environment:

This image of Darth Vader is so full of awesome.

Leah and Mon Montha meet.

BLEEP BORP ( I'm certain this is droid for shut up Luke)

I would love to have the above images  framed picture on my wall.  I will openly admit that I stared at the first image of Darth Vader for a couple of minutes.  Don't judge me.

The Story:

From this point forward there will be major spoilers to the story so if you have not read this comic and intend on doing so, feel free to skip to the Critique and Observation section.

The story unfolds with Luke, Leiah, and Wedge Antilles searching the borders of the universe to uncover a new base for the Rebel forces.  They arrive in the Dominus sector and as soon as they fall out of light speed they are attacked by a large imperial force suited with Tie interceptors going in for the kill. With the immediacy of the attack it is obvious the Imperial forces were waiting on them.

With the imperial forces attacking in force, the trio's only hope of escape is to make for the planet's surface.  On the way down Leia's X-Wing is hit, and she has to make a crash landing.  On the way down, she takes out a Tie fighter which also crashes on the surface.  In an incredibly sexy frame Leia (on foot) takes out the Tie Interceptor's fighter with her blaster.  After a quick repair to Leah's X-Wing, Luke, Wedge, and Leia successfully escape the Empire's attack.

Han and Chewbacca make a very quick appearance which shows Han's ongoing struggle with his smuggler roots.  Han is currently running supplies for the Rebel forces, but the temptation to return to his old ways keeps him thinking about potential profit without having to answer to a higher authority.  Since joining the Rebel Alliance, Han has earned himself warrants on pretty much every imperial colony that has the kind of trouble he likes to get himself into (black markets, good pazaat tables, etc.).  Sadly, there is not much more from Han and Chewie at this point in the story, but I am sure he will play a bigger part as the story unfolds.

Han and Chewie being Han and Chewie.

Upon returning to the Rebel command ship the Redemption, Leia and Mon Mothma discuss their next steps.  Both Leia and Mon Mothma agree the events that unfolded in the Dominus sector were not chance, and Leia is given command of what appears to be her own special strike force to either  eliminate the spy or find a world where the Rebels can call home.  She is entrusted with her own personal droid..C3PO who has undergone some major software upgrades to ensure whatever information Leia uncovers is secure.

Darth Vader also makes his appearance in #1 as his command of his personal destroyer is stripped from him due to his failures at Yavin.  The dialogue between Vader and the Emperor is amazing, and gives the reader a true sense of how the Sith work; titles are meaningless and rewards are for those who succeed.

Critique and Observations

As a huge fan of Han and Chewie, I would have loved to see more direction for their place in this series.  The introduction left a lot of questions in how their roles will intertwine with the primary story.  I personally hope Han and Chewie join Luke, Leia, and Wedge in finding a new world to call home.  However, with what has been introduced so far, I trust the writers to forge an amazing story worthy of the Star Wars name.

There were times where some of the art work felt a little bland to the point where the characters almost blended into the background.  Thankfully, this did not happen often, and the art work is probably my favorite part about this comic series.

Any fan of the Star Wars movies will thoroughly enjoy this story.  It brings new light to what events unfolded between episodes 4 and 5, and the story is told from a very unique perspective which is what the Star Wars universe has been needing for a very long time.

The Breakdown

Artwork:       4 out of 5
Story:            4 out of 5
Cover Art:    5 out of 5
Cost:              $2.99