Marvel Comics May 4th 2011
Amazing Spider-man Sunday Spectacular
The main 12 double page parts of this were originally printed in American Sunday papers, I guess. They are pretty good for what you get. The story makes little sense in Marvel continuity. Two real world villains enter a comic book and try to steal the first time machine from Spidey. Wasn't the first one Doctor Dooms? (or I guess the more recent ret-con with all the SHIELD history stuff would be way earlier). Still it's pretty humourous and the double page spread art is amazing. Some better than others but always making full use of the space. It's reminiscent of what Mike Allred did with his strip in Wednesday comics. Examples being a Spidey and Doc Ock fight where the tentacles divide the page up, a helicopter and blades diving up the panels and an ariel view of Spidey's apartment as he walks around. Full to the brim with jokes about actors being cast in Marvel movies and in comic jokes.
Really beautiful stuff and exactly the kind of nonsense filled story you'd expect from Stan "the man" Lee.
The other half of the book was a short about Spidey seeking help from a psychiatrist about all of his different identities and then the punch line is, the psychiatrist needs help himself at the end of all of it. Not as much magic as the main story and perhaps missing out far too many of Spidey's costume and power changes, which is where I though the story was going at first. I wanted to see the Slingers, Cosmic Spidey, Iron Spidey, Ben Reilly and all the most recent Big Time ones. That would have been neato!
Annihilators #3
They beat that evil magic queen thing then take her to Limbo to try to free her people. They disown her and then things get worse as Immortus the time traveling ruler of limbo has sent a time army after the Annihilators. Meanwhile the Queen of that planet is in a cell next to Dr. Dredd or whatever he was called who gets himself free because he is working with the Skrulls who have infiltrated the place. I find myself caring very little about the first story. It's never characters I know or references to stories I have read, so I tend to zone out while reading it. Abnett and Lanning would have done better if they paid more time and attention to the team and less on the villains.
The Raccoon and Groot story is where it's at yet again. Really innovative as well. Halfworld is a mental asylum where the wardens are all animals to keep the patients calm. Raccoon was once head of security. The highest level threats in here are guarded by the clowns to keep them happy. The highest threat in here is Star Thief. So much so that all of the wardens make up a living key to lock him in place and to make sure it stayed locked, Raccoon had his memories erased and left for good. Thus throwing away the key. Only the living nervous system of the world made a great way for the psychic Star Thief's mind to escape into. Plus now that Rocket is back, he can free himself! I've said this before about other series (ahem–– Brightest Day), but how can a story with two heroes in be so much better written than the main one with some of the biggest cosmic names in its ranks. It boggles my mind even more when It's by the same writers! But then again Heroes for Hire by the same team went from hit to miss in 3 issues.. so it must just be their nature to not always hit the nail on the head. This half is so fun and different and feels genuinely original. Only one more issue left, and I will genuinely miss the Rocket Raccoon story.
The main 12 double page parts of this were originally printed in American Sunday papers, I guess. They are pretty good for what you get. The story makes little sense in Marvel continuity. Two real world villains enter a comic book and try to steal the first time machine from Spidey. Wasn't the first one Doctor Dooms? (or I guess the more recent ret-con with all the SHIELD history stuff would be way earlier). Still it's pretty humourous and the double page spread art is amazing. Some better than others but always making full use of the space. It's reminiscent of what Mike Allred did with his strip in Wednesday comics. Examples being a Spidey and Doc Ock fight where the tentacles divide the page up, a helicopter and blades diving up the panels and an ariel view of Spidey's apartment as he walks around. Full to the brim with jokes about actors being cast in Marvel movies and in comic jokes.
Really beautiful stuff and exactly the kind of nonsense filled story you'd expect from Stan "the man" Lee.
The other half of the book was a short about Spidey seeking help from a psychiatrist about all of his different identities and then the punch line is, the psychiatrist needs help himself at the end of all of it. Not as much magic as the main story and perhaps missing out far too many of Spidey's costume and power changes, which is where I though the story was going at first. I wanted to see the Slingers, Cosmic Spidey, Iron Spidey, Ben Reilly and all the most recent Big Time ones. That would have been neato!
Annihilators #3
They beat that evil magic queen thing then take her to Limbo to try to free her people. They disown her and then things get worse as Immortus the time traveling ruler of limbo has sent a time army after the Annihilators. Meanwhile the Queen of that planet is in a cell next to Dr. Dredd or whatever he was called who gets himself free because he is working with the Skrulls who have infiltrated the place. I find myself caring very little about the first story. It's never characters I know or references to stories I have read, so I tend to zone out while reading it. Abnett and Lanning would have done better if they paid more time and attention to the team and less on the villains.
The Raccoon and Groot story is where it's at yet again. Really innovative as well. Halfworld is a mental asylum where the wardens are all animals to keep the patients calm. Raccoon was once head of security. The highest level threats in here are guarded by the clowns to keep them happy. The highest threat in here is Star Thief. So much so that all of the wardens make up a living key to lock him in place and to make sure it stayed locked, Raccoon had his memories erased and left for good. Thus throwing away the key. Only the living nervous system of the world made a great way for the psychic Star Thief's mind to escape into. Plus now that Rocket is back, he can free himself! I've said this before about other series (ahem–– Brightest Day), but how can a story with two heroes in be so much better written than the main one with some of the biggest cosmic names in its ranks. It boggles my mind even more when It's by the same writers! But then again Heroes for Hire by the same team went from hit to miss in 3 issues.. so it must just be their nature to not always hit the nail on the head. This half is so fun and different and feels genuinely original. Only one more issue left, and I will genuinely miss the Rocket Raccoon story.
Marvel Comics May 4th 2011
Reviewed by Matt
on
05:57:00
Rating:
Reviewed by Matt
on
05:57:00
Rating:
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