The combination of Mark Millar’s writing and Frank Quitely’s art is an instant buy for me. The two come together for this new series, Jupiter’s Legacy. The first issue starts out with a group of explorers traveling to a strange island because of a dream. The details of what happens on that island are unclear, but the group emerges forever changed.
Oscar Wilde once wrote: “The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.” That quote is the embodiment of the latest issue of Image Comic’s Think Tank series. In the last issue, we left Dr. David Loren as he had been betrayed by Mirra Sway, and thus submitted himself over to the military for continued use. This issue picks up that story.
Dark Horse comics has hit it out of the park with their vampire conspiracy mini series, The Strain. Telling the tale of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and his team of fellow CDC (Center for Disease Control) first responders’ encounter with a Boeing 777 at JFK airport where the vast majority of its passengers and crew are dead. The mysterious deaths kick off a series of events that pits Goodweather against science and the lore of old.
Think Tank #5
The story of Dr. David Loren’s involvement with the US Government takes an interesting turn in this issue. Catch up with the previous reviews here and here. David seems to be a bit of a tragic character. Think of him as what Tony Stark would be if he worked for, and was controlled by, the government. He is crass, misogynistic, and utterly brilliant, with an I.Q. that is higher in number than the contents of my bank account.
Announcement of new Star Wars movies and an expansion of the universe beginning in 2015 has created a renewed sense of interest in the classic franchise. Dark Horse Comics has been running several ongoing series for sometime now in the Star Wars universe but they remain, sadly, out of the mainstream. However, that might be about to change. Brian Wood (DMZ, Mara, and Northlanders) has launched a new series titled simply Star Wars. Taking place directly after the battle of Yavin 4 this new series drops readers right back in a part of the Star Wars universe they know and love.
Brian Wood’s latest series for Image Comics, Mara, has hit the ground running. An intriguing story about an athletically gifted young woman Mara in the not so distant future. War is raging globally and the compromise seems to be that everyone hyper focuses on sports.
SPOILER ALERT: This review covers some events of Avengers vs. X-Men
Coming off the battle between the Avengers and the X-Men we are thrusted into the new world of Marvel NOW! Captain America believing that he hasn’t done enough for mutants decides to create a new sanctioned team. The idea between the team is to show the world that mutants and humans can work alongside one another peacefully. So the six person team is made up of Cap, Scarlet Witch, Thor, Wolverine, Rogue, and Havok. Technically, the team has 4 mutants and 2 Avengers, but Scarlet Witch always rides the line between both.
There is no doubt that the constant battle between the two titans of the comic industry, Marvel and D.C., greatly influences how we, the fans, read comics today. Nevertheless, with D.C. comics gaining large strides from its controversial, yet financially successful, New 52 there was no shock to hear Marvel would try and compete. Lately, Marvel has done one event a year to garner excitement across its vast comic universe. In the past we have seen House of M, Secret Invasion, Civil War, Fear Itself, and Dark Reign to name a few.
As the United States has been on the teetering brink of complete destruction for some time now we finally get to see how Marvel is going to pull it back in those final moments. The Ultimate Universe is a pretty hard hitting, weirdly realistic corner of the overall Marvel comic universe. So with all the madness that’s been going on with killer Sentinels, states seceding from the union, anti-mutant sentiment, homegrown militias, and government officials seeking to destroy the country for profit from within there is clearly a sense of urgency.
