It happened again. Only one of the comics I was expecting was available. I’m starting to think of a few things, which I’ll share soon. However, I do have comics to review. Marvel Adventures: The Avengers came out, and to give me enough comics to bother driving out there and doing a review here, I picked up…two more Marvel Adventures: The Avengers back issues! of course, that means only one possible comic will contain the Best Scene of the Week nominee. So pull yourself away from Street Fighter 4 long enough (hey, I stopped playing Portal), and let’s get to it!
Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #33 [Marvel]
WRITEOSAURUS: Paul Tobin
DRAWPHODON: Ig Guara
INKODACTYL: Sandro Ribeiro
TRICOLOROTOPS: Sotocolor
LETTEREMIUS: Cruz & Staples
PROCUCOELUS: Paul Acerios
CONSULTIMERIA: Ralph Macchio
EDITOR RED: Nathan Cosby
Yeah, that’s never as funny as they think it is.
So Wolverine is discussing the latest in fine cuisine (“deep-fried sausage pretzel”?), when a bunch of dinosaurs start dancing down the street. And by dancing, I mean stomping around, smashing stuff, and eating Wolverine. By coincidence Ka-Zar, the guardian of the Savage Land, is helping a museum with a new exhibit–a bone that escaped both decomposition and fossilization with a piece of dino flesh intact. Assuming you’ve seen Jurrasic Park, so has Stegron, a dino-man that wants to make sure you know his name. You can guess what happens next. Did I mention that Ka-Zar is also trying to learn to drive?
What they got right: I can’t really go through it without major spoilage, so you might want to check the ComiXology review linked to in the title. I can say this, however. PAUL TOBIN FINALLY USES MA BRUCE! It’s like all those long conversations we never had finally paid off! Now the spoilery stuff: There is nothing not awesome about this comic, except for Logan’s eating habits. Wolverine being eaten by a dinosaur. Stegron speaking his name over and over during his on-air ranting. Ka-Zar learning how to drive, and failing miserably. (Makes me feel better about my driving tests.) Bruce as Ka-Zar’s driving instructor. Wolverine being eaten by a dinosaur again. The Avengers battling dinosaurs in New York. The way Ka-Zar defeats Stegron. (Yes I could spoil that as well, but I want you to read it yourself.) I say again, there is nothing not awesome about this comic.
What they got wrong: “Deep-fried sausage pretzel”? Logan need serious help. Come on, I just said there was nothing not awesome about this comic! I suppose the lack of any indication of this story on the cover outside of Ka-Zar on it (no Zabu in the comic, though) makes this legal.
Recommendation: What did I just say? What do you think I’m going to say next?
Best Scene of the Week Comic
Warning: To fully appreciate the montage, this one is dino-sized!
I had to avoid using the spoilery ending, or there would have been competition. Actually, no there wouldn’t. I hate Wolverine that much!
So with only one new comic to the world, let’s look at the two new comics to my collection. Two back-issues of MA:A, to be exact.
Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #12
WORLDS OF WORDS: Jeff Parker
PENCILS OF PLUTO: Juan Zantacruz
INKS OF IO: Raul Fernandez
COSMIC COLOR: Adriano Lucas
LIGHTSPEED LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
COMET COVERERS: Cameron Stewart & Guru eFX
PARALLAX PRODUCTION: Kate Levin
DWARF STAR: Nathan Cosby
SUPERNOVA: Mark Paniccia
See? Never funny.
The Avengers take time from freak weather disasters to investigate the source. Bruce traces it to Ego, the living planet, who has traveled to our solar system with one purpose…to get it on with Earth. Mistaking our planet for a female of his kind, his closeness to the planet could tear it apart. The Avengers plans to convince him to leave (and Giant Girl’s running interference with this player world) fall on deaf ears until he sees all the people on it, and decides to leave Earth alone…because she has cooties! (Must have checked out Washington, DC.)
What they got right: It’s really the little touches. The World War Hulk nod. Watching Giant Girl telling Ego that Earth is too good for a cad like him. How calm the Avengers really are in this whole situation. It’s just kind of funny.
What they got wrong: On the other hand, it’s a story about Ego trying to hook up with the Earth like he’s at a singles bar. Who thinks up stuff like that? To get a story like that to work, you have to be the sanest loon on the planet. Oh, wait, Jeff Parker may well be that sane loon.
Recommendation: There’s this little thing I refer to as the “Finkleberg Factor”. It’s based on a character in the Transformers comics Marvel made back in 80’s. Donny Finkleberg was a comic writer who was determined to prove “given a chance, I can sell any story”. (He was fired after trying to get approval for a Potato Salad Man graphic novel titled “This Man, This Mayonaise”.) This seems to be one of those stories. It’s not an easy thing to make work. Somehow, he does. Still, being one of the weakest MA: Avengers stories is like being the weakest guy in a bodybuilding competion. He’s still capable of benchpressing a bus. Just a smaller one.
Wow, that’s the longest “recommendation” comment I’ve written yet.
Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #15
WRITER: Jeff Parker
PENCILER: Cafu
INKER: Terry Pallot
COLORIST: Val Staples
LETTERER: Dave Sharpe
COVER ARTISTS: Kirk, Pallot, and Sotomayor
PRODUCTION: Brad Johansen
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Nathan Cosby
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
Now THAT’S more like it!
The Avengers are called to Asgard, home of the Norse gods, by Odin’s ravens. Odin himself is nowhere to be found, and neither are any of the other gods. Instead, a dark elf named Malekith and his army. Spider-Man figures out what happened to the gods and Storm frees them. Together, the gods and super heroes defeat Maklekith’s forces and save Asgard.
What they got right: Again, it’s the little touches. Everyone but Spidey (and possibly Hulk, who really isn’t paying attention) are Thor fans. Storm is the most interested because of their mutual use of lightning. (This plays into a later story where Storm and Thor are dating.) Unlike the Ego comic, however, it doesn’t feel like the “Finkleberg Factor” is in play. Iron Man also calls attention to the “fact” that weird things always seem to happen to the Avengers on Thursdays.
What they got wrong: Nothing, really. Although, I would like to find out which issues started the whole “action pose in place of the cover that hints at the story inside” nonsense.
Recommendation: A nice, even pace, oddities still come through, and it’s just the right mix of fun and adventure.
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And that’s all the crazy we can handle for one weekend (although I actually read them one day at a time). Hopefully it will be all brand new comics next week. Hopefully.
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