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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 2, 2010 18:20:59 GMT
Oh, and West Coast Avengers HC and 2 volumes of Invincible Iron Man are en route
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 3, 2010 14:02:23 GMT
X-Men: Nation-X HC (contains Dark Reign The List: X-Men, Uncanny X-Men 515-522 and Nation-X 1-4)
I hauled this @ £7.14 which may be the all time greatest lucky bargain ever ! 8 issues of the regular series plus a special PLUS a 4 issue limited series.
The List special is Norman Osborn's revenge on Namor and how the X-Men help out. Not a bad story but why is Marrina alive again ? (not that she is by the end of it!)
Nation-X is a series of short stories - they've done a few of them for the X-Men of recent. My faves were the Iceman tale and a Madison Jeffries tale dealing with the death of Diamond Lill (Necrosha) I checked the credits and both of these were Chris Yost's work (X-Force, New X-Men)
UXM 515-522 is a four pronged story: Some new villains have dispatched a set of Predator-X's to kill everyone on the Island, the Island's sinking, Emma's got a Void sliver in her head & is stuck in diamond form and Magneto shows up and nobody trusts him. I'm not sure how this would of read over 8 months of single issues but booked up it works just fine with the Magneto's eventual demonstration of his trustworthiness returning Kitty Pryde to Earth.
Sure, it's not mind blowing. But at that price you can't go wrong - sadly Amazon have now corrected it.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 4, 2010 6:55:41 GMT
Trades into November up at Amazon: Paperback HardbackNot a lot for me this month. Doesn't seem to have been many decent new Essentials this year - I've bought Avengers and will buy the new FF & Defenders volumes but that's it. |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 5, 2010 7:51:59 GMT
Been meaning to get these for a bit:
Invincible Iron Man Volume 1: The Five Nightmares. Terrorists powered by Iron Man technology - Pepper Potts (late of the Order) is badly injured in one of them requiring the Iron Man tech to keep her alive. Tony feeling left behind by whoever's powering them. Who turns out to be Ezekiel Stane, Obvadiah Stane's son. The theme of getting left behind by technology is neatly reversed at the end when the technology is turned off and it descends into a fist fight !
Invincible Iron Man Volume 2: World's Most Wanted Volume 1. This is the real thrust of what this comic is about - the first of 4 volumes for this story. Stark's hidden some stuff in his brain to stop Osbourne getting it. He wants it of course so Stark's on the run, slowly lovbotomising himself to delete the information and regressing to earlier versions of the Iron Man Armour. Meanwhile Pepper Potts gets her own armour and Maria Hill falls victim to the Controller while retrieving some info for Strak to pass on to Captain America. The chase theme gives plenty of action oppotunities - Iron Man "fights" War Machine, Underwater Iron Man fights Namor, Iron Man fights Shockwave - and gives the book clear direction too. LaRocca's art is consistant throughout - no fill in artists in 12 issues - but I prefered his older style.
Volume 3 en route.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 6, 2010 14:24:06 GMT
West Coast Avengers HC: Avengers Assemble ! One of the first things you have to ask yourself is "why has this never been collected before?" WCA was a big thing during the day and it would have been easy for Marvel to stick out a trade of the limited series say when the regular series started. But it's languished in unreprinted limbo till then. When my Dad started bringing me home comics I wanted to know who the Avengers were. I knew about the X-Men, Defenders and FF from Marvel UK comics but at that point I'd never come across an Avengers story. The first set of comics I got was dated December 83 but I had to wait till the August 84 issues to get a copy of Avengers - 246 - which has the Wasp taking a call from Hawkeye at their new West Coast Base. WCA is plugged in Bullpen Bulletins that month and (I think) appears in an advert at the end for 4 of next month's comics. I wanted to know more but did I get any of the WCA LS brought home ? Of course not. The back issues were decent money back then too so I never got to read it till recently..... which is of course the cue for it to be traded up. We start with material culled from various Avengers issues about the setting up of the team - the excuse given ties into Rom the Spaceknight - and included here is the aforementioned phone call from Avengers 246. We then get the first issue of the limited series - Hawkeye sets up his team. Mockingbird is there on the West Coast with him so she's a given. Iron Man's just moved there - but the WCA don't know he's not the original Iron Man, Wonder Man's got a carear in film stunts there and Tigra's helping Jessica Drews Detective Agency - and when Tigra's agitated by the call from the WCA - her previous experience with the Avengers wasn't good (211->21something not long after) - she send her friend the Shroud to follow them. A misunderstanding ensues, The Shroud gets offered WCA membership but declines setting up a relationship between the Shroud and the Team and starting the whole "Who'll be the Sixth WCA?" subplot which rumbles on for years. Why is the Shroud not an Avenger ? Make it happen ! We then get Iron Man Annual 7. The WCA do a lot of guest starring before their ongoing starts - the letters page in the first issue of the ongoing recounts all their appearances,many of them in Iron Man who was the only member with an ongoing at the time. Eric Joston (aka Powerman aka The Smuggler) is loosing his powers so he goes to see Dr Karl Malus who injects him with Hank Pym's growth serum at which point he promptly goes on a rampage as the new Goliath which causes the boys on the team to learn to work together. Sadly the reprint is missing the great letters page which lists all of the (then relatively minor) protagonists appearances in the MU to date. Issue 2 introduces a new minor villain - the Blank - which in turn pulls in Graviton - poor man's Magneto - for the remaining two issues of the series. Yeah it's not Death of Phoenix/Wolverine LS. But it's enjoyable, competant stuff. The volume is closed by Avengers 250 the first big get together of both teams to fight Maelstrom. There's no Cap on the East Coast team - see Cap 300 for why - and this is just before Stern hits his purple patch with the absoloute Vision story and what follows. Bonus material includes a short back up from WCA 100 plus Hawkeye & Mockingbird's MU Deluxe entries. Nice volume which dovetails nicely with the recent Iron Man: Iron Monger volume which has the majority of the WCAs next few appearances in. There's a decent Roger Stern interview at www.marvelmasterworks.com/features/int_stern_1006_1.html which talks about WCA on Page 3 (no topless Tigra though)
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Post by The Doctor on Jun 7, 2010 17:29:05 GMT
About bloody time WCA started getting some reprint love, though I'd rather have a fat Essential of it.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 10, 2010 19:14:05 GMT
Ploughing through Essential Fantastic Four 7 at the mo. Had read bits of the stuff with Darkoth before - presumably in my Marvel UK collection. Some of the rest of it is a little light... Yes. You're now into the period of generic FF, alas. I shall pick a copy up cheap on amazon at one point due to my love of the FF but I would recommend the first 5 volumes first to anyone. -Ralph Essential FFv8 on the runway this week ! Huzzah, it's been a quiet period for trades and Essentials in particular. Collects Fantastic Four (1961) #160-179, #181-183, Annual #11, and Marvel Two-in-One #20 & Annual #1. More of the same I'm afraid, Generic FF at it's worst. Highlights: Perez, Dave Hunt inking Perez and some Mantlotainment. But it's better than Essential Nova which is dull as ditch water. Sal Buscema for the first half makes the art ok but Carmine Infantino on the second half isn't a good match for the book which ends on a cliffhanger to be picked up in a future EFF volume. There's a link between both titles as both involve visits to Marvel's HQ. |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 10, 2010 19:23:48 GMT
Been meaning to get these for a bit: Invincible Iron Man Volume 1: The Five Nightmares. Terrorists powered by Iron Man technology - Pepper Potts (late of the Order) is badly injured in one of them requiring the Iron Man tech to keep her alive. Tony feeling left behind by whoever's powering them. Who turns out to be Ezekiel Stane, Obvadiah Stane's son. The theme of getting left behind by technology is neatly reversed at the end when the technology is turned off and it descends into a fist fight ! Invincible Iron Man Volume 2: World's Most Wanted Volume 1. This is the real thrust of what this comic is about - the first of 4 volumes for this story. Stark's hidden some stuff in his brain to stop Osbourne getting it. He wants it of course so Stark's on the run, slowly lovbotomising himself to delete the information and regressing to earlier versions of the Iron Man Armour. Meanwhile Pepper Potts gets her own armour and Maria Hill falls victim to the Controller while retrieving some info for Strak to pass on to Captain America. The chase theme gives plenty of action oppotunities - Iron Man "fights" War Machine, Underwater Iron Man fights Namor, Iron Man fights Shockwave - and gives the book clear direction too. LaRocca's art is consistant throughout - no fill in artists in 12 issues - but I prefered his older style. Volume 3 en route. : World's Most Wanted v2. Fabulous stuff. The volume moves at a fantastic rate taking Stark to Russia.... which means Crimson Dynamo and you can't go wrong there. A decent battle between a deranged Madame Masque and Rescue followed by a trip to Afghanistan (which is apparently now the birthplace of Iron Man) while Hill & the Black Widow are banged up on the Hammer Hellicarrier. A face off between the Iron Patriot and the earliest Iron Man which leads to Stark in a coma.... and *the* greatest line you will ever hear Norman Osbourne speak when he finds out who Stark's given his power of attourney to: "Who the hell is Doctor Donald Blake ?" It's great cos we know who he is, and because Osbourne doesn't Stark has won. I love the 160-200 Denny O'Neill Iron Man story. But for my money World's most wanted is the 2nd best Iron Man I've read. |
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Post by The Doctor on Jun 10, 2010 20:22:11 GMT
We warned you about Essential Nova!
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 10, 2010 20:50:46 GMT
You did, but it was too late. But it's taken me a few months to get round to it.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jun 11, 2010 10:56:58 GMT
It's turgid bollocks. Really dull, Spider-Man without the wit and charm.
Glad to see WCA get some attention I liked the book, and followed it till the end and ugh Force Works.
Andy
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 11, 2010 12:13:41 GMT
Note: There's an Invincible Iron Man HC that collects the volumes above for less than the price of the individual volumes.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 14, 2010 11:37:17 GMT
Over the weekend I did something I don't often do.
I went back and reread Iron Man: World's Most Wanted almost straight after finishin it.
Just as good the second time.
JMS Thor v3 and Vision & Scarlet Witch: A Year In The Life (more WCA) have just plopped onto the door mat.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 15, 2010 19:19:41 GMT
JMS Thor v3: A bit of a disapointment really. It's ok but all over a bit quick. The Sif situation sorts itself out by Loki telling Thor what's going on. Bwuh ? storywise it'd be more satisfying to have Thor figure it out. The Asgardians ship off to Latveria but the reveal of why Doom wants them there is far to quick. The art, while good, isn't quite up to Copiel's on previous volumes.
a bit meh.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 24, 2010 16:59:07 GMT
Vision & Scarlet Witch: A Year In The Life: This is a bit of a concept book: tell a story for the most part in real time. The story in question being the Scarlet Witch's pregnancy, with a theme of family - and they have quite an extended family - running through the issues. Unfortunately the book's as boring as anything and the only good bit - the West Coast Avengers crossover in the first two issues - is missing WCA#1 which sets it up.
Stick with the earlier V&SW LS. It's written by Mantlo and is much, much better.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 29, 2010 19:36:18 GMT
Why you should buy Avengers: The Conterst:
1) It reprints al 3 issues of Contest of Champions
2) Which is drawn by John Romita Jr, plotted by Steve Grant, Mark Grunwald & BILL MANTLO
3) BILL MATLO scripts it too !
4) you get Avengers Annual 16 & West Coast Avengers Annual 2 as well.
5) It contains the prottype for the Marvel Universe Handbooks
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 29, 2010 20:14:52 GMT
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panderson
Protoform
Kiss Me? Hardly!!!
Posts: 548
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Post by panderson on Jun 29, 2010 21:18:50 GMT
Yoink - having that!!
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panderson
Protoform
Kiss Me? Hardly!!!
Posts: 548
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Post by panderson on Jun 29, 2010 21:23:39 GMT
And ordered - so whens it due now? lol - thats silly cheap for a HC
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 30, 2010 15:17:58 GMT
3rd August or slightly before. Amazon's dates are usually a week to a fortnight behind when it actually shows up.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 1, 2010 17:49:28 GMT
My new trades radar has detected Essential Captain Marvcel v2 for the end of the year
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 2, 2010 12:29:46 GMT
Exiles Ultimate Collection volumes 1-4: It's hard to review these individually. What If reinvented for the 2000s with a team of time displaced alternate X-Men. Quick fire stories - 1-3 issues in these volumes, decent art - Jim Calafiore doing the lion share of the work. Well worth a look, but iiirc returns diminish somewhat from here onwards. Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection v2: Loved the first one. The second is good without being up to the same standards. Worth it for the recap and letters pages (almost uniquely reprinted here) alone.
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 2, 2010 23:34:46 GMT
My new trades radar has detected Essential Captain Marvcel v2 for the end of the year Cosmic Jim in glorious black and white? -Ralph |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 3, 2010 7:47:58 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 4, 2010 13:16:40 GMT
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 4, 2010 22:17:13 GMT
An essential Essential purchase, I feel.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 5, 2010 7:05:42 GMT
What's V1 like ?
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 5, 2010 7:16:38 GMT
Pre-Cosmic Jim CM (like Warlock) is pretty tedious.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jul 9, 2010 0:45:14 GMT
Been meaning to get these for a bit: Invincible Iron Man Volume 1: The Five Nightmares. Terrorists powered by Iron Man technology - Pepper Potts (late of the Order) is badly injured in one of them requiring the Iron Man tech to keep her alive. Tony feeling left behind by whoever's powering them. Who turns out to be Ezekiel Stane, Obvadiah Stane's son. The theme of getting left behind by technology is neatly reversed at the end when the technology is turned off and it descends into a fist fight ! Invincible Iron Man Volume 2: World's Most Wanted Volume 1. This is the real thrust of what this comic is about - the first of 4 volumes for this story. Stark's hidden some stuff in his brain to stop Osbourne getting it. He wants it of course so Stark's on the run, slowly lovbotomising himself to delete the information and regressing to earlier versions of the Iron Man Armour. Meanwhile Pepper Potts gets her own armour and Maria Hill falls victim to the Controller while retrieving some info for Strak to pass on to Captain America. The chase theme gives plenty of action oppotunities - Iron Man "fights" War Machine, Underwater Iron Man fights Namor, Iron Man fights Shockwave - and gives the book clear direction too. LaRocca's art is consistant throughout - no fill in artists in 12 issues - but I prefered his older style. Volume 3 en route. Invincible Iron Man v3: World's Most Wanted v2. Fabulous stuff. The volume moves at a fantastic rate taking Stark to Russia.... which means Crimson Dynamo and you can't go wrong there. A decent battle between a deranged Madame Masque and Rescue followed by a trip to Afghanistan (which is apparently now the birthplace of Iron Man) while Hill & the Black Widow are banged up on the Hammer Hellicarrier. A face off between the Iron Patriot and the earliest Iron Man which leads to Stark in a coma.... and *the* greatest line you will ever hear Norman Osbourne speak when he finds out who Stark's given his power of attourney to: "Who the hell is Doctor Donald Blake ?" It's great cos we know who he is, and because Osbourne doesn't Stark has won. I love the 160-200 Denny O'Neill Iron Man story. But for my money World's most wanted is the 2nd best Iron Man I've read. I cracked and bought the Hardcover of these. Stunning presentation for less than the price of the softcovers. And then flogged the softcovers on eBay and covered my costs:-) Secret Warriors v2: Been waiting a while for this. It's a little of an odd volume in that Hydra hardly appears and the big reveal at the end of the last volume isn't picked up on. But we get more of Marvel's spy past being drawn in, a use for the LMDs seen last time and a decent team up with Norman Osbourne in Secret Warriors The List. Some great stuff between Ares and his son too. Dark Reign: The List: 8 one shots - effectively the 2009 annuals for the titles in question. We looked at Avengers & X-men when they came out, then again for the X-men in the Nation-X HC Secret Warriors I'd read above - turned up the same day. Daredevil picks up from where the previous trade left off and is great. Punisher gets Frank Castle hacked to pieces - now get out of that ! Nice John Romita Jr art. Wolverine's hardly in his tale of Marvel Boy & Fantomex. Similarly no Hulk in the Hulk but we do get Bruce Banner & Skaar (when did Katherine Waynesboro come back ?? ?? ?) Finally we have Spider-Man which is a great tale of Spidey & Peter embarassing Norman Osbourne and putting a crack in his administration. Highlights were the Daredevil, Secret Warriors & Spider-Man issues with only Wolverine really letting the side down. Daredevil: Bendis Ultimate Collection v1: Never read Bendis DD. But word was it's good,and I've enjoyed the Brubaker follow on so..... took me a while to get in to but when I did it's good stuff. The running storyline is Daredevil's identitiy escaping but there's lots of other good stuff in there too including m'man Luke Cage & his buddy Iron Fist and you can't go wrong there can you ? Loving the Ultimate collection range. Now will Marvel do Kyle & Yost's New X-Men in it please ? |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jul 24, 2010 0:06:07 GMT
Batman and Robin V1 HC is en route to Turnbull Towers courtesy of Amazon. Saw the book in Waterstones and liked the repro and the back matter with sketches and the like.
Andy
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