Month: April 2024

Written by Ed Brubaker.

Art by Steve Epting; Dave Stewart; & VC’s Eliopoulos.

Cover Artists: Steve Epting; Gerald Parel; Steven McNiven & Dexter Vines; Dean White & Justin Ponsor; Phil Jimenez & Morry Hollowell; & Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, & Javier Rodriguez.

1939 Daily Bugle Written by John Rhett Thomas; Jess Harrold; Sheila Johnson; Dugan Trodgglen; & Jeph York.

1939 Daily Bugle Art by Chance Fivesh, with layout by Brian O’Dell.

1939 Daily Bugle Cover Artist: Mike Mayhew.

Collection Cover Art by Steve McNiven.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2021 by Marvel Comics, this 219-page paperback compiles 2009-2010’s The Marvels Project # 1-8 limited series. 

Narrated by Dr. Thomas Halloway, the prologue is set in 1939 New York City.  Halloway is a hospital’s attending physician for a dying Matt “Two-Gun Kid” Hawk.  Fascinated by Hawk’s imaginative claims of time-traveling and future 20^th Century adventurers he dubs ‘super-heroes,’ Halloway subsequently receives an unexpected treasure upon Hawk’s passing.  Did the former Old West gunslinger already know of Halloway’s own destiny in launching a fateful new generation of heroes? 

In the coming weeks, Halloway becomes the nocturnal vigilante dubbed ‘The Angel,’ as street crime has grown rampant.  Elsewhere, Dr. Phineas Horton’s creation, the Human Torch, initially terrifies the world.  Struggling to control its powers along with an instinct to feel human, Horton’s benevolent android goes into hiding. A chance encounter with mobsters convinces the android the only way to experience humanity is to become one of them by quietly posing as policeman Jim Hammond.  

When the renegade Namor the Sub-Mariner’s vengeful at-sea assaults against humanity reach Coney Island, the Torch has no choice but to publicly confront him. Their spectacular battle leaves Namor with an intense desire to destroy the Torch in a rematch.  

Recruited by U.S. Intelligence, Nick Fury and his friend, Red Hargrove, successfully complete a daring two-man commando mission inside Germany to retrieve German scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine.  They briefly encounter the mysterious super-soldier, John Steele, who had been held captive in suspended animation by German scientists since World War I.  Upon his escape, Steele fights the Nazis in guerilla warfare on their own home turf.  As it’s revealed, a repentant Erskine’s genetic experiments will ultimately change the course of the war. 

Meanwhile, two brutal homicides of the Angel’s allies motivates him to intercept a Nazi cell within New York City.  That same enemy spy ring intends to disrupt Erskine’s experimental procedure on a young test subject, Steve Rogers.  Partially duplicating Erksine’s lost Super Soldier Serum, the Nazis unleash its own weapon: the monstrous Red Skull.  The Nazis gain another weapon in the Atlantean powerhouse: Merrano the U-Man and his loyal army of malcontents. 

A rookie Captain America first meets the Angel, as they converge on New York’s murderous Nazi spy cell.  Along with Bucky, the two heroes reunite in a nocturnal showdown against U-Man’s renegades.  An embittered Namor ambushes the Torch, not realizing that Captain America is also present.  Once he discovers Merrano’s traitorous actions, a humbled Sub-Mariner is persuaded by Captain America and the Human Torch to join their Invaders strike team. 

As the war rages on, Captain America and the Torch both recruit their teenage sidekicks: Bucky and Toro.  Briefly seen are obscure Timely Comics heroes: i.e. Jeffrey Mace’s Patriot; Mr. E.; the Thin Man; the Phantom Bullet; the Ferret; Monako the Magician, among others.  As the original Union Jack’s son, Brian Falsworth’s journey into becoming the Destroyer is also depicted.  Through Nick Fury’s help, John Steele forwards a desperate warning of a catastrophic Nazi dual scheme to attack American soil.   

Ultimately, the Invaders must divide its forces to thwart a simultaneous attack against Washington, D.C. and Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor.  High above Pearl Harbor, the Human Torch and Toro defend Hawaii from a Japanese aerial assault.  Protecting the British Prime Minister, Captain America, Bucky, and Namor are targeted at sea by U-Man’s Nazi-sponsored Atlantean commandos.  The heroes are well aware that surviving this battle is only one of many still to come, if the Allies are to eventually prevail. 

The epilogue briefly refences the impact the combined Marvels’ impact on the war. In the present-day, the saga’s legacy comes full circle.  Specifically, a package is personally delivered to the late Dr. Halloway’s grandson. 

Note: This title is also available digitally and as a hardcover.

REVIEW:

Reminiscent of how DC Comics effectively mines its iconic Golden Age, the same absolutely applies in Marvel’s stunning homage to its predecessor: Timely Comics.  Revisiting and, to a degree, re-imagining the origins of the company’s original Big Three, The Marvels Projects is a first-class retrospective in every aspect. 

With writer Ed Brubaker at the top of his game, the saga’s plotting (along with virtually every detail) is patiently executed.  For instance, Brubaker faithfully introduces the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and, finally, Captain America one by one without rushing headfirst into a historic first team-up.  His efforts are reminiscent of the reliable Roy Thomas playbook (i.e., Marvel’s The Invaders and later DC’s All-Star Squadron) by using obscure Timely heroes for some pivotal supporting roles and/or cameos.  Brubaker, suffice to say, should proudly place The Marvels Project high up on his resumé. 

Equaling Brubaker is the art team’s consistently high-caliber visuals, as they effectively update Timely’s pulpy Golden Age style.   If anything, The Marvels Project is a welcome tribute to Marvel’s first creative talents.  Given its subject matter (and occasionally grisly inferences), this book is appropriate for teens and up.   

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

In a full-page format, each Steve Epting cover precedes its story.  The extras gallery starts with a two-page, unused concept of the back cover design.  The full-page variant covers consist of: Issue # 1 (artists: 1. Gerald Parel; 2. Steve McNiven – both color and black-and-white sketch); and 3. Phil Jimenez); Issue # 2 (artists: 1.McNiven; 2. Parel; and 3. McNiven); Issue # 3 (1. McNiven; and 2. Parel); Issue # 4 (Parel); Issue # 5 (1. McNiven and 2. Parel); Issue # 6 (Parel); Issue # 7 (1. McNiven – this title’s cover image and 2. Parel); and Issue # 8 (1. McNiven; 2. Alan Davis – two-page spread; and 3. Parel).

Artist Mike Mayhew’s 1939 Daily Bugle cover appears in a full-page format.  Meant, to a degree, as an in-joke, the 1939 Daily Bugle one-shot features articles on: Namor; the Human Torch; Halloway’s Angel; Betty Dean; Wolverine; Kang; a young Steve Rogers; Nick Fury; a tease of the Skrulls; the Rawhide Kid; the Wasp’s grandparents; the future Hellcat; and even Models, Inc.  Marvel (being Marvel) specifies titles and volumes where one can continue exploring these storylines.   

Also included is an editorial admonishing the Torch’s late creator, Dr. Phineas Horton, as a modern-day ‘Dr. Frankenstein;’  wink-wink ‘Letters to the Editor;’ and birth announcements of some familiar relatives to Marvel’s future heroes. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       9 Stars

Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates & Yona Harvey.

Art by Butch Guice; Mack Chater; Stephen Thompson; Scott Hanna; Dan Brown; Paul Mounts; & VC’s Joe Sabino.

Cover Artists: John Cassaday & Laura Martin; Dan Brown; & Paul Mounts.

Collection Cover Art by John Cassaday & Laura Martin.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2017 by Marvel Comics, this 136-page paperback compiles the entire six-issue series from that same year.  Not necessarily a spin-off or sequel, The Crew is meant more as a reboot of a short-lived 2003 Marvel series by that same title.

Each issue starts with a flashback to Ezra “The Lynx” Keith in the mid-to-late 1950’s.  As a civil rights reformer, “The Lynx” has assembled a four-member, African American super-team: Brawl, Flare, Gloss, & a sorceress, The Gates.  Seemingly mercenaries for hire, they instead commence a fiery shutdown of a Bronx mobster in 1957.  The second issue’s flashback occurs in 1955 at the Asian-African Conference in Indonesia.  Ezra, at the time, first gets the idea of recruiting super-powered vigilantes out of Wakanda.  What he doesn’t realize is that a shadowy terrorist organization will be manipulating his covert agenda.

Per Issue # 3, in 1956 Harlem, Ezra and his associate, Frank, formulate a strategy to recruit their Wakandan super-team.  Issue # 4 explains how the grisly homicides of three civil rights movement workers in 1964 Mississippi disillusions Ezra.  Still, his squad delivers some justice without lethal retribution. 

By 1969, per Issue # 5, Ezra loses command of his ‘Crew,’ as they opt for a slick Frank’s end-justifies-the-means opportunism over Ezra’s conscientious brand of freedom fighting in Harlem.  It later comes down to Issue # 6, as fate intervenes during a 1972 confrontation between an estranged Ezra and Frank.  More so, Ezra realizes that Frank’s ongoing criminal activities are in league with HYDRA.  

Now-elderly protester Ezra Keith, over the years, has since become a mentor and inspiration to four heroes with links to Harlem: Ororo “Storm” Munroe; her ex-husband, T’Challa/Black Panther; hero-for-hire Luke Cage; mutant Eden “Manifold” Fesi; and NYPD detective Misty Knight.  Now, in the present day, Ezra’s suspicious overnight death in police custody has Harlem’s unrest sparking towards an ugly inferno of rioting in the name of social justice. 

Misty reluctantly joins Storm, along with Ezra’s adult niece and nephew, to unravel the shady circumstances of the civil rights icon’s death inside a jail cell. With multiple attempts made on their lives, Misty and Storm’s probe gradually recruits Black Panther (in his low-key undercover identity of Luke Charles), Luke Cage, and the now-fugitive Manifold.

Storm & Black Panther’s undercover investigation into an upscale luxury condominium called The Renaissance confirms Ezra’s suspicions.  In a subtle infiltration scheme dating back decades, HYDRA has not only slithered inside Harlem, but it has corrupted influential local players.  More so, Paragon Industries’ shoot-first Americop robots provide another layer of stealthy insulation.  Amidst a mass riot, it’s up to Storm, Black Panther, Luke Cage, and Manifold to finally strike back.  They’re soon stunned by the identity of one of this plot’s masterminds.       

Each issue is narrated by a character: Issue # 1 (Misty Knight); Issue # 2 (Ororo “Storm” Munroe); Issue # 3 (T’Challa/Black Panther; Issue # 4 (Luke Cage); Issue # 5 (Eden “Manifold” Fesi); and Issue # 6 (Ezra Keith).

Note: This title is also available digitally.  Though the story arc implies a mini-series, apparently Black Panther & The Crew was initially an ongoing monthly.  However, disappointing sales ended the series with Issue # 6.

REVIEW:

Premise-wise, co-writers Ta-Nehisi Coates and Yona Harvey have devised an ingenious set-up for a socially conscious and news headline-topical adventure-drama.  Intermingled with actual history, the Ezra Keith flashbacks supply a vital insight into its present-day storytelling.  As good as the primary arc’s twists mostly are, the plotting comes off as somewhat muddled. 

Some anachronisms curiously imply that the entire storyline occurs sometime in the past, i.e. Misty’s encounter with first-generation Americops, though she then remarks that Sam Wilson would later face a more advanced version; Storm’s stylish, mid-80’s Mohawk hairstyle; and, not to mention, T’Challa’s Luke Charles cover identity from the early 1970’s.  Yet, most other plot references, i.e. Ororo & T’Challa’s failed marriage; Luke Cage’s oddly unseen wife (Jessica Jones) and their young daughter; Misty’s then-romance with Sam “Captain America” Wilson, etc., clearly spell out that this arc is indeed in the present-tense 2017.  Despite such inconsistencies, Coates and Harvey’s co-plotting still makes for a good read.     

The artwork, like the scripting, tends to be inconsistent.  Some panels (i.e. Storm’s facial close-ups) are excellent, but much of the remaining material merely hovers in varying degrees of ‘average.’  Curiously, in the last three pages, the artists depict Luke Cage as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (minus the tattoos) – though it’s some logical casting, this wink-wink homage doesn’t improve the end result.  Suffice to say, this book’s visuals are generally solid, but they’re not a must-see asset. 

Black Panther & The Crew, overall, is worth the plunge.  It just may be more practical as a library option.  

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

The variant cover gallery (two per page) consists of:  Issue # 1 (1. Artists Rich Buckler, Tom Palmer, & Rachelle Rosenberg; and 2. artists Damion Scott & John Rauch; 3. artist John Tyler Christopher; and 4. artists Jim Cheung & Jason Keith); and then Issue # 2 (1. Artist Mike Del Mundo and 2. Sanford Greene).  Butch Guice contributes two pages of black-and-white character sketches, though Ezra Keith’s four-member crew is also inked.    

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      6 Stars

Written by Chelsea Cain.

Issues # 1-5 Art by Kate Niemczyk (Issues # 1-4); Ibraham Moustafa (Issue # 5 only); Sean Parsons; Rachelle Rosenberg; Joe Caramagna; & cover artist Joëlle Jones (with Rosenberg).

S.H.I.E.L.D. 50^th Anniversary # 1 Art by Joëlle Jones; Sean Parsons, Rachelle Rosenberg; Sean Parsons; Joe Caramagna; & cover artist Paul Renaud.

Collection Cover Art by Joëlle Jones & Rachelle Rosenberg.

SUMMARY:

Released by Marvel Comics in 2016, this episodic 136-page trade paperback collects that same year’s Mockingbird # 1-5 and the one-shot Mockingbird: S.H.I.E.L.D. 50^th Anniversary # 1. 

Recently resurrected via an experimental combination of the Super Soldier serum and the Infinity immortality formula, Dr. Barbara “Bobbi” Morse, aka Mockingbird, is now required to attend weekly check-ups and on-demand appointments by the S.H.I.E.L.D. Medical Clinic.  Hidden a full ten stories beneath New York City’s Chelsea Market, Bobbi is less-than-thrilled with this mandated healthcare plan. 

Issue # 1 reveals that S.H.I.E.L.D. scientific personnel is monitoring Bobbi for potential side effects.  More so, Bobbi realizes that she is experiencing symptoms of a strange virus.  Mockinbird’s ongoing suspicions also expose S.H.I.E.L.D.’s ulterior motive behind why she is now exhibiting psychic powers.  This two-parter is later completed in Issue # 5, as Bobbi is trapped in the medical facility with Miles Morales’ Spider-Man and Howard the Duck.  It’s up to them to retrieve an experimental cure for this virus that has resurrected S.H.I.E.L.D.’s medical cadavers into psychic zombies.

Set a month earlier, Issue # 2 has an undercover Mockingbird in London to rescue her part-time lover, S.H.I.E.L.D. operative Lancelot “Lance” Hunter.  Held captive in an underground S&M faction of the Hellfire Club, Lance is Bobbi’s only potential back-up against the Black Queen’s small army.  Worse yet, the inappropriately-dressed duo must quickly thwart an assassination plot targeting the British monarchy.  Queen Elizabeth makes a brief cameo.

In Issue # 3, in New York City, Mockingbird is reminded of how her incessant childhood desire to be a super-hero was replaced by scientific ambitions.  Her subsequent doctorate in biology (and/or biochemistry) will be necessary to help Bobbi resolve a televised hostage crisis.  Holding four middle school classmates captive inside a force field several stories up, Mockingbird’s adversary is unusual.  Specifically, Rachel is a bewildered and lonely 12-year-old girl, who just discovered she has super-powers.  Worse yet, Rachel doesn’t understand how her light-based powers work or their limitations.  It’s up to Bobbi to improvise an intervention as both a hostage negotiator and single-woman SWAT team.

Set a week before Issue # 1, Bobbi is in the Middle East investigating a mass die-off of Saiga antelopes infected with the same bacterial infection she has.  Then, the day before Issue # 1, Bobbi infiltrates an underwater T.I.M. (Total Idea Mechanics) lab to rescue her captive ex-husband, Clint “Hawkeye” Barton.  A vial he has stolen from this terrorist group may help Bobbi thwart her mutating virus.  To Clint’s horror, Bobbi risks drowning herself to test to what degree the virus is mind-altering her judgment.  Issue # 5 completes Bobbi’s virus storyline, as she battles with Miles Morales against S.H.I.E.L.D.’s horde of medical facility zombies.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. 50^th Anniversary one-shot revisits Bobbi’s initial first appearance dating back to 1971’s Astonishing Tales # 6.  Bobbi leaves Lance Hunter at home to probe the home invasion murder of her former mentor, S.H.I.E.L.D. biochemist Dr. Wilma Calvin.  In a high-tech Georgia morgue, Bobbi and Wilma’s scientist son, Percy, conduct an unauthorized second autopsy on his mother’s corpse.  Bobbi immediately realizes something isn’t right, but she is willing to risk her life on this instinctive hunch.  Before she can return to Lance, Mockingbird quietly comes to terms with her past life: as a biochemist and what might have been, if not for Wilma Calvin.  

Notes: This title is also available digitally. Issue # 1 gag cameos include: Hercules, Luke Cage & Jessica Jones; Tony Stark; Howard the Duck; & Black Widow.

REVIEW:

As routine or deliberately hodge-podge as Mockingbird, Volume 1: I Can Explain will seem, it’s still a mighty fun read for adults.  With Chelsea Cain’s snarky writing and the art team’s excellent visuals, Mockingbird’s hard-nosed spy adventures deliver solid entertainment.  The occasionally naughty inferences are amusing, as Cain’s playful flippancy hits the right plot twists on cue.  It’s a welcome sign that Mockingbird has evolved past merely playing Marvel’s answer to Black Canary. 

More so, Mockingbird, Volume 1: I Can Explain confirms that Bobbi Morse is a solo Avenger capable of carrying her own title.    

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Preceding is a full-page portrait of each cover by Joëlle Jones & Rachelle Rosenberg.  Also included is a page featuring two ¼-sizes variants for Issue # 1 (‘Women of Power’ by artist Kirbi Fagan and a kid-friendly Mockingbird by Skottie Young).  After Issue # 4, a single page depicts both artist Jeff Dekal’s ‘hip-hop’ Issue # 1 variant and artist Afu Chan’s variant.

Later, again in ¼-size, there are additional variants.  For Issue # 2, the variant artists are: 1. Nen Chang; 2. Kirbi Fagan; and 3. a Civil War-themed variant by Pasqual Ferry & Frank D’Armata.  For Issue # 3, the variant artist is Elizabeth Torque.

Taken from Mockingbird # 1, there is an insightful, page-length letter to fans from writer Chelsea Cain.  From Issues # 2-5, there are four individual paper doll accessory cut-out pages for some tongue-in-cheek fun-and-games.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:               7 Stars