MARVEL ALL-ON-ONE #1 MARVEL COMICS
In 1972, Marvel decided to launch a new Spider-Man title where he paired off with another members of the Marvel Universe. Those 150 issues plus annuals were a huge hit with comic fans. No one even noticed that Spider-Man didn’t headline 10 of those issues. Most were one story issues that were amazing simply on their own. And so a little over a year later, they tried the experiment again in the pages of Marvel Feature #11 & 12. Only this time it was the ever-loving blue-eyed Thing that would headline. And success struck again. So this concept spun off into Marvel Two-In-One starting in January of 1974, with The Thing meeting up with Man-Thing! The title went for 100 issues not including annuals and again was big with the fans. And writer Ryan North takes us back to those times with this one-shot. And with Ed McGuinness and Mark Farmer along for the ride, how can you not help but love this book. Giant one panel pages, Some red herrings and a mystery that no one seems to care about. If you loved team-up books as a kid, you’ll absolutely love this. Oh, and who is the mnysterious guest in the story … ah, that would be telling. 9 out of 10 Grahams.
GODZILLA DESTROYS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #2
Well, It now 2099 and Godzilla is still trouncing everyone in the MCU. Magic, science, brute force, nothing works. And while Gerry Duggan introduces some interesting plot points (and a terrific ode to Spider-Man villains everywhere!) There really isn’t a lot to work with here. Again, if we put the story to the Godzilla test, we get the same results that have shown up in many independant Godzilla title recently. If you take the name Godzilla out of the title and just make him some random kaiju does the story work the same. And the answer is yes. This isn’t a Godzilla story, it is a story with Godzilla in it. Not only that, but I have never liked stories featuring all powerful unbeatable dangers. 6 out of 10 Grahams.
WONDER WOMAN #24 DC COMICS
While I have always found Tom King to be creative and enjoyable to read, this time around he’s quickly become annoying. While bringing back really old favorite Mouse Man, this context is just giving me a headache. If someone utters the phrase “Mouse Man knows.” again, I will be forced to hit someone. I have read comics that had sub-titles. I have read comics that had no dialog. Heck, I have even read comics where half the dialog was in baby talk. I see no clues or reference points for the two or three Mouse Man statements that everyone keeps repeating. So it feels like I’m just wasting my time here. Not the best introduction of Wonder Woman’s child or her ponytail look. 4 out of 10 Grahams.
DC FINEST HAWKMAN WINGS ACROSS TIME TPB
Once upon a time in comic history, tertiary heroes such as Hawkman, Aquaman, and the Atom all had their place. They had their own titles, their own crossovers, and their own fans. What I am glad to see in this volume is that Hawkman’s (and Hawkgirl’s) extracurricular appearances make into the chronology. While Hawkman did start out as a tryout in Brave and the Bold and graduate into his own title, he also showed up in issues of the Atom title (later on sharing the title for a few issues) as well as Mystery In Space. He not only sported a wide variety of Rogue’s Gallery but had plenty of guest stars. Adam Strange, Zatanna, and Aquaman all pop in for assistance. Little did anyone know that recreating the reincarnated prince with wings from the pages of the original Flash Comics would go on to create one of the most complicated histories in the DC Universe. But the very beginnings of the character are here and still prove while he may not be one of the Big Three, he is still around and loved today. 9 out of 10 Grahams.