Avengers # 18 Thoughts

The AVENGERS join the intergalactic war against the BUILDERS in this issue written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho. 

Before I proceed, let me hit you up with this...

- So the Skrulls are back and this time their lead by somebody very familiar, Kl'rt the Super Skrull. I like the idea of the Skrulls getting back in the game and I certainly hoped that this wouldn't be the last of them. Plus the way they were drawn by Yu gives them additional badassery. It's like you'll be scared to even look them in the eye as opposed to their classic purple and black togs. 

- Guardians of the Galaxy gave us a peek at the Galactic council spearheaded by Peter Quill's dad J-Son of Spartax. AVENGERS # 18 finally gives us the full extent of what other cosmic beings are part of the council. Clue, these are vicious killers and people known for their knack at annihilation. It does bring a sense of grandness and a sense of desperation to have them join the council. 

- Hickman uses these scenes to put the readers and the AVENGERS into perspective. We might be following the war through the eyes of the Avengers but that doesn't mean their the center of everything. Mind you at this point in the story, nobody even knows that THANOS has some wicked plans for Earth. 

- Leinil Yu's art definitely kicked ass in this issue. If you're a fan of Yu then Yu'll know that you should be pre-ordering (it hasn't come out yet since Storm Maring delayed comic book deliveries here in Manila) this issue. There's tons of things to see here like a galactic battleship fight, some mean looking Skrulls and Alephs killing each other and many, many more. 

- The art team is pretty swell as well. I do like Sunny Gho's work here much more than Gerry's inks. 

- You know for a team that's massively powered, I'm still unsure why the Builders got the drop on the Avengers. Seriously. It seemed pretty silly especially the team's already amassed some serious firepower within their ranks. I dunno, those scenes with the retreat needs to be re-read to get a better understanding. 

- No sign of Thanos here which is good although it would've been great to at least give us readers a hint of what that death loving scoundrel is planning to do. But then again it could've ruined the surprise. 

- The ending is traditional albeit interesting. I'm really curious as to how things are going to play out now that the team's roster has dwindled immensely. Also why is Quincruiser 1carrying a smaller amount of members as opposed to Quincruiser 2?  Didn't Captain America think it through to equally distribute team members?

- The issue also respects continuity in the case Spider-Woman aka Jessica Drew and her general feelings towards the Skrulls who abducted her and made Jessica the face of Secret Invasion. 

If anything, AVENGERS # 18 just added sweetness to the already heaping goodness of the INFINITY cake. It didn't take anything, just add in more sprinkles and more icing. Plus Leinil's art alone is a flavor of it's own. 

RATING: A

(Definitely getting a copy from COMICX HUB when it comes out hopefully by the weekend)

Indestructible Hulk # 1 Review

Got my hands on Indestructible Hulk # 1 by Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu Sunny Gho and Gerry Alanguilan.

A new direction for the Hulk is given in this new relaunched title featuring the badass art team behind Mark Millar's "Super Crooks" and the man responsible for making Daredevil cool and hip and significant.

In this new book, some things are still the same; Bruce Banner is still the Hulk and he's still bound to become very angry and smash things but the more interesting bit for me happens to be Bruce Banner himself.

This new 'Banner' is something more akin to Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner. He's grown to accept that the Hulk is a condition that needs to be checked once in awhile like cancer or diabetes. He's accepted that he will no longer be able to get rid of his big green counterpart and has started down a path towards redemption. 

I liked the book because of the dialogue that Waid infuses the characters with; from Maria Hill's anxiety over her work schedule to Bruce Banner's wit and later his dedication to his new goal. The Hulk might not have any significant dialogue here but the frenetic action sequences are glorious and lets us remember that "actions speak louder than words". 

Goals are something that gets played pretty well in this relaunched title. Banner wants to join his peers Tony Stark and Reed Richards in terms of developing technology but is unable to because his flat-ass broke. He strikes a deal with SHIELD on both ends. It's this kind of smart writing that got me hooked in the book. 

The art team did an incredible job in this book like the boyband that they are they manage to kick some serious ass. First there's the sharp and dynamic pencils of Leinil followed by the sick inks of Gerry Alanguilan and then there's the really great colors provided by Sunny. Explosions and rubbles never looked as good as what they've managed to do here in issue number 1. 

Of course I'd like to thank Comicx Hub for the support for this review. 

BTS from Exclusive Interview with Mark Millar

Without spoiling the surprise we have for you guys at Flipgeeks, I'd like to share a photo we had with Mark Millar.

As you can see, this is the Flipgeeks team in full force as we got a chance to sit down and chat with our comic book idol Mark Millar as part of this weekend's "MILLA IN MANILA" event courtesy of National Book Store.

Tune in to the other site I run as we provide you with some geek hilarity as we got to sit down with Mark last Saturday, May 26.

Here's a shot of our dearest friends from NBS post-signing.(With Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho)

Mark Millar was awesome but it would never have happened if not for you guys. Special thanks to Ms. Karla, Sir Miguel and the rest of the fine people from NBS.