All New X-Men Special # 1

Here's a quick review for All New X-Men Special # 1  written by Mike Costa and Kris Anka.

ALL-NEW X-MEN SPECIAL #1
MICHAEL COSTA (W) • KRIS ANKA (A)
Cover by ALEXANDER LOZANO
Interlocking Variant Cover by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
PART ONE OF “THE ARMS OF THE OCTOPUS!”
• The All-New X-Men cross over with the Indestructible Hulk and Superior Spider-Man!
• What does Doctor Octopus want with the All-New X-Men and HOW IS HE ALIVE?!
• This gets the immediate attention of Superior Spider-Man, but what does it have to do with the Hulk?
40 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T …$4.99

It's been awhile since we were actually treated to a good Original Five story. Bendis was keen on using these time displaced mutants so we all forgot that having the Original Five X-Men in the present day can make for good stories.

ALL NEW X-MEN SPECIAL # 1 is a classic example of how fun these characters are when they are let out of the box.

What you should know about this is that it's basically a three-issue special 'team-up' book involving the aforementioned Original X-Men (sans Angel who's gone over to Cyclops' Uncanny team), the maniacal Superior Spider-Man and a very different Agent of T.I.M.E. Indestructible Hulk. We got a good thing going thanks to the premise written by Costa about the X-Men 'conveniently' being in downtown New York at the moment when a very much alive Dr. Octopus attacks ESU. You really don't have to question the timing, just know that it's much better if you just suspend your disbelief.

Mike Costa definitely weaves a very simple and fun story. The plus side to this is that the dialogues are pretty light-hearted. No emo drama. No Jean going bat-shit crazy and yet, it keeps us up to speed with whatever the hell has happened with these teenage mutants. The writing isn't "shove whatever crap I think of down your throat" nor is it "I love my fans, I'm giving them what they want". Prime example is young Beast who just so happens to be brooding over the fact that he and Jean Grey kissed; moments later we see him flirting AND impressing a pivotal character.

KRIS ANKA is a god. I love his stuff. That is all. If you're a fan of the artist, get the book. If you're not, then you'll change your mind once you're through with this issue.

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN/ Slotto sucks. And the way the character is written sure makes it ring that way. Still we can't help but go 'wow' with everything that's happened to the wall-crawler here. Costa also made sure that he's as much confused about the situation as everything in the funny book.

VERDICT: A

Indestructible Hulk # 9 Review

Mark Waid and Matteo Scalera bring us an unlikely team-up in Indestructible Hulk # 9 which is also brought to us in partnership with Castle Geek and Comicx Hub!

I wasn't supposed to pick up Indestructible mainly because I still thought that this was an issue drawn by Walt Simonson. Imagine my relief however when I open the book and I see Matteo Scalera's artwork plus Daredevil to boot. Then there's also Mark Waid, who's name alone is worth every penny you spend in buying the issue.

So what should you look forward to in IH # 9? Well aside from the very blatant appearance of Daredevil in this issue, there's also a looming threat in the horizon. This threat isn't someone from Hulk's veritable stable of gamma-powered villains. Clue, it's actually somebody from Captain America's past.

Wild as it may seem, the team-up between this iteration of the Hulk together with the Daredevil from Waid's current run is somewhat fun to see. It's further proof that this Hulk should be definitive version of the Green Goliath as he's both interesting and entertaining at the same time. Plus it doesn't hurt that he works well with Bruce Banner.

Speaking of Banner, amongst all the different Banners written throughout Marvel's NOW books, I have to give the highest praise to this Banner. He's got some coolness and smugness in him that I haven't seen before in past versions and volumes of Hulk. Waid makes it a point to really show us that when Banner's doing the driving and there are even some light moments during the mission:

Don't let that fool you though as this book is still all about punching and smashing, and although that's been tapered down, it doesn't mean that it won't pack a punch.

Between this issue and Avengers # 14, I can really say that this week is all about Bruce Banner and the Hulk doing good things and standing by his promise of not hurting people. I implore Marvel to stick with this characterization of the Hulk as long as possible because if they do, then I really might stick around until the end of the road. For now though, I'm just enjoying the ride and I sincerely hope that you do too.

Get your copy of Indestructible Hulk # 9 HERE.

Verdict: 8.5/10

Special thanks to Castle Geek and Comicx Hub.

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. 

INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK # 1 Preview

INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #1
Written by MARK WAID
Art and cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
Hulk - Indestructible force more weapon than man. Banner – smartest man alive. Combined they are the strongest, smartest Weapon on the planet! And NOW! the Indestructible Hulk is an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

New Covers for Fantastic Four, FF, Indestructible Hulk and Deadpool

... and they're all in # 1 form nonetheless.

Indestructible Hulk # 1 will be written by Mark Waid with art by Filipino pride Leinil Yu. This is pretty interesting especially since we're seeing something familiar and strange for this "new" Hulk.