JT's Take: Venom #22

Hey Todd Squad, I figured today I'd review the final issue of Rick Remender's Venom run. Since the first issue, I've called Remender's Venom, the best ongoing comic since Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl run with Stephanie Brown. Now that his run is coming to an end, let's see how things work out for our favorite Symbiotic Soldier.

Venom #22

Summary: This issue actually moved along rather quickly. We started out with Flash swinging around the city looking for the insane Jack O'Lantern, who survived his Joker like acid bath and is now out killing people to lure Venom to him. Jack is also doing this on Father's Day, since he believes Venom killed his father, The Crime Master. Over the course of the issue we see Flash's memories with his abusive, alcoholic father, yelling and attacking Flash and his sister. Venom finally comes to the end of the trail that Jack had left for him and enters a room to find his own Father's corpse, sitting at a table. Flash of course goes livid and smashes the table, which causes his father's corpse to lean forward and shows a bomb, which explodes and the flames hurt the Venom symbiote. Jack O'Lantern attacks Venom and is about to kill the young hero when Venom uses his symbiote tendrils to grab the gun from around the waist of his father's cop uniform. He blasts Jack and attacks him, beating him senseless, until making the choice not to be like his father, and carries an unconscious Jack that he then turns in to the authorities. From there we see Flash telling the Secret Avengers if they want to cut him he knows why, we also see Betty throwing out pictures of her and Flash, Flash's mother staring out into the sunset, and Flash finally laying down for a night's rest, as this issue comes to a close.


Thoughts: First things first, thanks to Rick Remender for an amazing comic series and making me a big fan of Flash Thompson, and making him my favorite Venom. Now, onto this issue, I loved how Flash's dad was tied in with this, and seeing Flash's rough childhood, from trying to protect his sister, being told he was in the wrong by his mother, and everything else. I will say I was genuinely surprised when he opened the door to see his Father's corpse, but I should have expected that from Jack O'Lantern, who's become a great villain in the last twenty or so issues. He's definitely like The Joker mixed with the Green Goblin which is a fun villain for a guy like Venom, and I'm glad Remender kept him around for Bunn to play with. All in all, this was a fine comic, nothing amazing, but it was a nice way to cap off Remender's run on Venom.

Score: 7.5/10

JT's Take: Spider-Men #4

Hey Todd Squad, today we're gonna check out the most recent issue of Spider-Men, we left off with Peter going to the home of the deceased Ultimate Universe Peter Parker and unmasking outside the house as he's met by Aunt May and Gwen Stacy.

Spider-Men #4 of 5

Summary: Things start off very hostile, as Aunt May walks up and slaps Peter across the face, and Gwen starts kicking him, as they obviously think this a cruel joke. Ultimate Spidey (Miles) shows up and tells the Universe, and he's aged, as Peter apologizes for coming there but says he needed to see them. Aunt May faints and wakes up a few hours later to Peter, Gwen and and unmasked Miles all upstairs talking about the differences between the worlds, but Peter doesn't mention Gwen's death. Aunt May eventually comes up and talks to Peter and see's that he is pretty much the same boy she raised, as they both quote the "Great Power" line. They touch on everything, including the Ultimate MJ being Goth and Moody while Peter's MJ is a model now, and even mention how Ultimate Pete and Kitty Pryde dated. Eventually the Spider-Men have to go, and Peter asks Gwen to look after Aunt May. Once the Spider-Men are back with Fury, they meet up with Tony Stark and try to figure out where Mysterio is broadcasting from. Miles quickly recognizes a building which gives them a hint where Mysterio's lab may be. Fury hops on the line and tells some agents he needs... everything, and the issue comes to a close as we see both Spider-Men web-slinging alongside Iron Man, Thor, and a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.


Thoughts: Well... that was a very misleading cover. This was a fine issue, not much happened in terms of fighting but I enjoyed seeing Gwen, Miles, Aunt May and Peter talking about all the differences in both worlds, seeing Peter give Miles advice, and just having Gwen and Aunt May have a chance to say goodbye on happier terms. The ending with the Mysterio stuff seemed kinda rushed, and I'm not as excited for the final issue as I'd like to be, but I am wondering how things will end for Miles and Peter's team up.

Score: 6.5/10

Miles: Hey, do they have a Nick Fury where you come from?
Peter: Oh yes.
Fury: Yeah? What's he like?
Peter: Uh, white.
Fury: Sorry to hear that.

JT's Take: Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe #2

Hey everyone, since I didn't get a chance to review the first issue last week, I figured I'd jump right into the second issue of Deadpool kills the Marvel Universe, for anyone curious what happened in issue one, Deadpool, after having something in his mind unlocked, and going on a killing spree against every hero, villain, and anti-hero in the Marvel Universe, after killing the Fantastic Four, so let's see who's next on The Merc with a Mouth's list.

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #2

Summary: We start things off with the news chronicling Deadpool's rampage, as he's already taken out Doctor Doom, Ghost Rider, a few X-Men including Beast, and Pool's even Howard The Duck. From there we see Deadpool fight Spidey, but Spidey plans on getting Deadpool locked up instead of killing him like some other heroes want to, but he doesn't get the chance because he's shot in the head point blank and killed in the middle of the street by Deadpool. Deadpool tries to decide who he wants to kill next, his brain says it doesn't matter but Deadpool says it has to be something extravagant. While we cut over and see the Avengers planning on how to stop Deadpool, Jarvis runs in telling everyone Doctor Pym is missing and he said someone stole Pym particles. Right on cue, Deadpool expands a bunch of bombs using Pym particles and manages to blow up the Avengers, taking out Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Woman, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye and Wolverine. Cage stands out of the rubble ready to fight when Deadpool says he know Cage would survive so he put some bombs in Cage's coffee, then expands them causing them to explode inside Cage, killing him instantly. Thor is ready for a fight and throws Mjolnir at Deadpool, but Pool uses the last bit of Pym Particles he has to make Thor's hammer huge and fall on Thor, and since Thor is unable to move the giant hammer, it crushes him dead. Thor sets his sights on Hulk next but is ripped in half, Hulk leaves and falls asleep, and wakes up as Banner, but wakes up to being sliced in half by Deadpool, crossing Hulk off the list. The issue comes to a close as May Parker, Mary Jane Watson, Melita Garner, and a few of the other girlfriends of the killed heroes pool their money as revenge, and pay Taskmaster to kill Deadpool!


Thoughts: Damn this was good! Deadpool shooting Spidey in the middle of a crowd was crazy, but the way he took out the Avengers was just plain genius. Hell in one comic he killed Doom, The Avengers, Spidey, AND The Hulk! I'm not only wondering who can stop Deadpool... but who the hell is left? I'd have to gamble Wolverine? He was in the explosion but he has the healing factor so I figure he'll be back right? Also, can we please get a Venom killed the Marvel Universe? Please?! Oh, and TASKMASTER VS. DEADPOOL TO THE DEATH?! Hell....yes.

Score: 9/10

Deadpool: Gonna take a broom and a dustpan for you guys to "assemble" next time.

New Comic Day! August 7th Edition.

Hey everyone, JT here after disappearing for a few days with a pretty late/early morning post. Between work, getting ready for my cousin's wedding this weekend, and just general life, I've been pretty busy, but I can guarantee I'll get at least something up every week if not every day. And for those wondering, had I reviewed Hawkeye #1 and Deadpool kills the Marvel Universe #1, I would've given them an 8/10 and a 7/10 respectively. But now, moving on to my favorite weekday, TGIW, it's Comic book day! My haul for this week is pretty good, and as always you guys feel free to comment below, let me know what you want to see a review for most, and I'll try to get it posted if time permits. And of course, I'm always curious to see what you guys are reading as well, so feel free to let me know what you decided to grab at the shop.

Now, let's get to it! This week I picked up Batman #12, Batman and Robin #12, Suicide Squad #12, Deadpool kills the Marvel Universe #2, Gambit #1, Scarlet Spider #8, Spider-Men #4 and Venom #22. So, eight books, let me know which ones you guys would like me to review/discuss, and we'll take it from there guys. Til later today , JT signing off!

JT's Take: Avengers vs. X-Men #9

Hey guys, today we're gonna check out the most recent issue of Avengers vs. X-Men, which seems like it's been lasting forever! With this issue, we're one step closer to the ending, which seems like it can't come fast enough at this point.

Avengers vs. X-Men #9

Summary:  After starting things off in K'un Lun where Spidey is giving advice to Hope about training and how every Avenger has their time to step up and save the day, we see that each time the Avengers face The X-Men, they lose a teammate in battle, most recently Thor, and things aren't looking good for the Avengers. We then see Cyclops and Emma talking, with hints that the Phoenix Powers are corrupting Emma Frost, but before Scott can realize, he heads off to find Hope when Emma mutters that she knows Hope is at K'un Lun. From there we see Emma is just going around killing people in cold blood that have killed mutants, even if it was by mistake. Over on Wakanda, Storm tries to talk to Black Panther as he cleans the ruins of his land, but she's told the X-Men are enemies of Wakanda now, and he's annulled their marriage. A hurt Storm then gives Black Panther a tip on where the Avengers can grab the people they have that were taken by the Phoenix Four. The Avengers move in to save their people and get Thor, Thing and the rest but are attacked by Colossus and Magick. Spider-Man decides his time is now, and webs his allies back and causes a cave in to trap him with Colossus and Magick. Spider-Man tries to buy his friends time but is beaten to within an inch of his life by Colossus. When asked why Colossus won't just kill him by his little sister, Magick, she states he's becoming weak. Spider-Man stirs the pot by saying they should relax because if they fought, one could take the other one's powers, and no one wants that. The Avengers finally regroup and go back to save Spidey but find him barely standing about the unconscious bodies of  Magick and Colossus, having tricked the two into defeating one another. But before the celebration can begin, an even stronger version of Cyclops appears before the Avengers, and tells Hope that it's time to come home, as this issue ends.


Thoughts: Now, this was a pretty great issue. I loved seeing Spidey get the spotlight, and he's the kind of character that you believe could trick the amped up brother-sister duo into fighting one another. Also, I was surprised to see T'Challa and Storm's divorce I guess in this issue, that definitely caught me by surprise. I'm wondering if Cyclops is going to have to be the one who stops Emma's rampage or if this inevitably leads to Jean Grey returning to take on a evil, Phoenix-fueled Emma Frost. Either way, this issue built a lot of questions I can't wait to see the answers to.

Score: 9/10

Spider-Man: Did I do good, Uncle Ben?

JT's Take: The First X-Men

Hey guys and gals, I figured I'd follow up yesterdays Avengers Academy review by reviewing the newest comic written by one of my favorite comic writers, Christos Gage and Neal Adams, who I hope to become more familiar with after this mini-series. Now, let's see what happened before Xavier coined the term, X-Men.

The First X-Men #1

Summary: We start things off with Logan going to Harlem to find a friend's son, who may be a mutant, but when he finds the young teen named Anthony, he tells Logan he can't help him, and suddenly explodes. Logan recovers quickly to see the explosion took out a lot of people, and apparently people think a gas main exploded. Next we see Logan and Creed (Sabretooth), as Logan explains that the Feds came and took the kids body quickly after his demise, and he thinks they've started to hunt down people that are different. Logan talks Sabretooth into helping him round up kids who are different and help them out, which pisses Sabretooth off first, until Logan is able to get him to see things his way by mentioning Creed's tough childhood. From there, the two head to Virginia thanks to Logan picking up the scent of Anthony and finds the government is doing experiments on the young man's remains. They start destroying the labs and come across some files on mutant candidates the feds are watching, when they're attacked by some guards in metal suits. Logan and Creed take the guys out and escape with some files, and as they leave, Anthony surprisingly wakes up. Creed and Logan realize the top target on the list is a woman named Holly Bright and that the government is making a move on her, so they head to find her. They see that she takes money from people and makes their dreams come true, as we see a clients who has her manifest the spirit of his dead daughter, so they can talk to them and have closure. As Logan and Creed try to explain the situation to Holly, the government attacks, but Holly uses her powers to create a monster that seems real enough to allow herself, Creed and Logan to escape. Holly's codename is Holo, and apparently she's a teenager that makes herself look like a twenty-year old, very busty woman, but she shows her true form to Logan after he questions her about it. Next up, our three mutants head to meet with a young Charles Xavier, and tell him his people need his help but Xavier says he's normal and will live a normal life, he wants nothing to do with the mutants. Logan, Creed and Holly leave and as they do we see Charles calling Moira and saying they need to talk. The issue comes to a close as Logan says their next prospect is a man named Erik, as we see the future Magneto brutally murdering a bunch of former Nazi's.


Thoughts: This first issue was pretty damn good. I loved seeing Logan, Creed and Darwin, and the dynamic between Logan and Creed is really well done. I really liked the scene with Charles wanting to live a normal life and not have to fight for mutant rights, as that is a lot dropped upon a guy that young, that hasn't had the hard life Creed, Logan and Erik had. This mini has a TON of potential and it definitely started on the right track in my opinion.

Score: 9/10

Holo: Disappointed?
Creed: Not mine to say, kid. I go for women, not jailbait.

JT's Take: Avengers Academy #34

Hey Todd Squad, we've got a pretty busy week with some pretty big comics on tap for review, so let's jump right into the first issue of the Avengers Academy "Final Exam" story arc.

Avengers Academy #34

Summary: This issue started off with Hazmat and Mettle trying to chill at the beach but being gawked at by a bunch of civilians when Hazmat gets a call from Psycho-Genius, Jeremy Briggs, saying that he's come up with a way to cure her and Mettle. Hazmat alerts the other pairs of her team, White Tiger and Reptil, X-23 and Finesse, and Striker and Lightspeed, and they all head to Briggs building in Manhattan. The former Avengers Academy students are met by alumni member Veil and Jocasta. The teens are obviously questioning Brigg's methods but Veil announces that he's cured her. That's all Hazmat needs to hear and gets the cure from Briggs, called Clean Slate, which is an aerosol spray cure. Hazmat removes her suit and is in fact cured. Next up, Briggs cures Mettle and he and Hazmat finally embrace and kiss for the first time. The love fest is cut short when Briggs announces he plans on dispersing his cure around the world and curing all of the heroes and villains, eith the exception of guys the cure won't affect with natural talent like Hawkeye, suits like War Machine and Iron Man, and Gods like Thor. He wants the Academy students to protect him when they revolt after he cures the world, but the Teens want no part of that, neither does Jocasta and Veil. Briggs transfers Jocasta's consciousness to another body in China, then announces that they've been breathing in the cure for the last five minutes. Turns out the cure didn't work on Finesse, X-23 and Reptil, who all try to attack, but Briggs calls in his hench-women, Big Zero, Enchantress and Coat of Arms, to deal with them. Once Enchantress subdues Reptil, Briggs forcibly yanks his magic crystal out of Reptil's chest. He then points out that without her healing factor, X-23 is slowly dying of adamantium poisoning, but Veil causes a distraction which allows her, X-23, White Tiger, Reptil and Lightspeed to escape by falling into rubble. Meanwhile, Briggs asks the now cured Academy members if their with him or against him, and seemingly having no other choice, Striker says that he, Mettle, Hazmat and Veil are with him as this issue ends.


Thoughts:  This was a great start to this storyline, I'm really wondering how they plan on stopping Briggs with no powers and since the Avengers Academy Faculty is busy fighting the X-Men. I'm curious if White Tiger still has her powers since hers are also magic based, and with Finesse probably taking the lead since she still has her fighting skills, I'm curious how X-23 and Reptil will cope. One thing that bothered me is why they are stupid enough to go back to Briggs. I mean... he's a KNOWN psychopath by these kids, I wouldn't have let him cure me for anything, but I guess kids in love do stupid things. That aside, I really enjoyed this issue, here's hoping it stays this good or only gets better!

Score: 8/10

Hazmat: It worked. I'm normal. I'm free.

New Comic Day! August 1st Edition!

Hey everyone, JT here once again after a pretty busy week. I wasn't able to get a review up Sunday or Tuesday due to being busy lately but hopefully you guys didn't mind. But now, moving on to my favorite weekday, TGIW, it's Comic book day! My haul for this week is actually pretty impressive,  and as always you guys feel free to comment below, let me know what you want to see a review for most, and you can more than likely expect to it soon. And of course, I'm always curious to see what you guys are reading as well, so feel free to let me know what you decided to grab at the shop.

Now, let's get to it! This week I picked up Dial H #4, Earth 2 #4, Smallville #4, World's Finest #4, Avengers Academy #34, Avengers vs. X-Men #9, Avenging Spider-Man #10, Deadpool kills the Marvel Universe #1, First X-Men #1, Hawkeye #1, and Ultimate Spider-Man #13. So, eleven books, let me know which ones you guys would like me to review/discuss, and we'll take it from there guys. Til tomorrow, JT signing off!