I sincerely apologise for the delay in this post...but I am very retarded. I typed it all out, thought I posted it, but didn't. So I'm adding this in as an apology and editing the date.
Quite a few good comics this week (as in..two), and some important amendments!
Let's get this party started.
Uncanny X-Men #524 (Second Coming: Chapter 6).
The opening of this issue is really odd and out of place.
Cable and Hope are in the sick bay, and Colossus is there talking to Kitty Pryde...giving her some DVDs and laughing. Didn't Nightcrawler just die?
Aside from that, this is somewhat of a well-done retreat from emotions, courtesy of Matt Fraction. There isn't a huge amount of action in this issue, with the X-Men preparing for Bastion's inevitable assault on Utopia impending.
I don't like Terry Dodson's art. Well, I do, but it's too cartoony at time, especially for such a heavy storyline.
I suppose this is like in Resident Evil when you get to a save room, really. All that action and then a well-deserved rest, but not a wasted one. It takes time to re-arrange the pieces, basically. It feels like something big's about to happen and Cyke is trying to get everyone in place. This is made even more difficult by his need to send the New Mutants into Limbo (More on that next).
Nightcrawler's funeral was heartbreaking, I won't lie. Beast blowing up in Cyclops' face, with tears in his eyes, to tell him he has to bear this burden forever, was immense. The individual speeches from his friends and teammates, intertwined with artwork of him through the ages, were especially touching. Wolverine's reaction was the best, though.
Wolverine extending his claws and screaming at Cyclops, asking what all this was for, really drives home the weight of this story. Then he points at Hope and says, "You BETTER be worth all this, I swear to God."
It's really quite amazing. I didn't care for, or dislike, Nightcrawler. So for this death to have made me care is a testament to Fraction's writing here.
My best advice would be to start reading Second Coming, but if you're not by now and I haven't sold you, you'll probably never be.
Second Coming Revelations: Hellbound #1 of 3.
This is actually a very relevant and decent tie-in!
When Magik was about to die in the previous issue of New Mutants, she instinctively threw herself into Limbo. Bad move.
Cyke sends the New Mutants in after her, with a couple of them very reluctant to go and help, Anole and Pixie in particular (Magik took a part of her soul when she was bad).
Eventually, the team is ordered by Cannonball (Leader) to go into Limbo and, with the addition of Gambit, they head off.
Trapped in an intensely hostile place, the group fend off any number of demons and trapped horrors in hopes of rescuing Magik (She's important to Cyke because she's a useful sorceress and teleporter...and Colossus's sister). What they do NOT know is that N'Astirh and Sym, malevolent rulers of Limbo, have a sinister plan. They intend to allow the group to find Magik, only for them to steal the soulsword from her.
It is all set up to be a very exciting story within another exciting story. Will they get back in time?! Won't they?! WHO KNOWS?!
Seriously, it's all very well set-up. MUCH more than I can say for Utopia's follow-up, Nation X. Arguably the worst let-down of the year.
If you read this, I cannot praise this story arc enough. Trust me, pick this shit up.
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Amendments, ho!
Deadpool Corps and Deadpool Team-Up will never see this blog again. They are garbage and I shall not waste my time writing about one of my most beloved characters being shit on.
I'm sorry, I won't. I have more deserving comics to write about and those two are just taking up space.
I will therefore be introducing The Invincible Iron Man into Thursday's Comics, starting from the next issue, #26. It's a blinding series, and I had SO much catching up (You guys, not me) to do with Daredevil that I couldn't IMAGINE having to do it with Iron Man. A new arc began in #25, so it'll be easy.
Hugo Weaving has been case as the Red Skull in Captain America's movie. This is good news.
Also, SIEGE #4 IS OUT NEXT WEEK, AFTER A MONTH'S DELAY. FINALLY! Mega-excited for this.
That's about all I got for this week. Thanks for reading, guys and girls.
Until next time, peace!
-The Mast
