The Mast Blogs: A Siege/The Heroic Age Catch-Up Post.

It's The Mast, and he's winning us back!

Due to a fairly hefty amount of requests, I bring you this post. I bring it to your very faces, so now you can all shut up and read comics!

Joking, I like most of you.

So, what's this post about?

Some of you want to read Siege and I have even had comments asking whether or not all seven years worth of material leading up to it is necessary. As I told my associate, Mouse, Siege is a pay-off event. Unless you are invested in what lead to it, it won't have impact. I like the impact it had. Thus, this post.



First of all, let's examine the claim of Siege being seven years in the making. Is it true? Not strickly speaking. If you consider the series that started it all, then no. The first part in all of the build up was The Avengers: Disassembled, and that came out in August of 2004. So, it's five years and a bit. Still, that's a long time.

Where to begin? HERE'S WHERE! *Grabs crotch*

I kid, but seriously...


The Avengers: Disassembled.

This is where it all started. The event that, as the titled suggests, tragically disassembled Earth's mightiest heroes and set Wanda Maximoff, Scarlet Witch, on a downward spiral.

A controversial storyline to this day, based on the decisions Bendis made. A storyline that I wouldn't say ranks up there with the best, but it's definitely more capable of being appreciated now.

This is your first stop.


House of M.

Not ENTIRELY necessary, but very much considered a follow-up of The Avengers: Disassembled.

I'd say this is more essential to appreciating Second Coming than Siege or what have you, but if you want to see how Scarlet Witch developed from House of M and what caused everything after for The X-Men, then check this out. It's connected to The Avengers: Disassembled, but then goes off in a different direction.


Civil War.

This is the next big storyline.

After The Avengers endured the events of The Avengers: Disassembled, the long-running tension between the members and associates was insanely tender. The interesting aspect about Civil War is that the event which ignited it all, namely The New Warriors' indirectly causing 500 people to get killed, actually came close to bringing The Avengers back together.

The following events and differences caused rifts that haven't been mended until...well, now. Nothing was really the same after this, and it birthed an incredibly tentative period in Marvel history.

An essential piece of the puzzle.


Secret Invasion.

Carrying on from the paranoia that surrounded the Marvel Universe after Civil War, Secret Invasion ramps it up to a whole other level.

Essentially, this is Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Marvel. The Skrulls, a shape-shifting race of aliens, have been monitoring the Earth for decades. Finally, they attempt an invasion by replicating certain Earth heroes and villains. Who? Find out by reading!

Not entirely original, but regardless, the way it's laid out is quite intriguing and it's a pretty nail-biting story. Everyone is on edge, suspicious and looking over their own shoulder. Rather than unifying the Marvel Universe, it ends in tragedy and shock.

The final piece of the puzzle before leading into the next part.

I should take this opportunity to inform you that the first REAL part of Dark Reign occurs in this one-shot:


Secret Invasion: Dark Reign.

It's pretty essentially. I wouldn't bet on getting it anywhere besides eBay, though it should be cheap. However, it's been compiled with a bunch of other stuff in the Dark Reign: Accept Change trade paperback, which is available from all good webstores and such. Definitely get that. It takes place IMMEDIATELY after Secret Invasion.

Now, Dark Reign is a status quo change as a result of how Secret Invasion ends. A long time ago I posted a Dark Reign retrospective, which I will provide the link for. Now, I would HONESTLY recommend you don't read it yet. Read the above trade paperback's first and then read my Dark Reign post.

Why? Because it essentially spoils Civil War and Secret Invasion.

I would advise reading my Dark Reign retrospective over the actual material if you're looking to just get into Siege. I say this because lots of important things happen over a number of different series' and one-shots. Once you've read the stories I've told you to read, check this post out:

The Mast's Dark Reign Retrospective.

Alternatively, for a more extensive Dark Reign low-down:

The Marvel Database's Dark Reign Page.

It actually gets cut short, but I can fill in the gaps. Regardless, you should be able to get all the info you need in the post I linked to. Regarding the Dark Reign material, if you do want to know everything that happened and where you CAN get the reading material, just ask me in a comment and I will provide you with a list of trades that involve Dark Reign's touch on various series'. Just get there, first. If things aren't making sense, then I'm always available.

Naturally, there are compilation tie-ins for Secret Invasion and Dark Reign (Secret Invasion: Thor, Secret Invasion: Spider-Man, Dark Reign: Elektra etc), but you CAN safely avoid those without losing much, I'd say. Just go by the assumption that, unless I specifically tell you to get it, it's not madly necessary. If you WANT to investigate further, I can help you.

Really, though, I can't stress enough that a lot of this paying off relies on investment in the stories and characters. If you just read it online, you won't feel a thing, quite likely. The trades are NOT expensive! Get them from a store, or if you want them even cheaper, your respective country's Amazon site (Use Amazon Marketplace, it's usually cheaper). Book stores typically carry trade paperbacks now, too. Still, there is enough info in my Dark Reign post AND The Marvel Database to get you up to plot speed. I just don't think it's the best idea.

After you're up to speed on everything, you can dive into Siege. The first trade, containing all Siege build-up issues, is already out.


Siege: Prelude.

Hopefully, by the time you reach this point, these stories will have made a comic fan out of you! Siege, as a trade paperback, will be out not long from now. The Heroic Age is in fledgling stages, so get on it!

---

I really got inspired to go back and read all of these stories while writing this, so thanks to all the people who have requested the info, Mouse especially.

Let me know if this helps or if you actually found it useful! If you read the stories, let me know what you think! Swing me a comment!

Thanks so much for reading.

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Reviews: Thursday's Comics (20/5/2010).

Now, I will kill you until you die from it!

What's happening? Yeah, cool.

I'm back, back with another skin-peelingly awesome edition of Thursday's Comics. The awesomeness in this week's edition will leave you more sore than if you took a hot bath with fresh surgery scars.

Although it's been coming for a while, and it SORT of started with the end of Siege, I'd say The Heroic Age actually kicks off now. Did it get off to a good start? You bet your life on it.


Haunt #7.

After...I don't even KNOW how many months of waiting, finally, we get Haunt #7. If you've never read a review of Haunt before and wish to get familiar, go read mine. They're great stuff.

#5 was essentially the end of the first arc, #6 was the first arc told from Mirage's point of view and now we progress. With Greg Capullo taking over as the main artist, a new story arc begins. To kick off, Capullo's art is really nice in this book. I think it bears a nice resemblance to the prior art, so it's not too much of a jarring difference, but it's also Capullo's. Clearly. I do want to see how he handles the more brutal scenes, but from the ones we got in this...he's gonna make me happy.

So, where were we?

Daniel is now part of The Agency, combining with his dead brother's (Kurt) ghost to become Haunt. This issue re-establishes the intentions of the characters now that we're heading into the next arc.

Mr. Kurg has Dr. Shillinger's notebook and has his scientists analysing it to great success. They experiment on all manner of animal, leaving them deformed and horrifying, while informing Kurg that they'll be ready for human testing soon. What are they working on? What was Shillinger working on? It's not clear, but purposefully so.

During the issue, Daniel goes to visit one of his old fuck buddies from his days in priesthood. Well, she's a prostitute essentially. He wants to spend time with her because he says that, outside of the monetarily reimbursed sex, he felt they had a connection. It's a bit out of the blue, but I can handle it. She's interrupted by her pimp, he hurls her to the ground and tells Daniel to leave. When Daniel asks her if she wants him to, she says no and he proceeds to burst through the door.

The next scene is genuinely quite wicked. Upon discovering he has burst in on four pimps with guns, he quickly transforms into Haunt. Dispatching the four pimps by detaching body parts from other body parts, leaving them bloodied and quivering on the floor, he frees Crystal (I think that's her name).

Daniel, along with Kurt's ghost as always, goes to visit Amanda. He tells her who Kurt was, really. She is stunned to hear of his secret job, especially since Daniel reveals the secret armoury in their pantry. Yet, this is eased by the fact that she receives a hefty sum of mega-life insurance. Kurt's pretty cut up about everything that happened to Amanda, but Daniel consoles him and the two have a long convo about their pasts.

I'm liking how Kirkman portrays these two. They will obviously form a totally successful union eventually, but right now, they still seem to be unsettled with each other's actions. It really gives a twist to the heavily dependent situation they're in.

When the issue ends, Kurg is at the bed-side of long out of action villain, Cobra. You may remember him trying to attack Haunt and getting his face caved in for his troubles. As they remove Cobra's bandages, the surrounding people try to stomach their disgust. Capullo really does make the dude look repellant. He has skin grafts all over his face, scars on his head and what appears to be a cleft-lip.

I mean, you have to see this picture to believe it.

Admittedly I did think they'd have revealed a little more by now about who they're dealing with, why etc. It's a slow-burning series that COULD damage itself without a decent pay-off. However, I think that it's a very nice series and I always have. The art is delicious and Kirkman is one of the best writers going. It's only the second arc, so I expect this one to start getting heavy.

If you want to get into Haunt, the first trade paperback is out now, and it collects issues #1 to #5. It's on Amazon and such, but your local comic book store should have it. Pick it up!


Deadpool #23.

Considering Deadpool #22 was honestly one of the worst issues in Daniel Way's THEN 22 issue run, I had no real hopes that this one would be better. Thankfully, it's not a continuing arc. It seems like the dire events of Deadpool #22 were not to be continued, but more on that later.

Deadpool #23 centres around our favourite merc continually trying to become a hero. As the word gets around that Osborn is down and everything's getting back to normal, the news covers a celebration party happening at a casino. One of the participants praises various heroes, but makes the mistake of dissing Deadpool.

Slightly perturbed, Deadpool makes his way down there to have some not-so-polite words with the guy. Almost intimidating the guy to death, Deadpool is satisfied with his night's work and goes to win some money. The owner, not fond of being punked out, sends someone after Deadpool. The hulking, mechanoid suit that Deadpool ends up combating seemed like a throwaway hero at first. Calling itself The House, he roughs Deadpool up a bit, seemingly aware of who he is, addressing him as Wade.

Confused, Deadpool asks if he knows him. It's revealed that The House is none other than Weasel! This admittedly shocked me, because Weasel is Deadpool's LOOONG term secondary character/best friend/abuse cushion. It's nice to see him being brought back.

They stop fighting and Weasel explains everything. He tells Deadpool to take off, to leave HIM to protect the city now. Deadpool doesn't like this idea and tells him he has a deal for him that he may like.

I'll take this opportunity to say that, yes, I do still love Barberi's Deadpool. I love how robust he makes him seem. Very nice, almost Udon-esque art.

The next time we see Deadpool and Weasel, they're fighting off an attack by Grizzly in their mechanoid suits (Deadpool's being red and black of course), having formed some kind of protection racket. Weasel addresses him as his sidekick, calling him The Wildcard, and I thought that was kinda cool...but Deadpool didn't.

Deadpool flies Grizzly into the air and reveals himself. Shocked at who's inside, Deadpool tells Grizzly to stop fighting because he has an offer for him. One he may like.

Now, Daniel Way did a lot right with this issue. It felt so much closer to the Deadpool I love than so much of his other stuff. It's STILL not entirely working for me, though.

I'm so tired of Deadpool's on-going series essentially containing one-and-done stories, or story arcs that have no damn substance. I guess what's critically missing is the fact that Deadpool is being written totally different nowadays; no pop culture references, hardly any violence, hardly any mission-based stories, no fourth wall breaking.

Even accepting all those, I wish the stories were better. Props to him introducing Weasel and giving Deadpool a SLIGHT mean streak again, but there's a lot of work to be done. I really, really hope he goes somewhere with this.

I don't want Deadpool to end up cancelled, because there are many who could write him well. At this point, though, I'm considering conceding that no Deadpool would be better than any we're getting.


X-Men Legacy #236 (Second Coming: Chapter 8).

Bastion's endgame becomes dangerously apparant. Shit gets real.

Trapped on Utopia, preparing for an invasion that has all intent of wiping out the entire mutant race, the X-Men have a job on their hands.

Bastion has imprisoned...not just Utopia, but the entire Bay Area in what looks like an impenetrable dome. Why? So they can't escape, but there must be more! Upon ordering Namor to check if they can dive under the ocean and swim out, he delivers the bad news. It's not a dome, it's a sphere. Bastion has psionically sealed them in a gigantic, inescapable sphere that has cut off anything outside of it.

Hope feels extreme guilt over what she is causing, but Cable tells her that his responsibility is to take care of her wellbeing. With one more time jump left, Cable offers to take her back to the future and let her see how this battle turns out. She declines, offering to give her aid in whatever way she can.

Cyclops and other X-Men, having failed to destroy the dome, go off to explore and hopefully find some explanation for it. Might I just add that I love how Greg Land draws Psylocke? I'm just saying.

The Avengers show up to help crack the dome. I'm not entirely sure how, but I'm gonna guess they were already in it. Thor has no success at first, with a single blow of Mjolnir, but prepares to put a lot more power into his second attempt. Meanwhile, on the Golden Gate bridge, there appears to be a portal. Beast, in radio contact with Cyclops, says that it's the source of the sphere...but it isn't radiating energy.

I love how tense this series is! I know I keep saying that, but it's so true. Every writer is upping their game on this. Mike Carey puts across such an intense feeling of impending danger and claustrophobia, it's all very cat-and-mouse. The scene where Bastion muses, almost sadly, over the fact that he'll be purposeless when mutants are gone, is brilliant.

Upon approaching the portal, a terrifying enemy is revealed. For any person who knows their X-Men history, this was a pretty big deal.

None other than a group of Nimrod Sentinels come through the portal and reveal their purpose is to kill and exterminate. Now...I often find my imagination to be dangerous.

Too many fans imagine where a story should or could go, and then blame the writers for it not being correct. I will try not to do the same, but if they're going where I think...then Second Coming is going to turn up the epic nature of itself tenfold. We'll see next week, I guess.

Seriously, I will keep telling you to get into this until you all tell me you have. Don't miss this, I swear. It's half way done, or so, but you NEED to pick the issues up. The trade paperback won't have the suspenseful feel that the issues do (Though it's an amazing story).

GET ON THE BOAT.


The Avengers #1.

Volume 4 of The Avengers. The reunion of a team that was split up seven years ago.

While the roster situation is still not entirely resolved, I feel, this issue was very...very good. At first I wasn't sure if I'd dig on John Romita Jr's artwork, but I really like it. It works well. I do think a few of the parts are off, and his facial structure leaves something to be desired sometimes, but it's generally real cool.

The issue opens with a fairly cryptic scene. In the pouring rain, Immortus has apparantly met defeat at the hands of The Next Avengers, an incarnation of The Avengers that, until now, was only in an animated movie.

Next scene takes us to Soldier Field, Chicago. Remember? Where Volstagg unintentionally destroyed the place, thus giving Osborn his reason to invade Asgard? Everyone is lending a helping hand to repair it, including Wonder Man. After being asked to return to The Avengers, Wonder Man (Simon Williams, for future ref. I may call him Simon) is not best pleased. He freaks out and blames The Avengers for everything that has gone wrong over the past seven or eight years. He tells Steve to reconsider his stance in reforming the team, then under his breath, suggests that HE will force him to change his mind if he can't do it alone.

Captain Rogers gathers the team to explain what their purpose is, why they're together and what to expect. His dialogue with Iron Man is especially good, given the things they've been through. There's a part where Stark asks who's gonna lead the team (He's initially reluctant), and Steve says he picked the best person for the job. Stark asks if this is him and Steve just laughs. It's a brilliant little couple of lines that essentially promotes Steve's position as being, "You're my friend, we're cool, but don't push it."

Bendis said that The Heroic Age is what happens if Steve Rogers is in control. We've seen the world according to Nick Fury, Tony Stark AND Norman Osborn. All of those people are contentious among the Marvel Universe. Steve isn't. Nobody says anything bad about Steve, and that dialogue really showed that he's taking his job seriously. That the same mistakes won't be made again.

The team over-seer is none other than Maria Hill! Steve said they are to report to her. I guess she's not leading the team, but they're now a team with higher authority. Not just a team with a leader who have nobody to answer to. Genius, really.

I must admit, I'm a little confused about how Iron Man will fit into all this, continuity wise. I mean, how can he be in THIS series and his own series? They can't take place at the same time.

Anyway, the group is interrupted by the arrival of Kang the Conquerer. No sooner after Kang shows up is he smacked by Thor and blown across the room, out of the building and onto the roof of an adjacent one. Thor is clearly not in the mood for Kang's shit.

Kang tells them that their children, The Next Avengers, have ruined the future timeline. Unless the current heroes stop them, the world will cease to exist. Kang's method of pursuasion here is a doomsday device. One invented by Stark, but not created due to it's dangerous nature. If they don't do what he says, and the kids succeed, he'll return to this time and use it.

What's also cool is that Captain America doesn't know who Kang is. Remember, Bucky is Cap now. He hasn't had the pleasure of being in The Avengers for longer than a day and dealing with Kang. This is evident also when he introduces himself to Thor properly, and Thor just replies, "I'm sorry, I have NO idea who you are." I'm very intrigued to see how those two get along, because Thor and Steve are VERY close.

Regardless, they need to get to the future, fast. Wolverine says he knows just who to call (He was just on Utopia, so again, I find the continuity a little odd).

The issue ends on a spectacular cliffhanger. Kang returns to the aforementioned timeline and is spoken to by an unseen master, with Kang telling him that everything is going to plan.

It's revealed that the Future Imperfect incarnation of The Hulk, known as The Maestro, is responsible. The Maestro, folks, is The Hulk on steroids...if such a thing were possible. Ridiculously and abnormally smart with it. I'm very much looking forward to how it all pans out.

All in all, this is a fairly exciting issue that doesn't disappoint. I'd definitely recommend it to people. Anyone, really. Knowing Bendis and his ability to carry books for a LONG while, I'd suggest grabbing an issue #1 now.

Tremendous stuff, I really do like it. Heavy recommendation.

---

So, I've got a pretty chunkadelic post coming on Saturday. Tune in on Saturday for my huge catch-up post. For those of you who want to join in on The Heroic Age, or want to read Siege, this coming post will give you EVERYTHING you need to get up to speed, one way or another.

I will be telling you what story arcs you need to read, and where to go from there.

Don't miss it. For now, though, thanks for reading!

Until then, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Looks Back: Vol. 8 (The New Mutants #98).

I tell ya, I will love it if we beat them.

There are a few pretty interesting posts I have in the pipeline, but I wanted to get this one done for multiple reasons. I enjoy doing The Mast Looks Back, it gives me a sense of enjoyment and hopefully exposes people to comic/character history a bit more.


The New Mutants #98.

Now, why this issue?

I liked The New Mutants, it was a pretty decent alternative series to mainstream team books. Some of the characters were uniquely enjoyable (Sunspot for one) and it had some decent storylines. Its first volume was cancelled at issue #100 to make way for X-Force #1. So why did I choose to review this issue?

The New Mutants #98 contains the debut and first appearance of my joint favourite character ever, Deadpool.

Long story short, Deadpool is sent to assassinate Cable and gives The New Mutants way more of a fight than they ever suspected. The corrosive and sarcastic wit that Deadpool came to be known and loved for is all here, during the fights no less! One of the first things he says, to Cable, is that Cable shouldn't take it personally when he kills him.

Typical Deadpool.

It's a great first appearance and it was the acclaim he was met with that kickstarted the popularity of anti-heroes.

Around this time, generally everyone who was a bad-ass had to speak like a bad-ass, you know? Everyone had to have impressively cool one-liners and such, but Deadpool just appears and starts mocking people during his fights. Combined with breaking the fourth wall, he really stamped a unique feel to the books he appeared in, and it wasn't long until he got his own mini series, The Circle Chase.

I think that it's sad how Deadpool is now, compared to most of his existence.

Part of me is glad that his damaging levels of popularity have caused his older stories to be compiled in trade paperback. If you're curious as to what Deadpool is really like, pick up the first three volumes of Deadpool: Classic.

I believe the first volume contains The New Mutants #98. I'd imagine so, anyway, considering the cover contains Deadpool's pose from the front cover of that issue.

When buying first appearances, there's always a chance of increasing value. The New Mutants #98 is not an especially hard issue to find on eBay, but it seems to be increasing in worth.

Some people get lucky, but the general price of these issues seems to be anywhere from £25 to £115. If you can get one for relatively cheap, in comparison, I'd recommend doing so if you want to get into Deadpool. It's a POSSIBLE investment, but I wouldn't bank on it being worth thousands. It won't be.

So, you can get it. It's not an arduous task, even for non-comic fans. Just be prepared to pay a bit more than you might otherwise.

---

Lots of people have asked me what the big difference is between Deadpool then and Deadpool now. You can read a more in-depth post if you track down the post entitled The Mast Blogs: Deadpool & Me, but I wanted to let people know about this first appearance.

I have a pretty big post coming up soon in which I will detail all the reading you will need to do if you wish to get into Siege. Multiple people have requested read orders for Second Coming, which you can find in the post below this one, but I've also received multiple requests for info on how to get into Siege.

So, keep your eyes peeled for my big catch-up post on that. That's about all I've got for you today!

Until Thursday, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Reviews/Blogs: Thursday's Comics (13/5/2010) & The Heroic Age Begins Now!

'Bout time, idiot.

After a few weeks of somewhat passive comic releases, today is a massive wave of awesomeness and slight regret.

No words are really needed, but here are some reasons why. Two series' and one mini-series that I have come to love are over. That's right! The New Avengers, Dark Avengers and Siege came to a close today, which makes me reasonably sad.

ON TO THE INKED PAGES OF NICENESS!


New Mutants #13 (Second Coming: Chapter 7).

At least there are SOME epic tales of heroism and villainy, locked in a combative dance across time, that HAVEN't been cancelled.

New Mutants #13 picks up immediately where Uncanny X-Men #524 ended, as the Second Coming chapters usually do. Domino is being contacted by Cyclops with the hopes of bringing The Vanisher to Utopia. For those not in the know, The Vanisher is a teleporter...and we all know what Bastion and his Purifiers think of X-Men teleporters! Naturally, he's very scared for his own life and tries to leave town. He returns to his apartment to find his girls murdered and, before he knows what has happened, is the victim of an assassination carried out by Bastion minion, Stephen Lang.

With the three of the four teleporters dead, and Magik trapped in Limbo, Bastion uses his spy on Utopia to execute the next stage of his sinister plan. After Dani Moonstar gets in Cable's face about whether or not Hope is worth it, Hope jumps to Cable's aid. A pretty rough fist-fight breaks out and Cable interrupts Cyke's attempts to stop it, stating that she needs to find her own maturity.

I think that at any other point in the story, this would have come as an odd surprise. I mean, why would Cable protect her through time and all the way back to the present if he's just gonna ditch her and decide she can walk on her own? At THIS point, however, it made sense. She obviously needs to find her place in this time, but she'll never be able to do that if everyone keeps her in a bubble.

The fight is interrupted by a huge explosion, and it's NOT good news. Bastion's spy has destroyed every available mode of transportation on Utopia, effectively trapping the X-Men. He talks trash to the team as soon as they arrive on the scene and is promptly blasted into oblivion by Cyclops for his troubles. Warning them to prepare for an attack, Cyke begins organising his team for what may just be the last stand of mutantkind.

I really, really cannot get enough of this series. I don't know what else I can say that I haven't said already. Considering the amount of people involved in this story, the combined team of writers really do make it feel like every one of them has something invested in the fight. I'd say that the only part of the saga that's lacking is the X-Factor tie-in, but that's to be expected. It's not truly central to the plot.

To make it easier for you, here is a read order of the entire Second Coming saga, containing everything you'd possibly need:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Seriously, get into it.


Siege #4 of 4.

It all ends here. Seven years of Marvel storylines have essentially been building to this. From Avengers: Disassembled, to House of M, Civil War, Secret Invasion and Dark Reign. It's all been leading to one moment.

Asgard itself has fallen by the hand of The Sentry, and now The Void has entirely manifested itself against our intrepid heroes. All of Marvel's available forces are united on the battlefield that is the crumbled ruins of Asgard. The Hood and his entire gang have been powered up with Asgardian Norn stones, courtesy of Loki, and our heroes really have their work cut out for them.

The issue opens with The Void unleashing fury on just about any living being in sight, and the art is utterly astonishing. Olivier Coipel really draws his ass off on this mini-series, I'm not even joking, he's such a beast. Loki's voice-over narrates the carnage and destruction, but not as we expect!

There's a great deal of regret as he explains that he never intended for Asgard to fall, only to be returned to its rightful place and ownership, highlighting the fact that he never knew how powerful The Sentry/The Void truly was. He request forgiveness from the Allfathers and, with tears in his eyes, retracts the Norn stones from The Hood and all of his boys. In an entirely unexpected and daring turn for Bendis to make, Loki empowers all of Earth's heroes with the force of the Asgardian Norn stones. He insists that those who fight to defend his father's home with dignity and valour deserve the aid.

The battle momentum soon shifts in favour of the heroes, but The Void is not so easily fooled. The Void, by the way, looks genuinely terrifying. Really.

Tracking down Loki, he begins his attack. Then in yet ANOTHER unexpected turn, Loki apologises to Thor, calling him brother for the last time as The Void completely disintegrates him. As much as I thought this was an incredibly poignent moment, I can't entirely bring myself to accept that Loki never wanted to rule Asgard. I can't accept that all of his work during Dark Reign, inciting the Siege, was all for essentially nothing. I don't really buy it. Although, the destruction of Asgard regardless may have shocked him into siding with the heroes. Bendis DID do a great job of having Loki come off with a tremendous sense of regret.

Now lacking the additional power, the heroes begin to fight what they feel is a hopeless fight, although Thor really does crack into The Void with as much intensity as I've ever seen. Steve Rogers smacks Osborn in the face with his shield and asks him to tell them how to defeat The Void, to which he utters the sinister words, "You...you can't! He's...the Angel of Death."

How literally we're meant to take this is...not known to me.

Iron Man makes radio contact with the H.A.M.M.E.R. helicarrier and tells everyone to get off it immediately. When Victoria Hand asks why, he says, with unparalleled coolness, "Because I'm about to turn it into a bullet."

The helicarrier and all its weaponry crashes into The Void, the explosion is IMMENSE and everyone ducks for available cover. When the smoke clears, there lays Robert Reynolds, the frail and human form of The Sentry/The Void. Finding out that he's responsible for everything that's happened, he requests to be killed. THIS is what I was curious about, because Siege needed to end well.

With his request denied, The Void begins trying to attack again, but Thor deals a swift blow and ends the life of Robert Reynolds once and for all. I must admit, I did feel a great deal of pity for the guy. Not many people consider The Sentry a good character and I was never a fan myself, but I think that in this end, people will really see what purpose he had.

He was a man who intended to do good, but simply had way too much darkness and not enough will to fight or control it. Perhaps with the right guidance, he could have. This makes it doubly shameful, I guess. Osborn essentially drove the man off the deep end and it resulted in him being killed by someone he considered a friend.

The heroes begin rounding up all of The Hood's goons (The Hood and Madame Masque both fled the scene during the battle) and cart them off to finally face the punishment for their crimes.

In what I feel was the most integral moment of this issue, Steve Rogers is given the position that Nick Fury and Norman Osborn once occupied. He's the Marvel Universe's top cop now. He tells the President that he will only do it HIS way, and the announcement is made in Times Square that the Superhuman Registration Act is vanquished. Every hero is a free hero.

The Heroic Age finally feels real, ladies and gentlemen.

As the gathered heroes celebrate atop Stark's re-acquired Stark Tower, Thor appears, followed by many Asgardians. He expresses thanks for all their help, states that they showed heroism beyond the call of duty and that he will forever be read to return to the ranks of The Avengers, whoever they may be. Heimdall, at Thor's insistence, erects a structure on top of Stark Tower that has the Rainbow Bridge leading from it. I'm guessing this is a quite epic union of Asgardians and humans.

Steve Rogers tells Thor that he is glad to hear him say what he did, because he is going to need everybody for what comes next.

So ends Siege.

I do think it's unfair to criticise Siege, as some have, for ending so obviously. What did you expect? The next status quo is called The Heroic Age. It was clearly always going to be a case of good guys winning.

I think Siege could've done with being one or MAYBE two more issues, but I think that's because it was a blockbusting action arc. It wasn't meant to be a drawn out, intricate story. I DO think Norman Osborn deserves a prominent role in Marvel stories to come, and it feels kind of like he's just swept aside in the issues that end Dark Reign/Siege. Though it DOES feel more complete with the tie-ins.

All in all, the dialogue is cool, the art is mouth-watering and it leads us into The Heroic Age in the only way you could ever ask; heroically.

I'm satisfied. Bendis does a tremendous job of conveying a grand sense of transition, I must say. After Dark Reign, it feels like a new age is dawning.


Siege: Embedded #4 of 4.

Not much happens in this issue, but what does happen is kinda nice.

Arriving at the ruined scenes of Asgard, witnessing the final battle between the heroes and The Void, Ben Urich looks on.

Ben Urich gives a WONDERFUL account of true heroism through the eyes of someone who admires it. It made me very happy. In a world where heroes are often heatedly debated, here is a man who is staring at people putting their lives on the line and appreciating them for what and who they are; heroes.

When the battle is over, Ben Urich wanders New York with an optimistic view of life. Visiting the grave of his beloved lady, he mentions that he finally sees the world as having a future, as getting better every day...and him along with it.

I've always liked Ben Urich and I actually think that this issue really adds something for the fan in me. Would I recommend the series? Ehh. Get the trade if you simply must read everything, or get the single issues as it may be cheaper. You won't be missing much, but I enjoyed this series.

Though I feel this issue was what the WHOLE series should've been, I can't really knock it. It's not as bad as Civil War: Frontline, at least!


The Sentry: Fallen Sun (Siege: Epilogue).

This one-shot is Robert Reynolds' funeral.

Coming after Nightcrawler's funeral, this one truly doesn't seem as powerful, but maybe that's not a fair comparison. Attendees are The Fantastic Four, Tony Stark, Daredevil, Rogue, Cyclops and Emma Frost.

I honestly think that Paul Jenkins writing this is madly appropriate. My issue with this comic is that it tries too hard and doesn't take enough things into consideration.

Nightcrawler was a character who saw the good in almost everyone, never judged and never looked down on anybody. He died sacrificing his life for the future of his race. HIS funeral was sad and warranted tributes as a result.

Robert Reynolds became The Sentry because he was a drug addict who mistakenly took a serum. Granted, he was a guy who honestly wanted to use his powers for the best of humanity, but the reason he is dead is because he flipped and had to be killed. I can't take all the tributes and attesting to his heroism seriously. Sure, don't forget all the good he did, or tried to do, but acting like this is a bit ridiculous.

Chris Benoit was allegedly a really nice guy, he was a great entertainment wrestler and this must never be forgotten. He also killed his child and wife. It's an admirable effort of a comic, and there will always be debates as to how best The Sentry could've been used, but he's gone now. Don't ask us to miss him when you spent so long sending us every which way, Marvel.

I can't. He didn't sacrifice himself. He was a man who literally couldn't overcome his darkness, he didn't overcome it and destroy himself in one last effort of heroism. He was Void-ing out again and Thor had to kill him.

His existence was to be pitied, but that's all. I pity Rob Reynolds, The Sentry.


Dark Avengers #16.

One of my favourite modern on-goings comes to an end.

This issue is the last union of Bendis and Deodato, so I'm gonna tell you that this makes me intensely sad. A sad panda.

Osborn and his goons are at the mercy of Marvel's heroes and face mega-jail time. Ryker's Island jail time, to be exact. Not to be sniffed at (We'll see how long they last in there). Moonstone (Dark Ms. Marvel) and Bullseye (Dark Hawkeye) attempt escape, but are swiftly and brutally apprehended by Ms. Marvel (Who I really dig a lot more than I used to).

Captain Rogers (Steve's new alias) confronts Victoria Hand and gives her amnesty. He tells her he understands that she wasn't exactly in full agreement with Osborn, that she's a good soldier and that he can use her in his team. Upon telling her to go home, get her life sorted and report back to him on Monday for her first assignment, she's left kind of wondering. I would be too!

She got off LIGHTLY, I swear. Then again, she didn't do MUCH wrong. She was following a man she thought would bring about a better world (George Bush comparisons intended, I guess). I'm actually glad Bendis seemed to keep her around, because she's so much more than the Dark Maria Hill. I really liked her role in this series, so to think that she'll be in Secret Avengers, WRITTEN BY ED BRUBAKER, is AWESOME.

I guess the big reveal is that Osborn is now in jail, with Iron Man and Thor outside, telling him he's where he belongs. Osborn begins talking back, and it may be Bendis' finest moment of dialogue.

He explains that he was just trying to make the world safer. He says that one day the wrong mutant will collide with the wrong person and the world will explode in on itself, soon. One particularly memorable passage is when he says, "It's only a matter of time before Hulk destroys everything he see, or The Punisher shoots the wrong bad guy and triggers a nuclear holocaust. Sooner or later, people with powers will make this world into a wreck that no human can live on. If YOU hadn't stood in my way, I could have stopped that happening."

It's then revealed that he is talking to a gigantic, demonic imagining of the Green Goblin. He tells him to leave, to which the Goblin says he can't and that they're trapped together, cackling all the way.

A fairly nice send-off for what was Marvel's best-selling on-going. It was always in the top of my reading list and I AM very saddened to see it go.


The New Avengers: Finale.

Dark Avengers ran for 16 issues, 17 if you include the annual. The New Avengers ran for 64. 65 if you include this, 69 if you include the three annuals. I've been way more attached to this series on account of that, I guess.

I started reading The New Avengers when it came out, back in 2005.

I can safely say it hasn't often let me down, and this finale is no exception.

This issue is where I feel The Heroic Age truly kicks off and sets itself in stone.

The New Avengers take off from the ruins of Asgard and chase down Madame Masque and The Hood, using one of his goons to rat him out and track him down. They force him to set up a meeting, and hijack it. Little do they know, Madame Masque has gone to her father for advise; Count Nefaria.

Essentially immortal and with immense power, he offers to bestow it upon The Hood for ALL the money he owns.

The remaining members of The N.A. storm the building and attempt to tie up the last few loose ends, with Ms. Marvel leading the pack. Neferia turns out to be a bit much, but he is blind-sided by Wolverine, returning from Utopia, and Ms. Marvel takes him out with a HUGE energy blast. Eventually, they're all taken out and dumped at the appropriate authorities.

All of the characters are left wondering where to go from here, now that most of them are newly freed from the S.R.A. and such. Captain Rogers says that if God had taken him or ceased the work they did over the past years aat any point, he'd have been proud. He'd have pride in the fact that they all stepped up and did what they needed to do, as heroes.

The most beautiful panel really drives home something. Captain Rogers says that he promised himself, way back when they formed The New Avengers, that whenever peace came, he'd do one thing; take a nice walk in a park. As much as that may seem simple, it actually makes you appreciate just how important such things are. I always go walking around my city for those very reasons.

The last panel is a picture of Luke and Jessica Cage pushing their baby through the park, with Peter Parker taking pics and the rest of the crew following. Out of uniform and out of danger. It's such a beautiful picture.

That was when I realise The Heroic Age was upon us. I can't wait to see what's next.

---

So, there we go!

I have to say, I'm so excited for The Heroic Age. Out of seven years of dark and tumultuous storylines comes a time where heroes rule again. If one thing is certain, there are people who won't let it stay that way for long. With Avengers Academy, Secret Avengers, The Avengers and the second volume of The New Avengers, there's LOTS to look forward to.

Next week we see the first issue of The Avengers! The Heroic Age actually starts, and you won't wanna be anywhere else.

I hope you enjoyed this week's edition of Thursday's Comics, I enjoyed typing it.

Thanks to everyone who comments, everyone who reads. Thanks for the AMAZING feedback on Daredevil Month. I've secured two new followers of his on-going! That's something.

Anyway, be sure to check out the blog in the next couple of days. Why? Another edition of The Mast Looks Back of course!

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Reviews: Thursday's Comics (6/5/2010).

Good news, everyone!

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.

---

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

The Mast Blogs: Dear Marvel, I'm Sorry I Doubted You.

Show me your citrus peels!

Before I continue with my Daredevil Month tomorrow, I wanted to update you all on some truly pleasing developments.

First, if you haven't read Thursday's Comics or my review of Iron Man 2, what's your problem? Why are you being a douchebag? Secondly, on the topic of Marvel movies, I wanted to talk about Thor. I spoke about Thor in one of my very first posts, and today I have reason to do so again.

I was not sure that Chris Hemsworth would look the part. He did NOT strike me as someone who looked like Thor, or could convey the appropriate amount of au-Thor-ity (Oh yes, I did). You may have seen him, for about...five minutes, as Cap'n Kirk's father in the newest Star Trek movie. Now, it remains to be seen how well the dude can act as Thor. Kenneth Brannagh is a Shakespearean stage actor, so I don't believe he'd cast scrubs in a movie he is directing.

My point is, what does he LOOK like? That is when things seem real, that's when you get a sense of excitement or disappointment. So, let's take a look at the first picture of Hemsworth as Thor...after we see the way he SHOULD look!



The mighty Thor; Avenger, slayer of frost giants, guardian of Midgard, god of thunder.



Can you say, "Fucking yes"?

I can. I'm in such an awkward position! Iron Man was so amazing, but I went into that expecting it to blow chunks. It was the resurrection of Marvel movies. Since then, they've made The Incredible Hulk AND Iron Man 2, both fantastic. I can't force myself to go into Thor next May (April for us, most likely) with low expectations. I have three film's worth of satisfaction to back that up. I'm afraid I'll be disappointed if it's not on the level, especially with The Avengers riding on Hemsworth being good as Thor.

Back on topic, how awesome does he look? I mean, he doesn't wear armoud and the armour he has on there DOES looks a little plastic, but that's just one promo shot. I do think it looks better with the silver disc-things being used as a cape holder, but regardless, I think Hemsworth looks the shit. I'm waiting on a full shot of him with the helmet, the blonde hair properly showing and, of course, Mjolnir. Aside from that, how about it?

Nobody really figured Heath Ledger to turn in the role he did until we saw those first promo/set shots of him as The Joker.

A promising start!

That's about it for today, but I figured this was worthy of an update.

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Reviews: Thursday's Comics (22/4/2010 & 29/4/2010).

You've got blog on you.

I was trying to decide how to do this, because there were nowhere near as many comics as I thought, but still a lot. I was weighing up what matters more when having a blog; is it giving readers lots of content, or quality content?

I opted for quality. Thus, I stumbled upon a new policy. Unless it's an on-going series, I will cease to review things that I don't feel are of good quality. For example, to keep up with issue #23 of Deadpool, you need to be told what happens in this month's Deadpool #22.

One-shots don't really need reviewing unless they're good or they add something to proceedings.

With that said, here is a combination of last Thursday's comics and this Thursday's comics!


Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #10

Just when I thought Deadpool might be having a little bit of a quality resurrection, there's a two doses of shit over a couple of weeks.

Having already been cancelled three issues from now, I really find it hard to even invest into this series anymore. I can't say that I feel the story will go anywhere either. Oddly enough, I do think it could have, given time. Given time, given more variation, Victor Gischler could be an ideal Deadpool writer.

This issue basically just continues from where #9 left off. Deadpool and Co. are being cornered by the three zombified Marvel characters, lead by Absorbing Man. They are also ambushed at the same time by agents of A.I.M., which proves to be quite fortuitious. Chasing down the easier option of fodder, the zombies pursue the soldiers and Deadpool tries to escape with his friends. Absorbing Man attempts to stop them, so Deadpool grabs this enormous rocket launcher thing from Dr. Veronica and tells them to clear out. He fires it into what appears to be the support of a building, the Chrysler building.

It collapses on him as Deadpool runs boyishly away. I thought that was kind of a funny, Deadpool-esque element. That's what we have to settle for nowadays, I guess.

Anyway, the search continues for Headpool's headless body so everyone can then go back to where they came from.

I suppose in and of itself it's not fair to call this issue shit. It's Marvel. I love Marvel to death, but their handling of Deadpool is abominable. Bringing me to the next point...


Deadpool #22.

Not only has Deadpool already done the wannabe hero thing, but he's already done it better than Daniel Way is trying to do it.

His tiny encounter with Spider-Man showed promise. Daniel Way, allergic to this it seems, has completely regressed and had Deadpool end up fighting a hillbilly family. One of which is called White Lightnin'.

I...I don't know.

Until a more steady, lengthy arc of quality can be said to exist, I don't recommend this series.


Thor #609.

And...


The New Avengers #64.

Thor #609 and The New Avengers #64 are getting a dual review because, though good, they sort of just detail the Siege of Asgard in what appears to be a manner that's unnecessary. I mean, I get that the main battle is saved for Siege's main four-parter, but they could've at least made the tie-ins as grand.

We're treated to Loki getting throughly exiled from Asgard in Thor #609, which made be respect King Balder a great deal more. Loki is never down or out, though. Whatever his end game is, I'm sure it's brilliant. Definitely the most improved villain in Marvel. He's just so goddamn sneaky, it's almost like violence-less viciousness.

Thor wasn't even in the issue, which bugged me.

The New Avengers #64 gives us some more alternate views of the Battle of Asgard. Most of it centres around Asgard being destroyed by The Sentry and how everyone reacts to this. Mockingbird is revealed to be alive under the rubble, shocker there. There is an intriguing turn when Loki takes away the power of the Norn stones from The Hood and his villains, however. The Hood and Madame Hydra escape and go on the run, powerless. He's really scared that when this is all settled, they'll be thrown in jail for life, to which Madame Hydra insists he has something that they'll never suspect or see coming.

I'm gonna let The New Avengers and Bendis get away with being a bit filler-y right now. This was, sadly, the final numbered issue of The New Avengers first volume. A series I have read and loved since 2005, save for The New Avengers: Finale next month, is coming to an end. I've followed it through Civil War, Secret Invasion and Dark Reign. It has been a terrific series and I can't really fault it for having a couple of issues that are dry.

I'm going to miss it. Thor is being written, post-Siege, by Matt Fraction. This pleases me! He writes a MEAN Thor and his current run on Iron Man is to Iron Man what Frank Miller was to Daredevil.


X=Men Legacy #235 (Second Coming: Chapter 4).

What an opening, and it picks up RIGHT where the previous chapter left off.

Cameron Hodge has sliced off part of Karma's leg foot and is about to deliver a killing blow when Cannonball rams him clear of her. The X-Men are shown bombing along a highway in pursuit of Cable and Hope, but they are swiftly ambushed. Ariel is killed in the blast and Wolverine is charred beyond belief, but still fine.

The other battle continues, but the New Mutants appear to be getting ever more overwhelmed. Cypher, in desperation, makes Warlock break his promise to never kill. He uses his alien ability to take over the body of a Purifier drone and fights Hodge with it.

The fight doesn't last long and it ends with him completely ripping Hodge's bio-organic head from his body.

Cable and Hope are holed up in a remote place in the desert, assured that while they are safe, they don't have long. This leads to an outside shot of their hiding spot being surrounded by Purifier soldiers. Luckily, the X-Men show up in time to finally taken them out and get Hope into their custody. The plan is for one Rogue to absorb powers from each of the X-Men and, with Nightcrawler, get Hope back to Utopia.

With Bastion tracking Cable, or at least the virus in Cable's cyborg arm, Cyclops thinks that they will be diverted to them as opposed to Hope. They take a moment to prepare themselves for the incoming enemies as Hope, Nightcrawler and Rogue take off.

I am really, really loving this story. As I was discussing with Andrew of Gosh! Comics, it's SO focused. It knows exactly where it's going and how to get there, despite having no main series and different writers on each tie-in. The next chapter was a week away...but I got them together due to the delay.


X-Force #26 (Second Coming: Chapter 5).

This is where shit gets mega serious.

With the New Mutants rushing back to Utopia in hopes of stopping Karma from bleeding to death and the X-Men and Cable ready to do major battle with Bastion's warriors, a lot was poised to happen. An incredibly exciting issue with a very tragic end (AND IT'S ONLY CHAPTER 5!).

Bastion is informed of Cable being stationary and recommends that they go after him and the girl immediately. Bastion, however, has other ideas. Sinister ideas, indeed.

Hope, Nightcrawler and Rogue continue their escape across the country. Nightcrawler cannot teleport continually, with two guests, without being extremely drained. As a result, they pause for a rest in an alleyway. Just as they are about to make their last few teleports, a gigantic flash of light appears. Rogue immediately orders Hope to get behind her as she summons all the powers loaned from her X-Men friends.

It's Bastian, or at least an extremely lethal representation of him. Rogue viciously attacks him, but he emotionlessly deals with her repeated attempts by knocking her unconscious. He approaches Hope and tells her that she must be destroyed on account of what he has seen her become in the future. Right at that point, Nightcrawler leaps into the way and receives a punch through his torso for his troubles. I was suspecting he'd be the one to go, if any, but it was still sad to see a character so likeable meet such a violent end. The tone and the execution of this death scene was amazingly well done.

Considering how many deaths are occuring right now, it was stand-out. Perfect.

He uses his remaining strength to teleport himself and Hope to Utopia, destroying what is revealed to be a drone of Bastian's in the process. Upon arrival, Hope tries to keep him alive, but he tells her she is worth it and that he believes in her. With that, he takes his last breath.

Everyone on Utopia is filled with absolute grief, understandably. When Wolverine arrives, he is almost reduced to sobbing and tears. THAT is how you make a death scene count, you know? If you want to make ME care, make me see why I should. To see everyone else rocked by this is what added to it. It's a very powerful moment and really does drive home what's at stake for mutant kind, and what has been sacrificed to keep Hope alive, even if nobody knows WHY she's the Messiah yet.

Back at their base, Bastian and his crew reveal that they have more plans yet to put into action (Not surprising, it's a story 13 chapters long). One can only imagine what those are.

I must say, if you're not reading this...then you're missing out.

It's an absolutely MAGNIFICENT series, it truly is. It's such a focused story and it has such a grand sense of impending doom, but triumph in with it. This story really does make you feel like something serious and important is happening.

Yost does an amazing job with X-Force and this issue is no exception. I really, really like it. His ability to characterise each character uniquely is making me want to go back and read the rest of the X-Force issues now. Maybe I'll even get the trades. The art is VERY good also, but then again, Mike Choi is a pimp like that. It's not terribly unique, but it's VERY detailed. The man knows details.

I also picked up the X-Factor tie-in, but it doesn't seem to be too relevant so I'm gonna save myself some time. If it becomes relevant, I'll fill you in later.

Seriously, guys. Second Coming is the shit right now, get onto it!

---

That's about all I've got right now.

Stay tuned for the continuation of Daredevil Month on Sunday AND...a VERY special post tomorrow. Not an interview or anything, but something VERY exciting pertaining to comics.

Thank you ALL for reading. Comment, tell your friends and eat your vegetables.

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast.