Also this week:

MARVEL NEMESIS: THE IMPERFECTS #1 - Well, now here's a weird project.  After his success with X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong, poor Greg Pak is lumbered with the hideous task of trying to write a six-issue miniseries to promote a computer game.  The last time Marvel tried this, the result was Questprobe, which might explain why nobody's bothered since.  The fundamental absurdity is that the game already adapts the major Marvel heroes to make them more suitable for the computer game medium; Pak now has to take a concept specifically designed to turn fictional characters into fodder for a fighting game, and wrestle it back into a story.  Incredibly, Pak and artist Renato Arlem seem to be taking this whole thing in deadly earnest, with what seems to be a good faith attempt to introduce psychological depth into a plot that amounts to "some aliens kidnap four heroes and inject them with green power-up slime."  Oh, and Elektra's acting completely out of character throughout, unless you're prepared to make some assumptions about how she ends up at the end of Mark Millar's Wolverine run.  Mind you, if you think this sounds dodgy, just wait until Marvel Mega Morphs hits the shelves. C

PUNISHER: THE CELL - For some reason, Garth Ennis gives us an extra Punisher story this month, with this 48-page one-shot.  On learning that Riker's Island now has five prisoners he's particularly interested in, the Punisher goes after them the easy way - he hands himself in.  Of course, the Punisher's not too popular in jail, but then he was expecting that.  It's another violent, pitch black thriller as the Punisher manipulates everyone into the result he wants.  The continuity-minded part of me has a nagging feeling that this story has actually been done before, but it's a Max one-shot, so who cares whether it's in continuity or not?  A great example of everything that's been good about Ennis' darker Max take on the character.  A+

Last week's Article 10 is still up at Ninth Art.

No X-Axis next week, since I'm going to be out of town for the weekend.  I'll get to the books in two weeks time.  As for what's shipping, Cable & Deadpool #15 kicks off "Enema of the State" (see what they did there?); more of Hyperion in Exiles #64; it's the end of year dance in New X-Men #14; Storm and Wolverine visit Canada in Ultimate X-Men #59; the Savage Land storyline wraps up in Uncanny X-Men #459; and "Agent of SHIELD" continues in Wolverine #28.

There's also a second Excalibur trade paperback, collecting issues #7-13.  And for some reason, there's a Marvel Must Haves reprint of NYX #1-3.

back | continue