Tag Mark Bagley

Epic Covers: The Avengers #59 by Mark Bagley

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I have no idea what’s happening in The Avengers nowadays. Thankfully, you don’t need that knowledge to appreciate this recent variant cover to The Avengers #59 by Mark Bagley, paying tribute to 900 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. He’s one of the best Spidey artists of all time, so to see him drawing so many of the character’s various costumes from over the years is, to say the least, epic. We’ve got black suit Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider, Iron Spider, the Superior Spider-Man, just to name a few.

Amazing, indeed.

Avengers 57, variant cover, 2022, Mark Bagley

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Weekly Comic 100s: The Amazing Spider-Man #60

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: The Amazing Spider-Man #60
AUTHOR: Nick Spencer
ARTISTS: Mark Bagley, John Dell & Andrew Hennessy (Inkers), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer). Cover by Bagley, Dell, & Nathan Fairbairn.
RELEASED: February 24, 2021

Mark Bagley is drawing Spider-Man again?!? That’s awesome!

Obviously, I’ve been out of the loop on Spidey for awhile. But it looks like Nick Spencer, no stranger to controversy himself, is journeying into Mephisto/One More Day territory. If they’re not going to restore Spidey and Mary Jane’s marriage, I’d just as soon have them leave that stuff alone. Especially when this issue already has a lot of compelling stuff going for it. We’ve got Peter literally “acting” out his feelings on stage, and we’ve got the revelation of a shocking new alliance for MJ…

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Weekly Comic 100s: Spider-Man, Detective Comics, Something is Killing the Children

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***”Weekly Comic 100s” keeps it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Like last week, I’m playing a little bit of catch-up. We’ve got two regulars, as well as the start of a miniseries I simply couldn’t resist…

TITLE: Amazing Spider-Man: The Daily Bugle
AUTHOR: Mat Johnson
ARTISTS: Mack Chater, Francesco Mobili, Scott Hanna, Dono Sanchez-Almara and Protobunker (Colors), Joe Carmagna (Letterer). Cover by Mark Bagley and Morey Hollowell.
RELEASED: January 29, 2020

I love it when journalism and comics cross paths. That’s one of the reasons I’m so into the Lois Lane mini that’s out right now. But this, dare I say, promises to be brighter and flashier.

We’ve got hardened newspaper reporter Ben Urich teaming up with Robbie Robertson’s niece Chloe, a social media star. So we’ve got a nice old school meets new school thing going on. Peter Parker is also back at the Bugle as a photographer. So we’ll see no shortage of Spidey in these pages.

This could be a lot of fun.

TITLE: Detective Comics Annual #3
AUTHOR: Peter Tomasi
ARTISTS: Sumit Kumar, Romulo Fajardo Jr (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer). Cover by Steve Rude.
RELEASED: January 29, 2020

I like Eduardo Risso, I’m just not sure if I like him on Batman…

The stories we get here are okay. But what really stood out to me was a new character: Marigold Sinclair, a former colleague of Alfred’s from his secret agent days. By no means do I want her to be Bruce Wayne’s butler. But she apparently picked up some of Alfred’s irreverent wit along the way. I’d love to see her return at some point.

Really dig this cover, too. A fine piece by the great Steve Rude.

TITLE: Something is Killing the Children #5
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV
ARTISTS: Werther Dell’Edera, Miquel Muerto (Colorist), Andworld Design (Letters)
RELEASED: January 29, 2020

It’s rare that a comic makes me uncomfortable to the point that I’m almost queasy. But Dell’Edera and Muerto pulled it off in this issue. We go into our monster’s dwelling, and there’s  one particular shot of its victims. *shudders*

This issue felt like the end of the first story arc, albeit one with a couple heavy cliffhangers. Now that we’ve established our main characters and our monsters, the story seems to be set to expand. No complaints on my end.

Email Rob at at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer Ponderings…

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

So the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer hit the web today.

HA! Hit the web. See what I did?

Anyway, here are some thoughts. Because that’s what we internet fanboys do. We give thoughts on things, whether you want them or not…

– Given all the hype Into the Spider-Verse has gotten recently, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature, it’s a little weird to already be talking about another Spider-Man flick. Incidentally, I’m ashamed to say I haven’t seen Into the Spider-Verse yet. Especially because it’s probably going to end up being a better movie than this one.

– I’ll give the Marvel folks credit, though. They’re doing things that haven’t been done in these Spidey movies before. It would have been really easy to just drop him in New York again. But the whole field trip story is a nice twist on things. Hey, wait a minute…this was also the story for The Lizzy McGuire Movie!!!

– I confess, when Jake Gyllenhaal first appeared in the Mysterio costume, I thought he’d been displaced from a Thor movie. He looks good enough, I suppose. He’d better, as Mysterio is one of the last big Spider-Man villains they haven’t brought to the big screen yet. I mean, who do we have left? Kraven the Hunter? Carnage, but they obviously want him in the next Venom movie. So who does that leave? Hobgoblin? Meh…

– The inclusion of Nick Fury in this movie reminds me of a scene in the old Bendis/Bagley Ultimate Spider-Man comic. Fury implies that when Peter turns 18, he’ll be working for S.H.I.E.L.D. whether he wants to or not. It’s a great little moment that they paid off several issues later. It’d be interesting if we got a little something like that here.

– Tom Holland is a damn good Spider-Man. Probably the best one yet. From me, that’s really saying something, as I loved Tobey Maguire in that role. Incidentally, now that Into the Spider-Verse has become a hit, what are the odds of bringing Tobey back into the franchise in some form? As like an alt-universe Spidey? Hell, bring Andrew Garfield back too, if it makes sense. But mainly, I want Tobey back.

– Full disclosure: I know next to nothing about Zendaya. I saw her in Homecoming, and I saw her in The Greatest Showman. That’s it. But I really like her as Mary Jane. It feels like a fresher take on the character. Plus, she and Holland have good chemistry.

– So Marisa Tomei is apparently doing the will they/won’t they dance with the Jon Favreau character. That’s the spot formerly occupied by Tony Stark. Hate to say it kids, but might mean Tony is bitin’ the big one in Endgame. Get your tissues ready.

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Panels of Awesomeness: Batman by Mark Bagley

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

THE ISSUE: Batman #688

CREATORS: Judd Winick (Author), Mark Bagley (Penciller), Rob Hunter (Inker), Ian Hannin (Colorist), Jared K. Fletcher (Letterer)

RELEASED: July 8, 2009. Collected in Batman: Long Shadows.

THE SCENE: Shortly after taking up the mantle of Batman, Dick Grayson trains with Damian Wayne, who has just become the new Robin.

WHY THEY’RE AWESOME: This scene has been hanging around in my subconscious for the near-decade since it was published.

On the surface, it’s not particularly remarkable. Just Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne training together. Sort of a Karate Kid scenario with Dick in the Mr. Miyagi role. But as Eric Bischoff might say, “context is king.” This issue came out shortly after Final Crisis, in which Bruce Wayne “died” at the hands of Darkseid. Thus, Dick Grayson has once again taken on the role of Batman, and Damian has become Robin.

Putting these two together was a perfect recipe for personality conflicts. Dick’s generally friendly and warm personality clashed with Damian’s defiant, abrasive, and often bratty disposition. Especially early on in their partnership.

But in Batman #688, Judd Winick took the time to balance the scales a little bit, and show us is indeed a qualified mentor for Damian. Not necessarily because of his fighting prowess, but the patience and wisdom years of experience have brought him. It’s a quality that can’t be taught, and one that makes for a damn good teacher.

I was working on a piece of fiction recently, with a scene that had a similar teacher/student premise. For whatever reason, I kept coming back to the line Dick has at the end of this scene: “Don’t anticipate.” I like that. Simple. Concise.

I know Judd Winick isn’t everybody’s favorite Batman writer. But more often than not, I really dug his stuff. Throw in the art by Mark Bagley, who’d just come off his legendary run on Ultimate Spider-Man, and these pages definitely have their fair share of awesomeness.

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A Justice League of America: Team History Review – Will the Real JLA Please Stand Up?

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Justice League of America: Team HistoryTITLE: Justice League of America: Team History
AUTHOR: James Robinson
PENCILLER: Mark Bagley
COLLECTS: Justice League of America #38-43
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $19.99
RELEASE DATE: September 8, 2010

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Some of the creative decisions surrounding Justice League of America in the past year or so have really left me scratching my head. Certain characters have been in the League for a little while, then left, only to be replaced by other characters, who then leave, and are replaced again. The cast/team line up has been in a constant state of flux.

James Robinson’s would-be epic, Justice League: Cry For Justice, is partially to blame for that. First they were going to make that book into it’s own series, then they decided to just make it a miniseries, and that seems to have screwed things up. Robinson was put on the main Justice League book, and proceeded to give us an almost entirely different team.

Still, he and Mark Bagley put on a decent show with Team History.

Justice League #38 (2010)The book begins in the aftermath of Cry For Justice, with Vixen, Plastic Man, Dr. Light and Red Tornado contemplating whether the Justice League should even exist in its current incarnation. Soon, the events of Blackest Night kick in, and Zatanna must confront her zombified father. Meanwhile, Vixen and Gypsy face their old teammates from the Detroit Justice League, and Dr. Light deals with her villainous counterpart of the same name.

Then we jump post-Blackest Night, and everyone but Dr. Light and a bodyless Red Tornado remain on the team. So Robinson throws Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Batman (Dick Grayson), Donna Troy, Cyborg, Starfire, Mon-El, The Guardian, and The Atom together. Plus, we get Congorilla and Starman, who were featured in Cry For Justice. They take on, among other threats, a trio of villains who gain access to the Justice League Watchtower.

For my money, the first part of this book overshadows the second. Robinson does a really nice job with the confrontation between the good Dr. Light, and the sadistic rapist Dr. Light. He taps into some of that Identity Crisis magic really well. The fight with the Detroit League is fun too. I was pleasantly surprised.

Justice League of America: Team History, group shotThe book gets convoluted during its second half. The assemblage of the team is done well enough, but the bad guys are introduced via a series of flashbacks that left me scratching my head. I knew who/what the threat was, I just wasn’t sure how they got to be a threat or why.

What frustrated me the most about this book, is that the new team seems to start imploding before their first adventure is even over. The events of The Fall of Green Arrow/The Rise of Arsenal start to take over, and there’s a big question mark left hanging over the entire team. Plus, based on events that have taken place since Justice League #43 was published, it’s looking like at least a couple of these heroes won’t be sticking around for the long haul.

Team History is a decent book on its own, but it left me frustrated at the lack of consistency in the Justice League’s roster. Heck, even the characters themselves seem to be getting frustrated. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have even complained about the Teen Titans, and saved my frustration for the League.

Seriously…will the real Justice League please stand up?

RATING: 6/10

Image 1 from craveonline.com. Image 2 from dreamwidth.org.

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An Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 1 Review – A Disney Channel Hero

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Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 1: The World According to Peter ParkerTITLE: Ultimate Comics Spider-man, Vol. 1: The World According To Peter Parker
AUTHOR: Brian Michael Bendis
PENCILLER: David Lafuente
COLLECTS: Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1-6
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $24.99
RELEASE DATE: April 21, 2010

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Last year, Marvel’s Ultimate line featured a massive crossover. In Ultimatum, Magneto attempted to destroy the Earth, New York City was hit with a massive flood, and numerous heroes were killed off. The Ultimate line was relaunched, presumably to once again draw in new readers.

Thus, Ultimate Spider-Man has become Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. And I’m not sure I’m happy about it.

When we open the book we find Peter Parker working at a fast food joint, Spider-Man is being hailed as a hero in New York City, displaced heroes like The Human Torch and Iceman (both teenagers) are showing up at the Parker house, plus Peter and Mary Jane Watson have broken up…again.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Aunt May and familyMeanwhile, Mysterio, one of the few Spidey villains Brian Michael Bendis didn’t reinvent during his first run, emerges for the first time in the Ultimate universe. Throw in a new mystery hero that actually makes Peter’s life a bit easier, and there’s plenty of fodder for storytelling.

Bendis, who wrote every issue of Ultimate Spider-man, continues his run with this book. He delivers his usual clumsy wit, mixed in with solid suspenseful storytelling. It’s been said that the great thing about the Ultimate version of Spidey is that so much of the drama comes from Peter Parker’s personal life, as well as his superhero adventures. That thread definitely continues in this book, as awkwardness unfolds between Peter, his ex-girlfriend Mary Jane, his OTHER ex-girlfriend Kitty Pryde, and his CURRENT girlfriend. Did you get all that?

Aunt May, Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 1David Lafuente’s art is solid, and fits the book well, But like Stuart Immonen (who did the art for the last several issues of Ultimate Spider-man), he’s in the unfortunate position of having to follow Mark Bagley’s stellar 111 issue run on the book. When I think of these characters, I still think of Bagley’s art. If Lafuente stays with the title for an extended period of time, fans will probably grow more comfortable looking at his version of this world. But for now, it feels like we’re still breaking him in.

Wall to wall, this book is decent, but the consistent presence of The Human Torch, Iceman, Kitty, and the others makes it feel at times like a Disney Channel show about superheroes. That makes me worried about the direction the title is headed in. Ultimate Spider-Man certainly had its share of team-ups, but now it’s looking like The Human Torch and Iceman will be sticking around for awhile. I’m concerned that the book is turning into Ultimate Comics Spider-Man and Friends.

Marvel officially rates the book as T+, meaning it’s primarily aimed at teen readers. But Ultimate Spider-Man was a teen book too, and it didn’t need to be flooded with teen superheroes to make it interesting. I’d have preferred this Spider-Man book to have the burden of conflict placed solely on Spider-Man’s shoulders, especially since it represents the launching of a new title.

RATING: 6/10

Image 1 from mattfraction.com. Image 2 from dreamwidth.org.

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