Weekly Roundup | Comic News Collection for April 1st 2018

Following No Justice in May and Justice League in June, July sees two new titles Justice League Dark and Justice League Odyssey with a Hall of Justice complete with magic portals after the current Watchtower fell to Earth in the recent Justice League series by Christopher Priest.

IDW is ending its current version of Transformers with the Unicron story arc.

Weekly Roundup | Marvel Comics Solicitations for June 2018

Marvel Comics June solicitations begins issuing first issues again in July with Tony Stark: Iron Man, Thor, Immortal Hulk, Deadpool, Sentry, and Doctor Strange. We also have continuing miniseries including the Hunt for Wolverine and Infinity Countdown which would both conclude around September leading to another event Infinity Wars. Captain America concludes its current run as it restarts in July along with the Amazing Spider-Man.

Overall the only two Marvel titles peaking our interest is Black Panther and X-Men: Red as the other titles are jumping the shark to find their own voice. Marvel is continuing the same bad habits as before. If we want Marvel to stop this trend then comic fans need to focus more on the competitors who offer much more value with their characters and stories.

DC and Marvel Comics September and October 2017 Solicitations

DC Comics September and October 2017 Solicitations begins with Dark Nights: Metal which is the invasion of the DC Universe by the Dark Multiverse. The series will introduce new characters and concepts never seen before. Action Comics begins a storyline revealing the identity of Mr. Oz which will lead into November’s Doomsday Clock and ending with Action Comics #1000. 

Marvel Comics September and October 2017 Solicitations begins with Marvel Legacy One Shot where the issues revert back to their original numbering however the stories remain the same. Not much progress from a publishing point of view but it’s a step in the right direction. 

Last year comic sales grew by 6% to $1 Billion which means the industry is nearing a sustainable marketplace where creators can be able to make a living. That’s an increase of $55 Million from 2015 to 2016.

Weekly Roundup | DC and Marvel Comics October 2017 Solicitations

Movie Review Spider-Man Homecoming is the sixth film from Sony however the first film connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Currently this version of Spider-Man is a five movie arc which began last year with Captain America: Civil War, continues with Homecoming, Avengers 3 and 4 and Homecoming 2 which takes place immediately after Avengers 4. 

After the disaster of Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony teamed up with Marvel where Sony pays for the film and distributes it while Marvel provides the story. The budget for Amazing Spider-Man 2 was $293 Million compared to $175 Million for Spider-Man: Homecoming. Sony was definitely hedging their risks with their collaboration with Marvel. Overall the end product was a worthy film which incorporated lots of elements from the comics that made the Spider-Man character appealing. There was no rehash of his origin story, Uncle Ben, or the Osborns which gave the movie a fresh start. 

Spider-Man: Homecoming continues from Captain America: Civil War with Peter Parker still in High School at Midtown School of Science and Technology. The film consists of a diverse cast set in Queens, New York. Adrian Toomes is a blue collar salvaging company that cleans up after all the Avengers battles. Now Tony Stark has stepped in to replace him and Toomes is out for revenge by using Shocker and the Tinker to scavenge alien artifacts and sell it to criminals. The sequels are following each year of Peter Parker's schooling similar to the Harry Potter series.

Movie Review War for the Planet of the Apes is the third film of the recent reboot consisting of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. These movies are a contemporary prequels to the 1968 Planet of the Apes film. It lays the foundations for the civilization we see in the 1968 film. There is a fourth film planned where we actually see the character of Taylor returning from space and discovering the Planet of the Apes. 

DC Comics September and October 2017 Solicitations begins with Dark Nights: Metal which is the invasion of the DC Universe by the Dark Multiverse. The series will introduce new characters and concepts never seen before. Action Comics begins a storyline revealing the identity of Mr. Oz which will lead into November’s Doomsday Clock and ending with Action Comics #1000. 

Marvel Comics September and October 2017 Solicitations begins with Marvel Legacy One Shot where the issues revert back to their original numbering however the stories remain the same. Not much progress from a publishing point of view but it’s a step in the right direction. 

Last year comic sales grew by 6% to $1 Billion which means the industry is nearing a sustainable marketplace where creators can be able to make a living. That’s an increase of $55 Million from 2015 to 2016.

Weekly Roundup | Marvel Diversity and the Ardian Syaf Controversy

Marvel revealed it will take an 18-month break from big crossover events following Secret Empire to focus on their core titles and a back to basics approach. Creative teams can tell their stories without interruption and prepare themselves with single-line events. The previous break lasted between 2000 and 2005 and started up again with House of M in 2005 following the success of DC Comics Identity Crisis in 2004.

Significant events introduced new characters and ideas which sets up for long term potential within the comic book series. The next big crossover event for Marvel will be in 2019. The reason Marvel is taking this publishing strategy is due to a slump in sales following DC Comics Rebirth while Marvel provided us with Civil War II.

Retailers stock what sells and if Marvel replaces a Fantastic Four title with Squirrel Girl and Spider-Gwen then expect sales to crumble. Marvel would rather blame customers not wanting diversity than rather accepting what customers really want. People are already prepared to purchase the trade as the first issue of a new comic rolls at Marvel. Training their customers to be trade paperback readers instead of a monthly one which allows them to be apart of a community. They need to commit and engage with an audience to build diversity and inclusion through their product line. When DC Rebirth came out people were willing to experiment with their new titles because of the quality and the buy-in which was already established. They have built the monthly readership well to avoid sales attrition which Marvel is suffering from.

While Marvel deals with its slumping sales and diversity issues, another controversy rises with Indonesia artist Ardian Syaf when he put hidden anti-Christian and anti-Semitic messages in the new X-Men Gold comic. He sighted a Quran verse 5:51 which states “O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you – then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people.” His response for being caught and fired was “Marvel is owned by Disney. When Jews are offended, there is no mercy.” 

Adrian Syaf thought he could get away with the hidden messages. Right now Muslim artists are going to get vetted because an opportunity was offered and it was betrayed. You cannot blame the Trump Presidency for this. You have to take it for what it is and move forward. 

Weekly Roundup | DC and Marvel Comics May 2017 Solicitations

Both DC and Marvel May 2017 Solicitations were released this week. Last May 2016 DC Comics released DC Universe: Rebirth #1, which was closure for the New 52 as well as the merging of the DC and Watchmen universes. This year they are kicking off events every month beginning in January with the conclusion of the Justice League vs. Suicide Squad. Then in February we saw the launches for the new Justice League of America and the return of the Wildstorm Universe. In March we will have Superman Reborn, April was The Button (The crossover between Batman and Flash titles), and now in May we have the Lazarus Contract which runs between Titans, Teen Titans, and Deathstroke. In June most of the Rebirth titles will hit their milestone 25th issues in Batman, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lanterns, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Over at Marvel Comics they begin their summer event Secret Empire as Spider-Man: Homecoming hits the theaters. Most of the titles are Secret Empire tie-ins so readers can pick and choose which titles they want to read. 

As far as publishers are concerned, DC Comics have an overarching story where each of the stories builds upon DC Universe: Rebirth. Superman Reborn and The Button are prime examples of DC building a universe while Marvel has an event with Secret Empire. Regardless whatever happens Marvel will return to its original status quo while DC layers legacy within its titles. 

Retailers should limit their orders based on pre-order sales. A conservative approach is the best in the collector’s market to limit inventory which will later drive up demand. Readers should pick comics based on writers and artists they enjoy. If they enjoy the comics then somewhere down the line someone else would enjoy the stories as well. Key to collecting would be to focus on variant covers if possible to enhance collectability. 

Devil Comics Review | Squadron Supreme [2016] Finding Namor

Namor was killed by Squadron Supreme for involving himself with destroying their worlds. Warrior Woman discovers a future where she rules with Namor and decides to resurrect him. Power Princess finally reaches the Squadron Supreme and reveals Warrior Woman’s plans to resurrect Namor which involves stealing Reed Richard's time machine from the Baxter Building. Hyperion and Doctor Spectrum gets sucked into the time stream and become phantoms while Blur and Thundra are captured by Shield. Warrior Woman and Power Princess square off as Shield agents arrive. Warrior Woman escapes after killing Shield agents while Power Princess is pursued for their murders. Both Hyperion and Doctor Spectrum travel back in time during the battle with when Namor was killed.  

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

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Devil Comics Review | Squadron Supreme [2016] Civil War II

The Squadron Supreme killed Namor and destroyed Atlantis after he destroyed Doctor’s Spectrum’s world during the Incursions in Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run. Black Bolt rescued her from the Incursions and brought her to this Earth. Nighthawk discovers the various alien races are working together for an unknown purpose. He sends Doctor Spectrum to return with the data the Badoon has under the sea. Spectrum meets Toro the original Human Torch who is an Inhuman sent on a mission to retrieve experiments done on his people. Spectrum discovers he is not alone as Black Blot is there with him. The alien races working together are the Myriad and Black Bolt destroys their headquarters and invites Spectrum to Attilan for answers and why he saved her. Spectrum discovers she was an Inhuman on her Earth and the prism influence Black Bolt to save her. 

Nighthawk Raymond Kane is confronted by Kyle Richmond who is the original Nighthawk of this Earth. However Nighthawk discovers Kyle Richmond is a Skrull and the Myriad knows about the Squadron Supreme because the Warrior Woman betrayed them. Warrior Woman is using the same energy frequency the Eye of Xot Doctor Druid used to enslave Weirdworld to enslave the Myriad. We learn Warrior Woman murdered the Squadron Sinister on her world. She entered a portal to escape the destruction of her world only to encounter another survivor of another Earth Power Princess. Warrior Woman uses Ulysses to discover her future only to find Namor was her partner. She also discovers Power Princess who she thought was dead is coming back. On Earth Power Princess begins her journey to find the Squadron Supreme.

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

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Devil Comics Review | Squadron Supreme [2016] By Any Means Necessary!

Squadron Supreme begins with team members who lost their worlds due to the Incursions and vowing to protect their current one. Their first target is Namor who destroyed Doctor Spectrum’s world during the Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run. The Squadron Supreme takes on Namor and his people by raising Atlantis from its depths and destroying it. Hyperion kills Namor and the Squadron Supreme admits it’s a personal victory and the real work is about to begin. The Squadron Supreme reveals themselves to the world which draws the attention of the Uncanny Avengers. Writer James Robinson previously wrote the Fantastic Four which was average reading because he couldn’t do anything with the characters since Fox owned the movie rights. Now he really lets loose with the characters with the destruction of Atlantis and the death of Namor as well as an upcoming confrontation with the Uncanny Avengers. This series carries forth what has happened before prior to Secret Wars and pushes the Marvel Universe forward with the consequences. The series is reminiscent of the original Squadron Supreme mini-series where they wanted to create a utopia on Earth at all costs while the current one focuses on protecting their world at all costs. 

Nighthawk discovers a mysterious alien cabal operating on Earth between the Skrull, Kree, Badoon, and Kymellian. While investigating he is confronted by the Uncanny Avengers who holds the Squadron Supreme responsible for the death of Namor and the destruction of Atlantis. Nighthawk contacts the Squadron Supreme for backup. A battle between the Squadron Supreme and the Uncanny Avengers ends when the original Torch Jim Hammond of Shield arrives with an army. Thundra quickly teleports the Squadron Supreme to Weirdworld and they face Arkon.

Arkon is possessed and the Squadron Supreme have no powers and Power Princess takes advantage of the situation. The captured Squadron Supreme are taken to the former Avenger Doctor Druid. The Power Princess reveals herself as the Warrior Woman from the world of the Squadron Sinister. Doctor Druid has absolute control over Weirdworld and its residents. Thundra brought the Squadron Supreme because they were from different worlds and will not be affected by Doctor Druid. Hyperion and Thundra encounter the Magma Men however they are saved by Skull the Slayer who joins them to take the world back from Doctor Druid.

Doctor Spectrum used her powers to understand the magic of Weirdworld. She creates a shield around Hyperion who is vulnerable to magic and he regains his strength. Nighthawk takes on Warrior Woman of the Squadron Sinister. Hyperion and Doctor Spectrum destroy the gem which gave Doctor Druid his powers and frees the inhabitants of Weirdworld. The Squadron Supreme returns home with Thundra as a new member replacing Warrior Woman. Her membership should not be a surprise as she is featured on the first issue of the Squadron Supreme. The first arc featured the death of Namor, the defeat of the Uncanny Avengers, and the introduction to Weirdworld. This is one of James Robinson’s better stories.

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

Devil Comics Review | Secret Wars [2015] Jonathan Hickman | Esad Ribic

The announcement of Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic was released just before the 2014 New York Comic Con. It is the conclusion of Time Runs Out story arcs running between both Avengers and New Avengers. Marvel brought a female Thor, created an arrogant Tony Stark in Superior Iron Man, and made Sam Wilson as Captain America in 2014. Now those characters will face off against their classic versions of their namesakes as well as their multiverse counterparts on Battleworld. Secret Wars is the culmination of Jonathan Hickman’s work at Marvel. From the Ultimate Universe to the Marvel Universe, from the past in SHIELD to the future in Avengers, this is the final act that has been building up since 2012 when Hickman took over the Avengers and New Avengers titles.

Secret Wars #0 sees the Future Foundation kids building a ship to escape the final Incursion with the Ultimate Universe. We are given a history of how the heroes attempted to save us that led to destroying worlds and creating the Cabal. We also see the Ultimate Universe deciding to invade and destroy the Marvel Universe during the final Incursion. The stage is set up for Secret Wars that has been building since 2012. 

Secret Wars #1 follows the endings of Avengers #44, New Avengers #33, and Secret Wars #0. The Ultimate Universe of 1610 decides to invade and destroy the Marvel Universe 616 in a last attempt to save their worlds. The Marvel Universe decides to build life rafts to save the best people to restart humanity. The Guardians of the Galaxy arrive to help protect Earth as well as Cyclop’s Sentinels. The Hulk, She-Hulk, and Colossus travel to Earth-1610 where they topple their headquarters. However the invasion by the Ultimate Universe was only a diversion set up by the Cabal and the Ultimate Reed Richards to set up a second invasion using superior weapons. Cyclops opens the Phoenix Egg to release its powers to become the Phoenix as some of our heroes are rescued on the life raft. The Incursion occurs and both the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe collide leaving nothing.

Secret Wars #2 Victor Von Doom has somehow forged Battleworld with heroes under his control. Doom sits at the throne of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. The Thors act has his Stormtroopers, Doctor Strange is the Law and sheriff, and Valeria Richards is the Foundation. Science is called discovery and religion is called Doom on Battleworld. Borders exist between each kingdoms and a Baron or Baroness controls their provinces.

The Thors arrive on Bar Sinister and charge Mr. Sinister with discord with House Braddock by aligning himself with Hyperion, the Baron of Utopolis. They take him to Doomstadt for judgment at the Court of Doom. He is found guilty and Sinister asks for a trail by combat with Brian Braddock. Sinister wins however Brian Braddock is brought before Doom. Apparently his name Braddock has been whispered in the silent chambers of Manhattan where heretics and thieves are planning to cast down Doom. Jamie Braddock admits he is the one the heretic spoke of. Doom removes Jamie from his position on Avalon and promotes his brother Brian Braddock to Baron.

The life raft from the first issue is discovered and Strange invokes a quarantine. The Thors quarantine the life raft however it opens and slaughters a Thor. It is revealed the Ultimate Reed Richards constructed a life raft for the Cabal to escape and land on Battleworld. 

   

Secret Wars #3 Doom and Strange discuss matters as we discover the Molecule Man sacrificed himself to create Battleworld, Johnny Storm became the Sun, and the unmasking of Doom. Strange arrive at the location of the life raft and the fallen Thor. He meets the Miles Morales Spider-Man who hitched a ride with the Cabal and discovers he remembers the events before Battleworld. Strange takes Miles back to his hidden isle of Agamotto where he opens the first life raft which contains the Marvel heroes including Reed Richards, Black Panther, and Cyclops who is now the Phoenix. They discover Doom created Battleworld as the Thors catch up to the Cabal. 

Secret Wars #4 Doctor Strange explains to our heroes how Doctor Doom created Battleworld as the Thors battle the Cabal. Doom is aware of the battle between the Thors and the Cabal. Strange and the heroes arrive to aid the Thors and Doom notices Reed Richards is among them. Doom arrives and confronts Richards as Cyclops with the power of the Phoenix attempts to stop him. He kills Cyclops and Strange scatters our heroes before Doom has a chance to destroy them. Doom kills Strange for betraying him and now the Richards is back to take back his life. 

Secret Wars #5 sees Hickman pay homage to Thor: The Dark World with the mention of the Ether as we witness the funeral for Sheriff Stephen Strange. Doom visits Owen Reece AKA the Molecule Man who was made by the Beyonders as a bomb to kill a universe. Owen went into the Marvel Multiverse to kill himself to diminish the charge within him and built a religion involving the Black Swans who were determined to kill Owens. He also built a better bomb to destroy the Beyonders and steal their powers. Dr. Strange couldn’t determine which worlds will live or die so he allowed Doom to decide. The Future Foundation hunt down the rebels who they believe killed Sheriff Strange however they soon realize Strange was the one who scattered the heroes. The decide to find out what is really going on and why Doom is scared. 

Secret Wars #6 takes place three weeks after issue five as Doom’s daughter Valeria is tracking the survivors of the Incursions. We see the Maker and Reed Richards working together to stop Doom. Valeria meets Miles Morales and Peter Parker as Spider-Men. Now they discover the Molecule Man created Battleworld. Meanwhile the Prophet is raising an army against Doom as Black Panther and Namor find an Infinity Gauntlet to use against Doom. In the SHIELD detention level Thanos reveals to the Thing that none of this world is reality and asks him to rise against Doom.

Secret Wars #7 Maximus of the Inhumans launches an assault against Doom as well as the Thors and Maestro who sends an army of Hulks. Reed Richards works with his Ultimate counter-part the Maker to stop Doom while the Black Panther and Namor bring the Marvel Zombies to Doom’s doorsteps.

Secret Wars #8 Ben Grimm takes down Maestro and faces Franklin Richards using Galactus’ body. Reed, Star Lord, and the Maker break into Doom’s castle. Star Lord uses Groot to take down Doom’s castle as Doom destroys Thanos. The Marvel Zombies arrive thanks to Black Panther and Namor to Doom’s doorsteps.

Secret Wars #9 Namor and Black Panther confront Doctor Doom with the Infinity Gauntlet before Doom realized it was all a distraction. Reed Richards meets his wife Susan Storm and daughter Valeria before taking his counter-part from the Ultimate Universe the Maker to the source of Doom’s powers, the Molecule Man. The Maker betrays Reed by turning him into a monkey however the Molecule Man turns Reed back while changing the Maker into pizza. Doom arrives and the Molecule Man makes it a fair fight between Reed and Doom. During the battle Doom agrees that Reed could have created a better world so the Molecule Man empowers him.

The Prime Earth of the Marvel Universe is created where Wakanda has a space program to explore the twelve planets of the Solar System. Molecule Man thanks Miles Morales for the burger and returns him with his parents on Prime Earth.

Franklin Richards helps shape the new universes with the help of his father Reed and the Molecule Man. The Fantastic Four and the Future Foundation are left to shape universes and explore the multiverse. Ben and Johnny are back on Prime Earth along with a restored Doctor Doom. Writer Jonathan Hickman gives us his send off from the Marvel Universe by putting everything back in the bottle from his run in Avengers and expanding the Marvel Universe. For the time being this will be the last Fantastic Four story. 

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

Secret Wars Variant Action Figure Covers [2015] John Tyler Christopher

2015 Comics | Story Arcs | Events | Graphic Novels | One Shots

The months represent when the story concluded and the rest are ongoing story arcs Devil Comics Entertainment is following. At the peak we are currently following thirty books per month from various publishers which makes it roughly one comic a day. 

FEBRUARY
Superman: The Men of Tomorrow 

Superman: Earth One Volume 3 
Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Verse 

Superior Iron Man: Infamous 

Thor: The Goddess of Thunder 
Men of Wrath 
Wolverines: Dancing with the Devil 

The Transformers: Punishment 

MARCH 

Deathstroke
Batman: Arkham Manor
World’s Finest: The Secret History of Superman & Batman 
Earth 2 
Wolverines: Claw, Blade, and Fang 
Justice League: The Amazo Virus 
Witchblade: Darkness Falls: The Death of Jackie Estacado 

APRIL
Batman: Eternal 
Batman/Superman: Superman's Joker
Batman: Endgame 
The Multiversity 
Rai 
Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: Black Vortex 
Avengers: Rage of Ultron 

All-New Captain America: Hydra Ascendant 
Fantastic Four: The End is Fourever 
Star Trek | Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive

MAY
Convergence 
He-Man: The Eternity War Vol. 1 

Superior Iron Man 

Wolverines

Angela: Asgard’s Assassin: Priceless

Thor: Who Holds the Hammer? 

Ant-Man: Second Chance Man 
G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra
Star Trek | Planet of the Apes: Primate Directive

JUNE
Star Wars: Skywalker Strikes 
Star Wars: Darth Vader 

JULY
Star Wars: Princess Leia
Chew: Blood Puddin'
Ninjak: Weaponeer
Divinity I
Book of Death: The Fall of Bloodshot

AUGUST
Bloodshot Reborn: Colorado
The Strain Eternal Night
Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars 
Book of Death: The Fall of Ninjak

SEPTEMBER
Jem and the Holograms: Showtime
Doctor Who: Four Doctors
Wolverine: Old Man Logan
Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows
Ultimate End
Star Wars: Lando
Star Wars: Kanan - The Last Padawan
Book of Death: The Fall of Harbinger

OCTOBER
Star Wars: Shattered Empire 

NOVEMBER 
Ninjak: Shadow Wars
He-Man: The Eternity War Vol.2
Batman: Superheavy
Superman: Before Truth
Justice League: Darkseid War

DECEMBER
Batman and Robin Eternal Volume 1
Superman/Wonder Woman: Dark Truth
Batman/Superman: Truth Hurts
Superman - Action Comics: Hard Truth 
Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #1
Superman Annual #3
Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Four Annual #1
Star Wars: Chewbacca
Star Wars: Darth Vader Annual #1
Star Wars Annual #1
Star Wars Special: C-3P0 #1
Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War

Review | Squadron Supreme #1 [2015] James Robinson | Leonard Kirk

Squadron Supreme begins with team members who lost their worlds due to the Incursions and vowing to protect their current one. Their first target is Namor who destroyed Doctor Spectrum’s world during the Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run. The Squadron Supreme takes on Namor and his people by raising Atlantis from its depths and destroying it. Hyperion kills Namor and the Squadron Supreme admits it’s a personal victory and the real work is about to begin. The Squadron Supreme reveals themselves to the world which draws the attention of the Uncanny Avengers. 

Writer James Robinson previously wrote the Fantastic Four which was average reading because he couldn’t do anything with the characters since Fox owned the movie rights. Now he really lets loose with the characters with the destruction of Atlantis and the death of Namor as well as an upcoming confrontation with the Uncanny Avengers. This series carries forth what has happened before prior to Secret Wars and pushes the Marvel Universe forward with the consequences. The series is reminiscent of the original Squadron Supreme mini-series where they wanted to create a utopia on Earth at all costs while the current one focuses on protecting their world at all costs.

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

Review | Squadron Sinister [2015] Marc Guggenheim | Carlos Pacheco

The Squadron Sinister has been taking out their Squadron Supreme doppelgangers and annexing their territory. Iron Thor arrives as the Squadron Sinister plan on going to Shadow Province and finding Doctor Zero and his Argonite weapon. The weapon is the only thing that could harm Hyperion. Eight hours later Iron Thor is dead and the Squadron Sinister heads towards Shadow Province. Hyperion kills Doctor Zero and Nighthawk retrieves the Argonite weapon. Nighthawk is secretly planning on killing Hyperion while Zarda is secretly working with the Nutopians.

The Squadron Sinister warns the Frightful Four against invading Europix however they invade it. The Frightful Four are stopped and the Squadron Sinister annexes Europix. Nighthawk discovers Zarda secretly works for the Nutopians and uses the information against her. He also used Sandman to retrieve the Argonite gun to use against Hyperion. The Whizzer is blamed for the theft and Hyperion kills him. The Nutopians have an army of Star Brands and we discover Zarda killed Iron Thor so Doom will blame Doctor Spectrum.

Nighthawk tells Zarda to leave as he prepares himself to destroy Hyperion. He uses the Argonite gun against him as well as Doctor Spectrum’s prism. Hyperion is killed and the Star Brands arrive to liberate the city however the Thors arrive to stop the battle. They take Nighthawk to Doomstadt where we discover he killed the Iron Thor. He is banished beyond the SHIELD where the Ultrons reside. The series is self-contained within the Secret Wars event.The first appearance of the Squadron Sinister appeared in Avengers #69 and #70. The Avengers are pitted against the Squadron Sinister which they successfully defeated.

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5

Review: Civil War: Warzones! [2015] Charles Soule | Leinil Francis Yu

During Civil War the Prison 42 self-destructed either by someone from Iron Man or Steve Rogers teams and fifteen million people of New York suffered. Now Civil War never ended and the United States is divided not by North and South but by East and West. The East is run by Tony Stark called the Iron and the West is run by Steve Rogers called the Blue. Now both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers are coming together at the location called the Divide by Miriam Sharpe. During the meeting she is killed from someone from the West and the bullet was actually meant for Steve Rogers. Now the time has come to end the Civil War once and for all. 

Civil War #2 sees Tony Stark tracking the assassin with a drone but it is taken down by Storm who holds Tony responsible for the death of her husband the Black Panther. Colossus and Magneto send the drone back as a fast ball warning that the next time it will be a Hulk. Tony realizes that he is being played by analyzing the timeline of the war and sends Jennifer Walters AKA She-Hulk into the Blue to track down the assassin. In the Blue, Rogers, Parker, and Beast tested their weapon by removing Sandman’s powers however the fuel is exhausted so Parker takes a team to the Iron.

Civil War #3 Spider-Man and his team head into the Iron and loses Elektra however obtains the necessary equipment to active Project Bellcurve to render the Iron superheroes powerless. Jennifer Walters enters the Blue to track down the assassin and is pursued by Speedball and the Punishers however she is captured by Bullseye and the Black Panther who was presumed dead during the very beginning of Civil War.

Civil War #4 Captain America is using Project Bellcurve to remove the powers from the superheroes of the Iron. Stark searches for She-Hulk and discovers Black Panther is alive as Captain America crosses the divide to unleash his weapon. As the heroes fight Stark discovers the true face of the enemy are the Skrulls. 

Civil War #5 Iron Man reveals to Captain America the Skrulls are behind the Civil War so together they use the weapon to depower superheroes on the Skrulls. The Skrulls are defeated as both Iron Man and Captain America are sacrificed and peace is established. The series is brought to a dramatic conclusion and closure however it did not link to the events of Secret Wars. It was more of a What If? limited series than a tie-in. 

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT – 3 OUT OF 5

E98: A-Force #1 | Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars #1 | Ultimate End #1 [Devil Comics Entertainment]

A-Force #1 starts on Battleworld during the events of Secret Wars inside the Hall of Justice where She-Hulk commands an army of female Marvel heroes. A prehistoric creature attacks the city and Ms. America throws it outside the borders which are forbidden by Doom. She is sentence to the prison of SHIELD as She-Hulk summons the Sub-mariners to discover why the creature attacked their domain. The issue is short on story and very little development on plot as a new character is introduced on the final page which doesn’t warrant any further reading of this series with wonderful art which is wasted on poor story structure. 

Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars #1 begins with the 1984 series as Deadpool is inserted into the events of the story. The heroes and villains battle it out as we flash forward towards the end where Doom destroys the heroes in issue eleven of the original Secret Wars. Wade Wilson heals with a new skin and mustache. The memories of reliving the first Secret Wars will bring me back to this series.

In the first issue of the Ultimate End, Doom constructed Battleworld in Secret Wars however cannot listen to the silent chambers of the Manhattan where the heroes of both the Marvel and Ultimate Universe decide however to return things to normal. However the Thors who act as Doom’s Stormtroopers arrive in Manhattan.

E97: Batman: Earth One Vol. 2 | Secret Wars #1 Reviews [Devil Comics Entertainment]

The second volume of Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank focuses on the Riddler. Following the death of the Penguin, his empire is taken over by five city officials and Mayor Jessica Dent and his brother D.A. Harvey Dent ask Bruce Wayne for help. Batman and James Gordon track down the Riddler who has been killing people who not answering his riddles correctly. Batman tracks down the Riddler into the sewers where he runs and fights with Killer Croc. They eventually reach an understanding and Killer Croc helps Batman lead him into Riddler’s hideout.

The Riddler challenges Batman to answer a riddle or he will blow up a subway train. Batman answers the riddle correctly however the Riddler still blows up the train. Batman and Gordon realize that the mass killings by the Riddler is to mask his true intentions of murdering the five people who took over the Penguin’s empire. They find the company linked to the Riddler, Answers, Inc., which is owned by Bruce Wayne. Harvey Dent issues a warrant that Gordon carries out and both Bruce and Alfred are arrested.

The Riddler takes over the police station and releases the prisons as Alfred fights for his life and Bruce changes into Batman. The Riddler offers another riddle to answer correctly otherwise he will destroy the station. The prisoners kill Harvey and Jessica becomes the new Two-Face. Batman finds the bombs in a van and uses it to chase the Riddler down. As the Riddler is ready to detonate the bombs, Killer Croc arrives to aid Batman however is shot by the Riddler as Batman takes him down.

Much like volume 3 of Superman: Year One, where we will have a female version of Lex Luthor, the next volume of Batman: Year One will include Jessica Dent as Two-Face and Selina Kyle who debuted within this volume in a sneaky way without knowing her identity until the very last page. Overall volume 2 was much better than volume 1 however it still falls short from being a great story. 

Secret Wars #1 follows the endings of Avengers #44, New Avengers #33, and Secret Wars #0. The Ultimate Universe of 1610 decides to invade and destroy the Marvel Universe 616 in a last attempt to save their worlds. The Marvel Universe decides to build life rafts to save the best people to restart humanity. The Guardians of the Galaxy arrive to help protect Earth as well as Cyclop’s Sentinels. The Hulk, She-Hulk, and Colossus travel to Earth-1610 where they topple their headquarters. However the invasion by the Ultimate Universe was only a diversion set up by the Cabal and the Ultimate Reed Richards to set up a second invasion using superior weapons. Cyclops opens the Phoenix Egg to release its powers to become the Phoenix as some of our heroes are rescued on the life raft. The Incursion occurs and both the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe collide leaving nothing.