It's UNCANNY!

We wanted to wait a while before we broached the topic of Uncanny Avengers, mainly for 3 reasons:

• We were pretty disenchanted by the events of Avengers VS X-Men
• The release dates have been in constant flux - we knew we'd need to be a few issues in before we could write a review
• Captain America is on my personal hit list. (TBC)

So, now we're 3 issues in - what do we know.

Following the events of AvX, Captain America want's to re-establish a new team of Avengers and has enlisted Alex Summers aka Havoc, to be the leader. In this arc we see the return of the Red Scull with a special new addition - the brain of Charles Xavier, so he's now free to spread his mutant hating madness to all.

So, what do we think.
Rick Remender has a good premise with Uncanny Avengers, but we don't feel like it's strong enough. With these first few issues it feels like we're playing catchy up and that each issue is a series of bullet points. There are a lot 'how's but no 'whys' and there seemed to be a massive gap between #2 and #3 that we had to double check that we hadn't missed and issue. But that said,  #3 is probably the strongest, and the main reason that we'll keep on reading. A majority of this issue is in 3rd person perspective - which we think fits this story really well. It definitely creates that extra sense of drama and tension that we feel that John Cassaday and Laura Martin aren't conveying as much as we'd hoped.

This is a pretty big issue, so we expected bigger things by way of the artwork for the action sequences. When we compare it to some of the other heavy hitters that we're seeing from Marvel NOW, like the work of Immonen and von Grawbadger's for All New X-Men, this just doesn't appear as bold or dramatic. That said, Thor's arrival is definitely a scene to be hold, and Cassaday seems to always's pull it out of the bag with the final pages.

So what do we say.

Uncanny Avengers has definitely peaked our interest and it's worth seeing what they go with this arc and what's to come for the latest X-men turned Avengers.

What would doom do?
It's definitely time to step down and let the Red Skull take the reigns with this one. If worst comes to worst, there's always a sepcial place for Doom in FF!!!

Motorcycles, guns and demons. We've been officially repossessed.

JM Ringuet's "graphich novel in 4 chapters" follows on the hot trail of Joe, Clay and Martha - 3 hitmen (and woman) for hire who specialise in demon exorcism. Think Supernatural meets Sons of Anarchy.

By possession we're not talking that whole demon child who's head can turn 360 degrees, no no, the possessed can be anyone - a friend, neighbor, shopkeeper, anyone who seems to have suddenly started acting weird. Someone who has suddenly gone from listening to Radiohead to Celine Dion, that kinda weird.

Within a few pages we already get a glimpse of our first possession/excorcism, and we can see that Ringuet isn't playing around. They demons are all kinds of big, mean, ugly and shameless (possessing a Priest goddamit!). We also get to see that our main characters know their stuff, and there's definitely more to them than meets the eye.

So why is this working for us so far:

1. 'Supernatural' supersized
   It's pretty much this, and then some. Who doesn't love a good demon slaying for a bit of extra dollar. And these demons are biiigg, like fill a double page spread big, and that's what we like to see!
2. So pretty...
   Definitely the highlight of the issue. Ringuet's colours are beautifl, flawless even. The tones are able to convey a whole firey hell vibe, but at the same time give off a really chilled out there should be fun in the sun kinda thing. 

But as we know, with great power comes great responsibility, and as a one man team, Ringuet has a lot to live up to...

All in all we're feeling pretty positive about this so...

What Would Doom Do
He'd could rate this bad boy in amulets and give it a holy 4! Or something like that.

Billy stole Teddys bling!!

And so the day finally arrived...the return of the Young Avengers.

The brain child of Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung has now been left in the more than capable hands of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvin as Marvel high-tails it into the age of Marvel Now.

#1 reintroduces the YA (now 17+) dealing with life after the events of Children's Crusade - Kate is exploring her feminity and Teddy is cheating on Billy with superheroism. We're also re-introduced to Noh-Varr (Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways), Kid Loki - who is obviously up to no good and looking to dispose of Billy (why?!) and Miss America who seems bent on stopping him. And then the little surprise at the end in the form of Mrs Atlman

Now, if you've read any of our previous ramblings about YA, then you'll know that we're MASSIVE fans of the YA and as far as we're concerned, Heinberg and Cheung have a center place in the What Would Doom Do Hall of Fame, so there was always a bit of apprehension about this new line up.

So...what did we think? Well...there were a few things...

Teddy is minus ALOT of bling, Kate is all grown up, Billy gained some bling and more importantly became Billy CAPLAN (We always thought the K has a certain charm you know?).

But apart from that, it was an amazing first issue.

Gillen has always said from the very beginning that he's not looking to recreate Cheung and Heinberg's YA's. His YA's are no longer tweens, his are about being 18 and no longer aspiring to be part of the adult world but actually being in it. Already this issue definitely has a much older vibe and it actually feels like the YA aren't just kids anymore, and Gillen pretty much shows this from the very beginning with Kate.

Our only worry is if/how Gillen will part from the characteristics we've come to identify the previous characters with - Billy in particular. Not only has he become Billy Caplan, but we'd really hate to see his sarcastic wit evaporate with his tweenage years, but based on what Gillen is trying to achieve, this could easily and understandably be something that our fave Wiccan has grown out of.

To aid his revival of the YA's Gillen has teamed up with his self confessed partner in crime Jamie McKelvie, and it couldn't be a better match. Along with Matthew Wilson's colors, the pages are amazing. They've created an amazing youthful, cool and dare we say 'hip' vibe, especially with the opening pages. They pretty much read like music, and we really understand what Gillen means when he talks about creating a playlist for his new Young Avengers. One thing that we're really liking is that McKelvie's art definitely screams less action and more late night partying which is definitely what we'd be expecting from our 18 year old Avengers. 

Aliens, shape shifters, gods and sorcerers...we may be missing a little bit of speed and a super soldier, but I think we can forgive that for now.
What would doom do.
It's time to get over his hay days of Children's Crusade and realise that these young nippers are almost all grown up, and it all starts with this. Oh yeh...and he'd get the O'Malley variant.

I am not looking forward to Young Avengers...

No, not at all. And do you know why? Well I shall tell you. Its because of HIM, yes him, Kieron Gillen. That damned, cruel, beautiful, genius beast of a man. He has taken too much from me already. I have already given him all my love, and hope and joy, and he deserved it. Every measly scrap. Everything he touches seems to be gold, in my rose tinted eyes anyway. 

So why I hear you ask, am I not looking forward to Young Avengers? Because I fear it will be the death of me, or at least of all the joy and prettiness inside me that I have left, and trust me it's not much. It will destroy me, I have barely survived my previous encounters with the shattering beauty that is Gillen's work, (have you seen his work on Marvel NOW!'s Iron Man and he's taking him into Guardians of the Galaxy, I think I might weep.) but his genius, with Jamie McKelvie's artwork is just too much. I can't take it. Young Avengers will squeeze every last drop of goodness out of me, it will drain me completely and I will no longer be able to enjoy anything else. All because of Gillen.

For this reason I must stay away from Young Avengers, I must! Since if I don't, I will be ruined. And it will all be at the hands of Kieron Gillen. I think I finally understand how Bella felt. Now I must go blow my brains out since I once promised myself that if I ever made a Twilight reference I no longer deserve to live.

See what you have done Gillen, you have wrought both my destruction and a Twilight reference! 

Please don't ever change.

Hulk: Has the green behemoth actually changed?

Seeing that Marvel NOW is well and truly under way I thought I would take this chance to look back on some of my favourite characters and see whether they have really changed or if they just look like they have.

First up lets look at the Hulk, who, thanks in part to the Joss Whedon's masterpiece, is now more popular than ever.

In 1962 we were given the first ever issue of The Incredible Hulk, but who was he/it really? And how different is he from today's NOW version.

Well, first of he was grey, but that's just an aesthetic thing that while was a significant change when it happen isn't all that changing to the character in my opinion. No, the true aspect of the character was personal conflict, the scientist and man of reason Bruce Banner and the irrational destroyer the Hulk. Both at odds with one another, so much so that Banner takes it upon himself to rid the world of the Hulk and takes himself as far away from humanity as he can. Bruce dedicates himself to ridding the world, and himself, of the Hulk. While the Hulk fights against this, and everyone else. Especially those who come after him, whenever anyone tries to bring him in he usually attacks, he sees an enemy in everyone and refuses to join (for the most part).

So, we have two beings, both trying to rid themselves of the other and staying away from everyone, as they believe it to be the best for both themselves and others.

But, how have things changed, if at all?

Well, most notably the Hulk looks better, seems to have been working out. As for the character development and story, it has a changed, a lot. No longer is this a story of inner conflict and a man's quest to rid himself of his inner demons. Rather, Banner has excepted the Hulk and allows to him to destroy, but when needed, and in the right places. Both Banner and the Hulk have rejoined humanity, Hulk has even excepted joining forces to allow him to live in peace while also getting to smash. He just smashes what deserves to smashed now. And as for Banner, he now builds, he was always a genius, but he had let his need to destroy the Hulk take over his life, but now he has excepted that part of him he can use his mind to help improve life for everyone by using his most powerful aspect, his mind.

So, instead of two beings at odds with one another and the rest of the world we now have two beings that can work together with the rest of the world, to smash what would harm humanity and build that which can help them. A very different story from how it all began, and a better comic book for it.

What Would Doom Do? 

Nothing, it's the Hulk combined with one of the smartest men on the planet, Doom isn't an idiot, they can do anything they want. Doom will now take a nap.

Our Generation?: Gen¹³

Picking up from where Jim Lee and Brandon Choi left off, meet Wildstorm's next generation of Gen-active teens - superpowered humans as a result of the Gen-Factor.

Sooooo what the hell is Gen 13. Well sum it up in 3 digestible points:

Now fast forward to September 2002 and we meet the freshest batch of little Gen-actives; Ethan, Gwen, Hamza and Ja'Nelle, all with their own fun, fiery powers, and coming together to discover how and why they got these powers, and to become rulers of their own destiny.
It's all pretty standard 'New teen heroes 101' but with a nice spin on their powers, especially Ja'Nelle- whose gone from 5 ft nothing and pudgy, to a 7 ft Amazonian with telepathy. Very fun indeed.

Ale Garza's artwork is also a massive draw for us. We love his style, it's fun and vibrant, and very reminiscent of Georges Jeanty (Buffy Season 8), and Chris Claremont's writing is funny - laced with moral message, although at times a tad dated (although this works well with the dialogue between Ethan and his twin Dylan).

This series spanned across 2 years (#16 was released in 2004) and we've rested or curiosity at #6 (the end of the first arc 'September Song'), and we're very tempted to keep reading. The Gen¹³ legacy is a long one which has had cross overs in both the Marvel and DC universe. So it's nice to have a solid starting point with this re-booted team.

So it you're looking for some good old fashioned teen superhero fun, with twins, mysterious villains named Herod (similar to the baddie from Supernatural's season 1-2) and a stellar tag line of 'You Will Be Judged' then this is pretty much an interesting read for you. It's nice to juxtapose this to the teen hero teams that we see emerging now (but that's a wholllee different post)