REVIEW: The Essential Moon Knight Vol. I (Marvel Essentials)

The Essential Moon Knight Volume 1 (Marvel Essentials)
Publishing Information: Paperback; 560 Pages
Publisher: Marvel; 22 February 2006
ISBN 10: 9780785120926
ISBN 13: 978-0785120926
Series: Volume 1 (three volumes currently at time of review)
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Back of the Book: "Debuting as both enemy and ally of the Werewolf by Night, Moon Knight's three personalities equaled one eerie adventure after another by Moench, Miller and more! Earning enemies like the brutal Bushman and the macabre Morpheus early in his career, Moon Knight also teamed up with Spider-Man, the Thing, and others against well-known and forgotten villains alike! Spun by Cyclone! Caught by Crossfire! Plus: an early fight with the Purple Man alongside Luke Cage! Featuring Topaz from Witches and the original White Tiger! Includes black-and-white stories not reprinted in more than two decades! Collects Werewolf By Night #32-33; Marvel Spotlight #28-29; Spectacular Spider-Man #22-23; Marvel Two-In-One #52; Hulk Magazine #11-15, 17-18, 20-21; Marvel Preview #21; Moon Knight #1-10."

I am a fan of the latest edition of the Moon Knight comics. It is a little more gritty and mature for the average comic book and has a decent story arc. With comic books rather hard to find in South Korea when I came across the Essential Moon Knight Volume 1, I had to pick it up. I know a decent amount about his origins and his motivations for doing what he does so reading about his early adventures looked like a sure fire winner.

Sadly, this is not the case. Perhaps I was spoiled by reading a more compelling story arc with the latest incarnation of the character. In Essential Moon Knight Vol. 1 the character begins the book feeling real campy and not as impressive as I read about shortly before moving to Korea. He mainly is a guest star on some of the biggest Marvel titles. His introduction to the Marvel Universe was not as clear cut as it could have been. We are told he is an expert and highly sought after mercenary and hired by a secret organization that wants to capture a werewolf, he wears silver and that is about it. While I have never read Werewolf at Night before it looked like a decent and compelling comic for its time. However, for an introduction to a new character it felt incomplete.

After Mark Spector/Moon Knight's introduction he goes on a tour of other famous characters: Spider-man, Hulk, and others. The artistry starts out looking campy, then goes to impressive and finally ends nearly where it began. The stories are decent but not anything that you will really remember or care to remember as most of the story arcs are just a few issues. Moon Knight jumps in does his thing to either partner up or disrupt things and then jump right back out. While this is fairly common with new characters it never really felt as if he had any impact on things when the greater picture was taken into account. Then you get to the ten issue run of Moon Knight and you can see the character finally take shape and get a real feel for the superhero.

Even for a fan of Moon Knight, I was not all that impressed with Essential Moon Knight Volume 1. It was great to see his origins, but I found the stories were a little dated and in all honesty, boring. There are a few real winners in the collection; however, based on the amount of reading you have to do to get there and the constant doldrum I am not sure it is worth it for the reader. Moon Knight is a compelling character but for an opening collection of his stories, it fails to capture the character or your imagination. Truth be told, I was bored while I read it.

Plot 6
Character 7
Style 6
Artwork 6

Overall 6/10

Thor 2 is a GO!

Thor 2 is officially a go and has been set for release on July 26th, 2013. Now all the movie needs is a director.

According to Deadline, Thor director Kenneth Branagh will not return behind the camera for the sequel. No reason was given for him not coming back to direct, although the parting with Marvel Studios was said to be "mutual and amicable." He'll probably still get a producing credit on the new movie, which is the usual consolation prize when a director is not asked to shoot the next film in a successful franchise.

Chris Hemsworth—who's currently working on the set of The Avengers—is locked to come back for a third time as the God of Thunder, although it is not known whether any of the other cast members from the first film will be back. The biggest question is whether Natalie Portman will reprise her role as Jane Foster, now that she's won an Oscar and is enjoying motherhood and all that.

The other question is which villain Thor will face. With Loki the main antagonist in The Avengers, it seems unlikely that Marvel would bring the God of Mischief back for a third straight face-off with his adopted brother.

Meanwhile, the jockeying for the director's chair starts now. With $437 million worldwide already in the bank for Thor, a lot of filmmakers will want to bring Thor 2 to the screen and get a piece of that action.

The movie will come out just two and a half months after Iron Man 3 hits screens on May 3rd, 2013, so it looks like Marvel will keep doubling down two summers from now, just like it's doing this year withThor and Captain America.

Ultimate Spider-man

Being in South Korea has its disadvantages. One thing is I am missing all the action going on in The Ultimate Spider-man series from Marvel Comics. While not a big fan of the title, I can tell you that I would be interested in the latest story line. Apparently Spider-man AKA Peter Parker has died. Someone else is now donning the tights and saving New York from the likes of Rhino and the Green Goblin. In addition to that the new Spidey is wearing a new costume which I have yet to decide whether or not I actually like (see below). The storyline continues into June with ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #160, the story unfolds this month with ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #153.

REVIEW: X-Men Misfits vol. 1 by Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman Illustrated by Anzu

X-Men Misfits vol. 1 by Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman Illustrated by Anzu
Publishing information: Paperback; 192 pages
Publisher: Del Ray; 11 August 2009
ISBN 10: 034550514X
ISBN 13: 978-0345505149
Series Volume 1
Reviewer: Tyson

Back of the Book "THE X-MEN GET A RADICAL NEW REMIX IN A STORY ABOUT TEEN ANGST, FIRST LOVE, AND WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

High school student Kitty Pryde has always been the odd girl out. A mutant, she was born with strange superpowers, magical talents that make her the class freak. But Kitty’s world is changed when she’s invited to study at Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, a special home for mutant teens. There’s just one catch: Kitty’s the only girl at the all-boy school, and she ends up just feeling like a freak all over again.

Then Kitty meets Pyro and the ultra-hot bad boys of the Hellfire Club. They’re the school’s elite–handsome, rich, and totally above the rules. Now Kitty seems to have it all: a dreamy boyfriend, super-cool friends, and the chance to develop her extraordinary talents. But why is her heart telling her that something is wrong? Will Kitty ever find the place where she belongs, or is she doomed to be a misfit forever?"

The book seemed to be targeted for girls or at least this particular book was as Kitty Pryde is a outcast at her school when she is asked to come to a private school for people like her. She accepts the offer and learns she is the only girl enrolled which seemed to me to be trying to hit the Twilight fans as that seemed right out of Stephanie Meyer's personal playbook. X-Men Misfits is a reboot on the popular Marvel franchise and for me it did not do it for me. When I reviewed the rebooted Wolverine, I liked it. X-men Misfits just failed to hit the mark.

Some of that may have to do with the fact that the book focused it on Kitty Pryde AKA Shadowcat. She was such a minor character back when I read the comics that I had difficulty getting into this one. While I had several issues with this reboot I will only focus on a few. The second issue I had was that the book had Scott Summers/Cyclops as a student and his wife Jean Grey and Ororo Munroe/Storm as professors which really confused me and the timeline I had already set in my mind. The third issue I had was that Eric Lehnsherr/Magneto was in charge of an elite group of mutants at Xavier's School for the Gifted called Hellfire Club and that the they students in that group had free reign of the school. I would have thought that Professor X would have knowledge of the group and put a stop to it but it was never brought up.

X-Men Misfits does have a lot of potential as there are plenty of characters that can be introduced or brought in as a cameo. However, I have no plans to continue with this particular series.

The artwork is the real gem in X-Men Misfits. It is done in the anime style and should bring more fans to the world of the X-Men. It may take some getting use to as some panels have some serious humor ejected into them which is not common in traditional American comics. It was my first encounter with Anzu and I have to say that I like what I saw. It was the books only saving grace.

Plot 6
Characterization 7
Style 5

Overall 5/10

NY Comicon- Steampunk Iron Man

While I was not at New York Comiccon, I wish I had been. From the photos it appears that Iron Man was a huge hit. Matt Silva, the man behind the mask, was the winner of Marvel's Costume Contest and with good reason. The suit is awesome. I wish I was half as creative as some of the individuals that dress up for these events.

Marvel has a gallery of their booth from the event as well as those that took part in the contest but it takes a while to actually get to some of the better outfits. However, hands down the winner is Steampunk Iron Man. I would love to see a comic book title feature Marvel during a steampunk era.

REVIEW: Wolverine Prodigal Son Vol 1 written by Antony Johnston art by Wilson Tortosa

Wolverine Prodigal Son Vol. 1 written by Antony Johnston art by Wilson Tortosa
Publishing Information: Paperback; 192 pages
Publisher: Del Ray 7 April 2009
ISBN 10: 0345505166
ISBN 13: 978-0345505163
Number 1 in a Manga series
Copy: out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Back of the Book "The gripping, all-new adventure of the x-men's greatest icon, comletely reimagined in the Manga style

This is not the Wolverine you know.

Logan is a teenage rebel with a real good reason for having a real bad attitude. Ever since being left in a nearby forest–with no memory of who he was or how he got there–Logan (or Wolverine, as his classmates sometimes call him) has been stuck in a martial arts school in the icy wilds of Canada. No wonder he’s bored, restless, yearning. There’s a whole world out there, and Logan can almost taste it. But he’s chained to a past he can’t remember and can’t escape. Now it just may destroy his future."

When I found this comic in the bookstore I had to check it out. I have heard rumors about a Manga Spider-Man but have yet to find it but Wolverine has always been a favorite of mine. In this series opener we have a re-imagined Logan/Wolverine.

He is a teenager who was found outside a dojo with a Wolverine standing over him, which is how he received his nickname. He has his healing factor, is adept at martial arts, and has no memory of his past. The anchors that make Wolverine what he is are still there. 

The story is slightly different. Logan has found a home at the dojo and excels at his training but the master is not Japanese nor are any of his friends. He knows that something is wrong and that he is different from the rest of his peers. While the book is divided into smaller sections as all Manga does they are easy to read and I found them to be a quick read.

The art work is top notch. The characters have a Manga feel to them but still manage to retain the "Wolverine" feel while successfully giving him a youthful appearance. The action and supporting characters are drawn well and I really found Tortosa's look appealing. I would like to see his take on a lot of other Marvel and DC characters.

Overall, Wolverine Prodigal Son is a nice change of pace from the normal Wolverine stories. An updated origins story that does its best to stay true to its roots while giving it a fresh new approach that I found to be bold without upsetting the die-hard fans. The Manga look helps carry this transition. I think that anyone who would like to give the Manga type books a shot and want something they are familiar with will really enjoy the series and I will be on the look out for book two when and if it becomes available in my area. Book 2 was published on 31 March 2010.

Plot  9

Characters  8.5

Style  10

Overall  9/10