Marvel Unbound - Avengers/Defenders War

Avengers/Defenders War is one of those legendary Marvel events that didn't make it onto my radar the first time around. It predates my original comic book reading and collecting by a good ten years, but when I came upon the Premiere Hardcover Collection edition of it in the half-price box at a local comic book show, I couldn't pass it up!

Beyond what the title reveals, I didn't know what to expect with this one, but what unfolded on the pages within was like a giant-sized Giant-Size Marvel epic. The prologue and 12 chapters are sprawled across eight issues of both Avengers and Defenders titles. At the time of its original printing, it was one of Marvel's first experiments in bi-weekly storytelling in the medium. And while I can't speak to how it played upon its original release in 1973, it holds up beautifully as a collected edition.

I have a handful of Steve Englehart's work in the Original Collection -- a couple of Vision and the Scarlet Witch and West Coast Avengers issues, along with an Avengers or two. I'm going to have to go back and revisit those issues, because I really enjoyed the writing in this Avengers/Defenders War event. As much as I love the comics of my youth, there is a certain lack of sophistication detectable in the storytelling when held up against today's writers. But Englehart's tale is coherent, intelligent, and fun!

In terms of comic books, the premise is simple: Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension, pushes Loki, Prince of Evil, to join him in his quest to -- what else? -- conquer Earth by gaining possession of the Evil Eye. Dormammu uses his grudge against Doctor Strange as motivation to trick the Defenders into recovering the six pieces of the Evil Eye dispersed across the planet. When the Evil Eye is assembled, it will unite Dormammu's dimension with Earth's dimension, allowing him to take it over.

Sometime Avenger and sometime Defender the Black Knight has been turned to stone, and Dormammu tricks Doctor Strange by impersonating the essence of the Black Knight, telling him they must assemble the pieces of the Evil Eye to save their friend. Loki simultaneously tricks the Avengers, who believe the Black Knight has been captured by Doctor Strange, into going up against the Defenders when he realizes that Dormammu will never uphold his end of the bargain and restore Loki's sight.

Playing off the idea of the Defenders non-team team being outsiders, the war itself is based on a misunderstanding! It's quaint. It's provincial. And I love this sort of old school setup, and Englehart knocks it out of the park. The chapter conceit works great here, allowing Englehart room to stretch with a prologue to setup the villains, and chapter-by-chapter battles as the story progresses.

Great, key one-on-one (or sometimes one-on-two) skirmishes include Silver Surfer versus Vision and the Scarlet Witch, Iron Man versus Hawkeye, Doctor Strange versus the Black Panther and Mantis, Swordsman versus the Valkrie, Captain America versus Sub-Mariner, and the Hulk versus Thor! Bob Brown and Sal Buscema do a fantastic job rendering these clashes. This is bold, primary color stuff that pops off the page! The Premier Hardcover Collection edition notes "select art reconstruction" and "select color reconstruction," but I have to believe the originals were just as amazing.

The book is comprehensive, in that it includes six full issues, plus a prologue and first chapter pulled from the end of Avengers #115 and Defenders #8. The extras are pretty standard for Marvel's Premier Hardcover Collection offerings from my experience. The most important extra being a thoughtful introduction by a key participant -- in this case, Englehart himself. This insightful essay provides great background on what Marvel was doing at the time as a company, how the event idea came about and was pitched, and even how penciler Brown was brought on board. Avengers/Defenders War also has all the relevant original covers, including the covers for Avengers #115 and Defenders #8, and the 2002 trade paperback cover for completeness. This is one of the few Premiere Hardcover Collection books I've felt compelled to buy, and although I didn't know it at the time, the storytelling, art, and presentation are worth a full-price admission ticket.

And in light of the events from New Avengers #46, now is a great time to read this book, and maybe reread Brian K. Vaughan's collection, The Hood: Blood from Stones.

Marvel Unbound - Captain America Omnibus

With today's Marvel Noise podcast comes a spoiler-filled edition of "Marvel Unbound". Here on Random Thoughts Escaping is a written version of the installment. Feel free to join the conversation about this in the Marvel Noise forum "Marvel Unbound" thread. Enjoy!

Last spring I was going through old comics from the Original Collection and reading trade paperbacks of some of the classic storylines I knew and loved as a kid. I wasn't reading any current runs at the time. My only cause for going to the local comic shop was to pick up copies of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight for my wife. (And she was the one who tracked down the comic shop in the first place.) Then I caught wind of the death of Captain America. I think I read it on CNN.com first, then dug around some more. It was the second wave of publicity around the event -- this time promoting the Director's Cut release of Captain America #25. I picked it up July Forth weekend and never looked back.

Well, that's not altogether true. I did look back... and read the Captain America Omnibus. What an incredible anthology. I have been consistently blown away by the work of Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting, and Mike Perkins. They are a large reason for my being back into the comic book culture. It's likely I would never have pursued things further if I hadn't enjoyed what I found on the pages of Captain America, and my wallet wouldn't be as thin as it is now.

The Captain America Omnibus provided yet another way to lighten my bank account, but it offered a great way to catch up on what I had missed up to the point where I jumped on board. This beast collects the first 25 issues of Brubaker's run on the title in a single hardcover volume.

This title is so much more than just a "super-hero" comic. Brubaker offers up an amazing mystery and spy story set to Epting and Perkin's beautiful visual score. From the very first issue the medium is elevated by the apparent death of Cap's longtime nemesis, the Red Skull (handled with a twist clever enough to stifle a groan when revealed), and the way the introduction of the Winter Soldier is handled, all the way through to the death of Captain America in the last collected issue.

Brubaker's handling of these three very key, highly-charged plot points helped soothe a potentially shattered fan base. The status quo has always been that only Uncle Ben, the Stacys, and Bucky stay dead in the Marvel Universe. Then Brubaker goes and resurrects Bucky... as an assassin! Instead of providing background (both old and new canon) in one helping, Brubaker opts for a slow-burn reveal that unfolds over the course of nearly a year's worth of books, with flashbacks beautifully set off in black and white by Epting and Perkins.

There are stand-alone stories within the larger continuity collected here, like the "Interlude: The Lonesome Death of Jack Monroe" issue (#7) and the "House of M" issue (#10), along with the "65th Anniversary Special" and "Winter Soldier: Winter Kills" one-shots. Good stuff. Not to mention Nick Fury, The Falcon, Agent 13, Iron Man, Union Jack -- they all show up here in just the right doses.

The dark tone of the book is matched panel-for-panel with Epting's tough, gritty visuals. And the world Cap's inhabiting is all the better for it. As much as I love Epting's work here (I mean, his art has me believing in flying cars for Pete's sake!), the one-off artists also do a fantastic job, particularly Lee Weeks on the "Winter Soldier: Winter Kills" story.

The extras in the omnibus are plentiful, as one would expect from a collection like this, and if you're a fan of Marvel Spotlight interviews then you've just hit the mother lode. There are multiple interviews with both Brubaker and Epting reprinted here, along with the full script of issue #25, and some great sketches, design evolution, and covers by Epting. One of the coolest extras is a short, two-page spread on the media frenzy that took place around issue #25.

Collecting the first two-years of the title under one cover, the Captain America Omnibus is a mammoth tome. Almost to the point of being a bit unwieldy. This is the first and only Marvel Omnibus I have, and it's about as far away from a monthly book as you can get -- hardback, dust-jacketed, 700 or so pages. It's a beast, but worth the investment in time, money, and effort.

Marvel Unbound - Iron Man: Extremis

With today's Marvel Noise podcast comes another edition of "Marvel Unbound", a new entry here on Random Thoughts Escaping, and fresh opportunity to chat about it in the Marvel Noise forum's "Marvel Unbound" thread. Enjoy!

With Marvel's efforts to build the Iron Man property into a full fledged franchise, there are a glut of Iron Man books available -- both monthlies and collections. And in an effort to navigate those waters I asked the folks on the Marvel Noise forum where I should go for some good Iron Man tales. There were two items that everyone seemed to consistently recommend: the classic Demon in a Bottle story arc, and Warren Ellis' Iron Man: Extremis. I'm really looking forward to reading Demon in a Bottle, but I'm waiting for it to hit stores in trade paperback first, so I picked up Extremis instead and blew through it in literally one sitting.

Extremis, the formula, is described as a Super-Soldier Serum injected via bio-electronic nanotubes into the subject. Naturally, the serum falls into the wrong hands and sets in motion some pretty graphic action and fight scenes that aren't for the squeamish.

Collecting issues #1 through #6 of this series from 2005, Ellis' storyline lays the groundwork for the Iron Man we see in Civil War. It propels his armor technology into the new millennium. Through the turn of events, Tony Stark injects himself with the Extremis cocktail and ends up with an enhanced healing factor, his suit fused to his body, and the ability to store his suit's inner layers in the hollows of his bones.

I'm not a huge fan of Adi Granov's art in the book -- it felt a little too photo-realistic for my liking. And that style only amplified the gore portrayed on some of the pages. I did enjoy Granov's covers for the series, as well as in the only extra in the trade paperback: A tangentially related gallery of the nine covers of Iron Man, Volume 3 he created for issues #75 through #83.

After being turned off by issue #7 of Powers' original run -- the issue where Brian Michael Bendis uses Ellis as a part of the story -- I was glad to have Iron Man: Extremis suggested to me. It seems as good a place as any for me to have begun my exploration of his work. I'm glad I read the book and now know how Tony Stark became the Iron Man I picked up and began reading in this post-Civil War world. I can completely understand why it's recommended as a "must read" in the Iron Man canon, it just wasn't my favorite Iron Man story. Although I appreciate what this reboot did to bring the Iron Man mythos into the 21st century, the art and gore detracted from the story for me.

Marvel Unbound - Runaways, Volume 1

An audio version of this blog entry is available in episode 39 of Marvel Unbound. Feel free to leave comments and ideas here or in the Marvel Noise forum's "Marvel Unbound" thread. Enjoy!

I had flipped through Brian K. Vaughan's Pride of Baghdad trade paperback numerous times at the big box bookstore and was totally intrigued by it. I finally picked it up a few weeks ago and sat down one Sunday night to start reading it. An hour later I closed the book, having read it all (and reread parts) in one sitting, feeling like I'd just been punched in the gut. But in a good way.

I had heard of Vaughan because my wife is a huge Joss Whedon fan. And I knew that the two of them had embarked on a sort of creator/writer swap of their respective love children: Runaways and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Vaughan created Runaways, then left the title and penned the "No Future for You" Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Faith story arc. Whedon created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and stepped away from that title to helm Runaways, Volume 4.

Pride of Baghdad is on DC's Vertigo imprint. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is published by Dark Horse. But Runaways is all Marvel. Originally produced under Marvel's short-lived Tsunami imprint, designed to capitalize on the popularity of manga, it quickly dissolved, and Runaways was folded into the Marvel Age/Marvel Adventures banner in that they are reproduced in the digest-sized trade paperbacks. But the monthly books and hardcover collections don't carry that banner.

The Runaways, Volume 1 hardcover collection tells the story of six only children -- teenagers -- who discover their parents are the supervillains called the Pride, a group working to bring about the end of humanity on behalf of the Gibborim. This 18 issue storyline follows the kids and their journey of discovering their parents aren't who they thought they were, their world isn't what it once seemed, and the person each of them can become. Oh, and did I mention we get an awesome two-issue Cloak and Dagger appearance in the middle of this thing?!

The bulk of the story arc contained in volume one of this hardcover collection takes place over just five fast and furious days. Although framed in the story's present tense, issue #13 is largely devoted to the history of the Pride by way of flashbacks. And the final issue of this collection seems to takes place a few months after the conclusion of issue #17.

While Marvel's X-titles have been milking the whole "mutations manifesting themselves in adolescence" allegorical angle for decades, Runaways takes a different tack. Vaughan sums up the themes explored in the title in his original premise for the book as "At some point in their lives, all young people believe that their parents are the most evil people alive. But what if they really are?" The result is a more literal, fresh approach, and thoroughly engaging read.

There is so much to recommend this book it's hard to know where to begin. For starters, I can't speak to whether or not Vaughan's writing is an accurate reflection of how teenagers talk these days, but I can say with certainty Vaughan's writing is an accurate reflection of how I think teenagers talk today. And the art... oh, man. The art! Adrian Alphona's interiors are perfect. Although the kids are the somewhat stereotypical California beautiful people type, Alphona is careful to never portray them as over sexualized. And Jo Chen's cover art is just beautiful, adding a hint of realism to her depictions.

The embarrassment of riches continues as it throws standard comic book super hero convention out the window by ignoring clichés like super heroes in costumes, using a team name, or even codenames. The kids of Runaways forego costumes for the more sturdy everyday wear of a teenager's lifestyle: jeans, cargo shorts, hoodies, goth wear, et cetera. This natural appearance helps ground the story in the reality of the adolescent world. Although they comment that they are runaways, I don't think the group ever actually refers to themselves as "The Runaways" in the proper noun sense. This falls right in line with the group's general aversion to using individual codenames for each other. Although at one point five of the six decide on codenames for themselves or each other, Runaway Gert and her pet seem to be the only ones to consistently use them and are called by their codenames. She justifies this because she doesn't want to use the "slave name" her evil parents gave her.

Although not a Marvel title, Y: The Last Man is another of Vaughan's works I am looking forward to checking out. I'm holding off for the hardcover collection scheduled for release this fall from Vertigo. Until then, I have my newly received Father's Day gifts from my wife to work my way through -- the second and third hardcover volumes of Runaways.

Marvel Unbound - Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3 - Resurrection of Evil

Here on Random Thoughts Escaping is a written version of my contribution to today's Marvel Noise podcast: a new installment of "Marvel Unbound". And with it comes another opportunity to chat about it in the Marvel Noise forum's "Marvel Unbound" thread. Enjoy!

While they have since lost (or given up) the rights to many of their licensed properties, back in the '80s it seemed Marvel owned the rights to officially adapt nearly every movie and toy franchise of significance. Blade Runner. Bond movies like For Your Eyes Only. Conan the Barbarian. Star Trek. G.I. Joe. Raiders of the Lost Ark. Transformers. And, yes, even Star Wars.

Dark Horse currently holds the rights to Marvel's Star Wars catalog, and made the run available in seven volumes under the Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... banner. Similar to the scarcity of the G.I. Joe trade paperbacks, volume one of the Dark Horse Star Wars trade paperback -- containing the adaptation of the original movie -- is difficult to find and ridiculously priced on the secondary market. While I would love to get my hands on that, it's volume three, Resurrection of Evil, that interests me most, because it covers one half of the point in time that I was reading the comic. The collection starts off with the six-issue official adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back and cruises through to issue #53.

One of the coolest things about these adaptations is the literary license Marvel was able to take. The original issues were released concurrently with the movie, so the writers often worked from earlier drafts of the scripts resulting in varying or additional information not found in the films. Sometimes characters weren't quite "right" visually or omitted altogether because the artists either didn't see the movie in advance or were not given permission to illustrate particular details. In the Empire adaptation, we get a subplot of Wampa ice creatures inside the Rebel's Hoth base, a freaky looking Yoda, and no visuals whatsoever of the asteroid space slug. Overall, though, what we get here is solid and enjoyable!

This is sort of a double-edged sword, though. What's cool about this is that, unlike the Return of the Jedi adaptation, Empire was folded right into the Marvel continuity as issues #39 through #44. The downside is that because it was folded right into the Marvel continuity you eliminate Han Solo from the storytelling palate unless he's used in flashbacks, so we're left with Luke, Leia, and Lando heavy tales.

Outside of The Empire Strikes Back adaptation, the only place we see an appearance by Han in this volume is in the "Giant 50th Collectors' Issue!" It's actually a pretty solid story by Archie Goodwin that includes an entire chapter out of Han and Chewie's past, with art by Al Williamson, Thomas Palmer, and Walt Simonson.

Thinking back to the time when these books were produced, no one knew where Lando's allegiance would eventually lie. Many of the stories filling the gap between Empire and Jedi focused on Lando and Chewie being called away from the search for the bounty hunter Boba Fett and Han, and revolving around Leia and Chewie's distrust of Lando. David Michelinie, however, allows Lando a rare moment of heroics in what is the best original story in this volume -- the two-parter "Resurrection of Evil"/"To Take the Tarkin" -- spun across issues #51 and #52.

While Goodwin is probably the writer most closely associated with the title for his work both here and in the newspaper strips, and handles the bulk of the scripting in this volume, there are some other well-known Marvel scribes contributing one-off issues throughout. G.I. Joe mastermind Larry Hama under whelms with his tale of Leia vs. Vader in issue #48's "The Third Law". Chris Claremont's duel-titled tale in issue #53 -- "The Last Gift From Alderaan!/A Stranger Among Us!" -- takes this volume out in outstanding cliffhanger fashion! (And Simonson's cover is just gorgeous!)

Williamson is as inextricably linked to the title for his art as Goodwin is for his storytelling, but they're not the only game in town. Carlos Garzon, Carmine Infantino and Simonson also split art duties with Williamson here.

Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3 - Resurrection of Evil is one of the volumes from this series that is readily available at cover price or below, and includes an interesting interview with Jennifer Barker of Digital Chameleon Ltd., the company responsible for recoloring the entire Marvel Star Wars series for Dark Horse. I didn't collect a lot of Star Wars comics back in the day. I only have issues #50 through #57. All post-Empire Strikes Back. All sans Han Solo with the exception of a flashback story. Four of those eight issues are captured in this volume, and rereading them here was a real treat.

Marvel Unbound - Sub-Mariner: Revolution

Marvel Noise episode 37 was released today and includes another installment of "Marvel Unbound". As always, here on Random Thoughts Escaping is a corresponding entry with links and such. Enjoy!

I have always been intrigued by Marvel's anti-heroes. These complicated characters who often reside in the gray area between the forthright do-goodery of Captain America and the vile nastiness of Doctor Doom are the kinds of characters that I appreciate most.

Ever since first picking up Marvel Team-Up #122 back in 1982, Man-Thing has always seemed pretty cool. Mute, woe begotten, misunderstood. Whenever he shows up in a Marvel title, I'm generally on board. I'm the same way with Marvel's original anti-hero, Namor the Sub-Mariner. I love the angry guy with pointy ears and winged-ankles. He's fiery and arrogant as often as he's exposed and well-intentioned. The oldest comic book I own is one of my dad's that my grandma had kept and given to me: issue #33 of Atlas Comics' Sub-Mariner from 1954. It's falling apart, but its great Bill Everett cover of Namor ripping the oxygen tube of a Soviet diver in half is still hanging on. And I lapped up the mid-'80s four issue mini-series from back in the day.

When I started to really get back into comics last summer, I noticed the Sub-Mariner limited series on the shelves of my local comic book shop, but didn't pursue it at the time. I did keep my eye out, though, and when I saw it coming in trade paperback, I made sure to grab it. Written by Matt Cherniss and Peter Johnson, its proper name is Sub-Mariner: Revolution.

In continuity, it follows the events of Civil War. Tony Stark is Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Mac Gargan's Venom is a member of the Norman Osborn-led Thunderbolts. And all hell is breaking loose. The story revolves around a rogue Atlantean sleeper cell in the Pacific Northwest that is causing problems both above and below sea level. Namor is not trusted by the U.S. government and his kingdom is in disarray because of internal fighting. Throw into the mix some familial conflict and the need to evacuate all of Atlantis (along with the requisite Sue Storm cameo), and you get a fairly entertaining tale.

Much like the current Might Avengers Secret Invasion tie-in issues, this limited series jumps back and forth in time often and confusingly. And although the story arc might not seem as important as some of the others that have shaken things up over the last few years, by the time you get to the final four pages of the book that consist of a first and second epilogue, there is a nice dose of intrigue left hanging over the Marvel Universe. (And if anyone knows if and where this story thread is picked up, please let me know over at the "Marvel Unbound" thread of the Marvel Noise forum. Thanks!)

Phil Briones' art is enjoyable, and his full-page Wolverine on the last page of issue #2 is awesome! There are no real extras in this trade paperback to speak of, but it does include the art from all six covers of the original monthlies which is pretty cool since the six covers were done by five different artists. The covers by Leinil Yu and Marko Djurdjevic on issues #3 and #4, respectively, are fantastic!

Despite containing a somewhat under the radar story and not being able to boast the extras that entice fans to double-dip, you can pick up Sub-Mariner: Revolution for less than it would have cost you at the comic book shop the first time around as monthlies, and I think you'll get your money's worth.

Marvel Unbound - Giant-Size Marvel

With today's Marvel Noise podcast comes the third edition of "Marvel Unbound", a new entry here on Random Thoughts Escaping, and fresh opportunity to bandy about the topic in the Marvel Noise forum's "Marvel Unbound" thread. Enjoy!

I picked up the Giant-Size Marvel trade paperback at a comic book show recently. I had flipped through it on the shelf of my local comic book shop numerous times, but couldn't justify pulling the trigger at full price. So when I saw it at the show for half-off the cover price, I figured I had little to loose. To be honest, I was buying it largely for the Giant-Size X-Men #1 issue, which I don't think I had ever read previously, but I was treated to a couple of surprising personal undiscovered gems, along with suffering through a clunker or two.

There are seven "Giant-Size" issues included in the collection with cover dates ranging from June 1974 through June 1975. The defining characteristics of a "giant-size" Marvel comic of the mid-'70s -- a part from the original comics boasting "68 Big Pages" -- appears to be the parsing of the stories into "chapters". And that breaking up of the work into multiple parts sometimes felt a bit forced in a couple of offerings here, particularly in the Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1 and Giant-Size Creatures #1.

The stories captured in Giant-Size Avengers #1 and Giant-Size X-Men #1 are both foundational to their respective titles. The Roy Thomas Avengers issue features the All-Winners Squad in flashbacks and reintroduces the Whizzer to the Marvel U. This is really the first chapter in a storyline that isn't fully resolved until eight years later in the pages of Bill Mantlo's Vision and the Scarlet Witch four-issue mini-series (one of my favorites, and the trade paperback is a potential future installment of "Marvel Unbound"!). Len Wein and Dave Cockrum's X-Men offering turned out to be a solid introduction of now-iconic characters like Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus. For being the reason behind this purchase for me, it lived up to the hype.

The Giant-Size Invaders #1 and Giant-Size Creatures #1 were the least satisfying of the bunch. I have never been a huge Invaders fan despite liking Namor, and the Creatures story included here -- featuring Werewolf by Night, Tigra (as "The Were-Woman"?!), and HYDRA was tedious at best. Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4, on the other hand, with the introduction of Madrox, was a lot of fun! And so was Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1 featuring Spider-Man! I had never read a Morbius story before, but have been meaning to get my hands on one since "Backwards" Dave McFall featured the character in his "Bring 'em Back" segment in episode 26 of Marvel Noise. I thought the issue was a lot of fun -- including the use of John Jameson and pulling the Daily Bugle's Joe Robertson in to move the story along, and subtle details like Jameson being on a date at a restaurant with a 666 street number was amusing.

My favorite find in this collection, though, is Giant-Size Defenders #4. Man, what a fun story! I'd forgotten how great the dynamics of this non-team team can be. By way of an Egghead beat-down, Hank Pym's Yellowjacket is cleverly drawn into the story, eventually joining Nighthawk, Doctor Strange, Hulk, and Valkyrie in their battle with the Squadron Sinister. Steve Gerber's oversized tale is wonderfully creative and thoroughly entertaining. By far the most satisfying read of the collection for me, it was a great surprise to find here!

Despite the lack of extras in this collection, the pair of foundational stories, the trio of solidly entertaining books, and even the couple of stories better left in the vault, provide an entertaining snapshot into what the House of Ideas looked like in a thirteen month period nearly 35 years ago. Giant-Size Marvel is worth your time even if you have these buried in a long box somewhere in your collection!

Marvel Unbound - Marvels

The second installment of "Marvel Unbound" has been released with episode 35 of the Marvel Noise podcast today. Here on Random Thoughts Escaping is a written version of that. Feel free to join the conversation about this in the Marvel Noise forum "Marvel Unbound" thread.

I recently read the trade paperback of Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross' Marvels and was blown away. The saga collected here provides a window into how the super-powered inhabitants of the Marvel Universe came about. And, in a move that runs counter to comic book convention, the story takes its point of view from the inhabitants who are not super-powered, whose world is being turned upside-down by the arrival of these new "Marvels".

While I've heard of Ross, this is the first thing by him I've really given my full attention to. I read issue #0 of Project Superpowers and flipped through the Avengers/Invaders sketchbook freebie, neither of which did much for me (although I intend to read the latter in trade when it's collected). But Ross' painted style is gorgeous, and it works brilliantly with the Marvels story. His art transports the reader into the past and goes a long way in establishing the collection as a document of another time.

Spoiler-free as always, the storylines each take a fresh look through photographer Phil Sheldon's lens at well-known events of the Marvel Universe from the early 1940s through the early 1970s. The arrival of the Invaders and their influence on World War II, the appearance of mutants on the scene and the formation of popular teams like the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, the first attack by world-devourer Galactus, and the death of Gwen Stacy are all used to frame larger-scale human issues and emotions.

By presenting the story from the Everyman's perspective, I think even readers with limited exposure to the Marvel Universe would enjoy the powerful narrative. That's not to say there aren't plenty of inside winks aimed at both old and new Marvel Comics fans, but they are woven seamlessly into the fabric of the story.

J. Jonah Jameson's introduction and cameos by folks like Willy Lumpkin and Danny Ketch are cleverly handled. And era-appropriate Easter eggs abound, like finding all four Beatles in attendance at the 1965 wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm. (I mean, wouldn't you expect the world's biggest band to move in the same circles as the superhero community's First Couple? Of course!) And one can easily see the seeds of Marvel's Civil War and the Superhuman Registration Act woven throughout.

The series was originally released in 1994, and a number of collection printings have been produced. There is a 10^th Anniversary Hardcover Edition, and the trade paperback is readily available at the big box bookstores, and I've seen it on the shelves of all of the local comic shops in my area. It also appears Marvel will be releasing another hardcover edition under their "Marvel Premier Classic" banner this summer.

The extras in the trade paperback I read are pretty cool. Each issue is preceded by thoughtful commentary from Stan Lee, Busiek, Ross, or John Romita. Also included is an essay by Busiek's childhood friend and fellow comics enthusiast Scott McCloud and an in-depth look (relatively speaking) at Ross' approach to the art of the series.

The best extra for my money, though, is the "Sources" section, where all of the "real world" Marvel Universe events referenced in each of the books are notated. Like in Book Two of the series, "Monsters Among Us", where you see things like the Avengers' press conference introducing the Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Hawkeye lineup, and Daredevil battling Stiltman, both on page 25 and both appropriately sourced in the appendix as Avengers #16 and Daredevil #8.

The attention to detail, the uniqueness of the storytelling vehicle, the respect of the source material being reframed, and the appropriateness of the art all add up to a truly moving experience. In short, Marvels is epic in scope and rarely falls short of its ambition. And hard not to recommend.

Marvel Unbound - Powers: The Definitive Hardcover Collection, Volume 1

David Price and I have been talking about adding a feature to the Marvel Noise podcast that centers around reviews of collected editions -- be they trade paperbacks or hardcover collections. episode 34, released today, contains the first segment of what we're calling "Marvel Unbound". Here on Random Thoughts Escaping is a written approximation of my contribution to the podcast. Enjoy!

I've become a pretty big Brian Michael Bendis fan over the last year or so. I have really enjoyed what he's done with the Avengers titles, I liked what he did with Secret War, and I love what he is doing with Marvel's 2008 tent pole event Secret Invasion. I just recently finished reading volume one of Powers: The Definitive Hardcover Collection. Now, I know I'm a little late in finding a seat at the Powers table, but I think it is still worth talking about because I haven't heard much chatter about the title on the Marvel Noise forum or much mention on the podcast.

What Bendis and artist Mike Avon Oeming have put together with Powers is pretty cool. I love the art, the pop culture references, the Northeast Ohio shout-outs, the humor, and especially the stories. This book delivers a nice, layered narrative that has me dying for Volume 2 to be released next month.

Covering two arcs and a one-shot, the Hardcover Collection collects the first third of the title's run at Image Comics, before jumping over to launch Marvel's creator-owned Icon line following issue #37. The title is anchored by Christian Walker, a square-jawed homicide detective, and his new partner, Deena Pilgrim. Similar to Alan Moore's Watchmen or Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross' Marvels, Powers explores a world that is shared with "Powers" -- what they refer to superheroes as in this universe -- from the human point of view.

Spoiler-free as far as content goes, the first story arc is centered on the death of Retro Girl, one of the "Powers" of The City. It does a great job of introducing characters and plugging humor into just the right spots when the tension is wound too tight. The second arc in the collection, "Role Play", focuses on some college kids who run around dressed up as "Powers" pretenders, an illegal act in the Powers world, and are being bumped off.

Sandwiched between these two arcs is issue #7, "Ride-Along", a one-shot that was the least satisfying of the bunch for me. It felt like a vanity piece or a 25-page inside joke that I just didn't get. Comic scribe and socio-cultural commentator extraordinaire Warren Ellis does more than just cameo in this issue, he takes a lead role in the story through Bendis' extensive use of Ellis quotes.

Regardless of that issue, the stories are well-paced, building tension and keeping the reader engaged. Unlike the way Invincible handled the major plot turn in its first arc, which was out of left field and ignored a fertile father-son/family dynamic that could have been mined for years if properly advanced, Bendis' reveals of Walker's past are more of a slow-burn approach which keeps me wanting more.

For some reason, The Definitive Hardcover Collection, Volume 1 is hard to find and the secondary market prices are ridiculous. I assume it's out of print at the moment, but hopefully they will be releasing another printing when Volume 2 comes out later this year. While the supplemental materials included in the Hardcover Collection are good, these arcs are readily available in trade paperback format with extras of their own. The individual arcs can be found in the Who Killed Retro Girl? and Role Play trades, and the single-issue stand-alone is collected in the Little Deaths trade. Regardless of how you track these down, they are definitely worth your time!

Deus 4 (or How to Scar a Six Year-Old)

There is a new Deus ex Comica is up over at Field's Edge. Part 4 is my take on the pixilated goodness that is the House of Ideas come to life on the Wii.

On a somewhat related note, I'm the first to admit I'm no hard-core gamer, but even I enjoyed Wil Wheaton's 2007 Penny Arcade Expo keynote address. Check it out, but only after you've listened to this week's Marvel Noise podcast!

Deus 3 and the Mutual Appreciation Society

So, part 3 of Deus ex Comica, "Ignoring Personal History", is up over at Field's Edge. I talked with John, and we decided to start publishing new installments every other Wednesday instead of every other Sunday for the time being. The change provides some nice synergy with the traditional weekly comic book release day and my friends over at Marvel Noise.

Speaking of... HUGE thanks to Head Marvel Noisemaker David Price for the gracious nod and kind words he gave the Deus series and Field's Edge in this week's podcast! There is always good stuff to be found in not just the podcasts, but also on the blog and forum over there.