Review: Age of Ultron #8

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Brandon Peterson
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Finding themselves captured by the Defenders, Wolverine and the Invisible Woman must escape their Starkguard captors and try to make sense of this new world of their own creation.

While there is nothing technically wrong with the Age of Ultron, as we enter the home stretch, I can't help but feel the entire exercise has been utterly redundant. After the last few issues worth of reality-shifting, we've been introduced to a radically different Marvel Universe. One featuring a bizarrely mutilated Iron Man, his personal Starkguard army and Captain America's merry band of rebel Defenders. All brilliant reinterpretations in their own right, but given how little time we're likely to spend with them in the final two issues, I'm struggling to care as to their fates or even their current plight. They're given just enough panels to react to how strange it is to know they're living in a broken timeline, before protagonists Wolverine and Sue Storm break out and seek to change everything back again.

Even more distressing is the apparent death of this universe as well. If it wasn't bad enough that Ultron trashed the regular universe, we're now witnessing an entirely new scenario of everything going to hell. As in the final pages, the Starkguard's mortal enemy, Morgana Le Fey attacks New York with her Doom/Loki hybrids and two Helicarriers crash into one another, taking the entire City with them. This new universe won't even get the chance to come back in future stories ala House of M or the Age of Apocalypse, it's done and dusted within two issues of it's creation. This seems utterly wasteful on Bendis' part. Why introduced all these new concepts, simply to eradicate them with a wave of a hand.

My favourite part of the issue comes when this new version of Tony Stark, more machine than man, marvels at the original universe and like any sane individual, points out all the ways this mess could've been easily averted. I know Wolverine has never been the smartest guy in the world, but his whole "kill Hank Pym early" plan is so full of holes, even the characters within the story are pointing them out! Tony rightfully asks whether Logan attempted to talk his colleague out of creating Ultron or could've planted a time-release virus in Ultron's programming, that would've allowed the Marvel Universe to unfold as it once did. Of course, being the same old stubborn Canuck we're used to, Wolverine would much rather solve the problem with his claws, Butterfly Effect be damned.

Don't get me wrong, the story is wonderfully written and aptly drawn, but the Marvel Universe as a whole has passed this story by. Most series had a single AU issue to their credit, but then carried on with regular storylines as if nothing ever happened. The final two issues of this jaunt will have to pull off some major twists and turns if this story is to become anything more than a footnote in continuity. The idea would've been better served as an isolated arc during Bendis' reign over the Avengers titles. As an event though, it's woefully short-sighted and easily dismissed. Just look at how all the attention is going on Jonathan Hickman's 'Infinity' instead of the end of 'Age of Ultron'. Wrap this one up quickly and it'll be no more remembered by the audience, as by the time-warped combatants.

5 out 10

News: Peter David closes X-Factor Investigations

Since returning in 2004 with the acclaimed 'Madrox: Multiple Choice' mini-series, Peter David's X-Factor has gone from strength to strength, weathering numerous Mutant storms, carving out it's own noir niche in the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, that comes to an end with September's issue 262, as the writer brings the series to a close.

Rather than facing cancellation or a relaunch, David himself has chosen to end the series. After completing the "Hell on Earth War" storyline, the writer believed he'd reached a natural conclusion.

"It was basically decided that the 'Hell on Earth War' was as major a storyline as we were going to do,"

"I'd been building toward it for so long that it simply seemed a logical culmination to the entire series. So we decided to wrap it up. It's been going for 10 years, after all."

I, for one, will be sad to see the series go. No matter which radical crossover was happening in the core X-Men titles, X-Factor provided a safe haven for casual readers. Off in it's own little corner, it told intelligent standalone tales, that weren't beholden to the rest of the line.

Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 9 #20

Writer: Andrew Chambliss
Artist: Karl Moline
Publisher: Dark Horse

Dawn is at death's door because of her Sister's decision to destroy the Seed of Magic in this world. To save his girlfriend from this terrible fate, Xander takes desperate measures.

Xander Harris has always had the short end of the stick when it comes to his role in the "Scooby Gang". He isn't a Slayer, he isn't a Witch, he isn't a Demon, he isn't a Werewolf, he isn't a Vampire, he isn't even a Watcher. Through nine years, the man has remained just that, a man. No different than any one of us reading this comic. In a way, he is us. Where everyone else has had fantastical stories, taking them further and further away from normality, Xander has been the character the audience can identify with. This detachment from the monstrous world around him is both a gift and a curse. While he gets to be their dependable rock in a crisis, their one lone island of sanity, he's powerless to help them. They live in a world that would be lethal to him. One lone moment with a villain and he literally loses an eye. Which makes stories like this one all the more impressive. When the average man isn't content to merely watch his loved ones suffer and steps up to the plate.

In seeing his girlfriend, Dawn, on the verge of death, Xander is compelled to take action. Throwing his hat in with some extremely questionable characters, with the best of intentions. This pair should be familiar to regular readers, being rogue Slayer Simone and power vacuum Severin. Two of the most dangerous original creations for the Buffy comic so far. This is them stepping up from Big Bads in waiting to full blown Mwah-ha-ha. The scariest thing is just how logical and convincing their pitch to Xander is. There's a distinct vibe of "sure, they're dicks, but this could actually be helpful". So I'm expecting it all to go horribly wrong in 3...2...1.

The plan itself is rather ingenious, assuming everyone is playing above board and telling the truth. Having usurped the visiting Illyria's time travel powers in a previous issue, Severin is now capable of going back and changing history however he sees fit. As all three of their problems started around the end of Season 8, they believe travelling back to before Twilight and ensuring the villain's rise never comes to pass, everything will be solved with a big bow on top. Giles won't die, Dawn won't die, Severin's girlfriend won't die, Simone can give being a Slayer one last try (yeah, right), etc. But that's just too easy. Not to mention, insulting to anyone who happens to have bought and read 40+ issues of this "Season" via Buffy, Angel & Faith, Spike, Willow. There's no way in hell they get to press that big red cosmic reset button, no matter how much they want to.

This issue also marks the return of one Williow Rosenberg, who has been absent for the best part of Season 9. Having struggled with losing her connection to Magic, Willow has spent the past few months travelling through various Demon dimensions in an attempt to harness their power and bring it back to our own world. This took her through a fair few issues of "Angel & Faith", as well as her own five issue mini-series. So she hasn't exactly been gone from us, just the usual suspects like Buffy and Xander (and boy did they screw up in her absence). Given the creepy addict vibe the television series reveled in towards the end, this quest of Willow's to bring Magic back to the world has always sat uneasily with me. She can dress it up however she wants, about how we're now lacking hope and inspiration, but I feel like she just couldn't cope without it. She's an addict and she needed her fix. When she gave up before, it was her choice and she knew it was still out there, should she ever need it. But this time, Magic was ripped away from her. It literally wasn't an option anymore and I would've loved a deeper exploration of those themes. This is more the light and fluffy version, where she turns up with Magic in tow and everyone's happy again.

With this issue, it feels as though Season 9 is gearing up for a big sprint to the finish. The villains are finally in play in a meaningful way, beloved characters lives are at risk and there are moral quandaries aplenty. If Andrew Chambliss can keep twisting that proverbial knife in their backs, we're in for a treat. Season 9 is most definitely living up to it's mantra of more personal, less fantastical. Xander being the living embodiment.

9 out of 10

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Review: Justice League #19

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artist: Ivan Reis

Publisher: DC Comics

While the heroes are distracted by the tragedies in their lives, a masked assailant breaks into the Batcave. Taking out the unsuspecting Jason Todd and Alfred Pennyworth, the thief proceeds directly to a vault, containing dangerous items Batman has gathered secretly, designed specifically to take down the Justice League!

Now, it's impossible to address this issue without first pointing out the striking similarities to the famous "Tower of Babel" (JLA #43 - 46) storyline. Back in 2000, Mark Waid wrote a story whereby Batman had secretly compiled contingency plans for taking down specific members of the Justice League, should they ever go rogue and need to be dealt with. The idea of the Dark Knight safeguarding the world against his own friends seems to be a popular trope, as it's been repeatedly re-used since then. Between 2005's "The OMAC Project" and 2012's "Justice League: Doom", Batman has defeated his teammates numerous times. So to see these very same ideas pop up yet again, in a Geoff Johns book no less, tells me Bruce really needs to stop plotting the downfall of everyone he cares about. When he sits down to write these plans, he shouldn't be anticipating having to use them himself, but figuring out which villain is going to make a beeline towards him and use that plan to their own ends!

Also, while I'm not adverse to opening up the Justice League's world and using some of the individual character's supporting casts, I was truly taken aback when I flipped to the first page to find Red Hood and Alfred the Butler. It felt so random to have them there, even though they have every right. You just don't expect them to be mourning the events of Batman Incorporated in a Justice League book. Even though they both feature the adventures of Batman, there's usually a huge degree of compartmentalisation and the two portrayals to have no real effect on one another. I was similarly surprised with last month's issue, when Nightwing turned down League membership because he was still pissed at Batman due to "Death of the Family. Geoff Johns is clearly trying to make the DC Universe one big cohesive whole, I guess I'm just not used to it yet.

Two characters who are definitely benefiting from a functional shared universe are Firestorm and the new female Atom. Neither hero has had much success since the New 52 began, so bringing them both into the fold of the core Justice League book gives them a nice boost, where previously readers could take them or leave them. Firestorm has had a particularly traumatic time of it lately with his troubled ongoing series, which could never truly find a workable status quo. The union of Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch has had more than a few growing pains, so it's a joy to see them back to their more affable pre-Flashpoint selves. All the more credit to Johns for the creation of this new Atom. Where a typical fanboy may question his not using the original Atom, Ray Palmer, I didn't have much of an attachment to the character in the first place, he just happened to be the first attempt. So who is under the cowl is neither here nor there. For what it's worth, this new girl taking on the mantle seems like a lot of fun and is sure to find fans quickly.

The Superman/Wonder Woman romance continues to simmer in the background of the series. Where in the recent "Throne of Atlantis" crossover, Clark was attempting to soften Diana's view of humanity and potentially calm her warrior's instincts, the dynamic flips here. Rather than expose Clark to a noble trait of her own lifestyle, Diana shows him the worst humanity is capable of and has a speech that borders on a mustache-twirling supervillain, looking to impose her "just" will by any means necessary. Batman appears before she really puts her foot in her mouth, but it's clear that this incarnation of Wonder Woman isn't quite as friendly as she had been in the past. The Amazon could very easily lead Superman down the wrong path with the best of intentions, so I'm hoping their fling is short-lived before they do something they can't take back. After all, as we saw in the Justice League International Annual, one kiss between the pair was enough to erase Booster Gold from history. There's no telling what could go wrong the longer these two stay together.

Unlike the beginning of this volume, which tended towards big dumb fun, Johns is slowly returning to his traditional nuanced approach, preferring genuine character drama over the sight of muscly gods hitting one another. Every character in this book is working on several different levels, whether it be acting out, holding back suspicions, cracking wise, the works. There are genuine mysteries at play in this series and only now are we beginning to feel the ominous vibe sweeping across it's pages. Johns has finally found his feet on Justice League, I just wish it hadn't taken a year to get here.

9 out of 10

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Review: Nightwing #19

Writer: Kyle Higgins

Artist: Brett Booth

Publisher: DC Comics

With last issue's revelation that his parent's killer (Tony Zucco) is still alive and loose on the streets of Chicago, Dick Grayson packs his bags and heads for the Windy City! A change in venue for any series can be risky, as that generally means uprooting an entire cast and trying to justify their presence in this new location. For some inexplicable reason, the one hero who seems to be friends with everyone, has zero ties to where he sets up shop. Just like when Chuck Dixon packed Dick up and sent him down the river to Bludhaven all those years ago, it really is as simple as hopping a bus. Nightwing has to be the most transient superhero in history!

To be fair, I think this latest volume has been blighted somewhat by it's reliance on the core Bat-books. While building the central mystery of Haley's Circus, the writer Higgins often got sucked into the crossover flavour of the month. Where Dick was meant to be reacting to his own problems, he instead had the consequences of "The Court of Owls", "Death of the Family" or "Batman Incorporated" to deal with. To any Nightwing fans not reading those other books, they must have been wondering just what the hell was going on. The move to Chicago and a healthy distance from the rest of the Bat-family will most likely solve these complaints, allowing Nightwing to be a hero in his own right.

Ironically, within these first few pages of being in Chicago,  I was struck by the similarity to Gotham. Not necessarily due to the style of building or even the people, but by Nightwing being chased across rooftops by the local Police. The sequence bore an uncanny resemblance to the opening pages of Geoff Johns' Justice League #1 from several years ago, wherein Batman was chased in identically framed panels by the GCPD. But the similarity ends quickly, as where Batman had the good luck to stumble across Green Lantern, who made short work of his pursuers, Nightwing is well and truly on his own. Taking two shots to the back for his troubles.

The story itself is mostly scene-setting, as Dick moves to this new city and attempts to set himself up in both his civilian and superhero guises. His hours as Nightwing are the relatively simple part, as hitting the criminal underworld where it hurts is what he does best. However, finding somewhere to stay in his off-hours is another trial entirely. Having made the journey to Chicago on such short notice, he's basically at the whim of whatever cheap listing he can find on the internet. Soon settling upon a simple sub-letting, future issues will inevitably show Dick having to deal with hiding his double life from a roommate. A genre staple if ever I heard one! Gail Simone's Batgirl has been dealing with a similar situation recently, but let's hope this roommate is as normal as they come, as I'm not sure we need another random transgender announcement any time soon.

The incoming artwork of Brett Booth is sure to be a major talking-point going forward. Up until this point, the series was anchored by Eddy Barrows' real world aesthetic, however if you've read an issue of Teen Titans recently, you'll know Booth is anything but. Don't fret though, as this isn't a bad change. Booth's art echos the vintage days of noted former Nightwing illustrator Scott McDaniel, who would always have the hero in mid-air, leaping over rooftops, pulling off daredevil acrobatic feats, even in his quieter moments. As such, Booth brings us our most athletic depiction of Nightwing since the New 52 began. He adds a few unnecessary flourishes to the uniform around the neck and waist, but I think that's just an effort to put his mark on the character.

The villain of the piece (and for the foreseeable future) appears to be the Prankster. We don't learn much about the new(?) rogue in this lone issue, merely how much of an inconvenience they've been to the Mayor of Chicago and his criminal cohorts. The costume doesn't do much for me and so far they're only pestering generic corrupt officials, ergo not the most revolutionary story ever told. I was hoping Higgins might've swung for the fences with these latest issues, having been freed from the constraints of Haley's Circus and essentially being gifted a new beginning. Nightwing's rogues gallery is especially in need of work, having been gutted over the course of several years worth of terrible DC editorial decisions. Not since the days of Blockbuster, Torque, Nitewing, Shrike, Brutale, Lady Vic, etc, has Dick actually faced a legitimate threat. But while Prankster may not be my cup of tea, I have high hopes for the returning Tony Zucco. You can't have a villain with more pathos than having murdered the heroes' parents in cold blood. If Higgins plays his cards right, he could have a Nightwing story for the ages.

7 out of 10

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Review: Uncanny X-Men #4

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Chris Bachalo
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Arriving at the doors of the Jean Grey School in Westchester, rebel leader Cyclops goes on a recruitment drive! Declaring "to me, my X-Men", the former Headmaster certainly has guts. But not for much longer if Wolverine has his way.

The divide between Cyclops and Wolverine has been the driving force of X-Men comics for the past three years. Ever since the "Schism" event led to half the team choosing to stay with Scott on the Mutant isle of Utopia and half choosing to leave with Logan, aspiring to restart the School in keeping with Professor Xavier's dream. There is a fundamental divide, straight down the middle of the Mutant community, neither side entirely sure of how best to proceed in a world that hates them. But where Wolverine preaches peaceful co-existence (yes, I know how ludicrous that sounds), Cyclops sees the reality of the world around him and wants Mutants to be a force to be reckoned with. If Humanity won't leave his people alone to live in peace, he'll fight them tooth and nail for every second of freedom. Not unlike the Magneto of old. Only younger, dashing, not ranting like a mad man and definitely not leading a team of self-proclaimed EVIL Mutants (yeah, dumb move there Erik).

Whereas the biased opinions featured in sister-series "All-New X-Men" would have you believe Cyclops to be a radical lunatic looking to incite full-blown war and Mutant Genocide (errr...how exactly would that benefit him again?), "Uncanny X-Men" tends to feature the man himself and as such, a far more reasonable, grounded representation of the racial icon. The sad thing is, the worst insults come from people who used to call him a friend mere months ago. Honestly, you kill one mentor under the influence of a cosmic-being and suddenly you're a different person. Under those rules, half the Marvel Universe shouldn't be speaking to each other! Any scenes featuring Kitty, Storm, Wolverine or Beast are borderline insufferable with their inability to hold an adult conversation with a long-time friend like Scott. They'll teach forgiveness of Humanity to their pupils, just not forgiveness of their friends and colleagues. Real mature, guys.

Thankfully, the Cyclops character assassination takes a backseat, as Bendis examines the same scene that ended "All-New X-Men", only from the on-looking perspective of the Stepford Cuckoos (and Emma Frost, when she can get her powers to work). You see the same actions as before, taking place in the background, but this time with the true focus on the borderline torture of Frost at the hands of her former students. The Cuckoos are not happy to see their mentor again and aren't shy about showing it. Quickly realising that Emma's powers have been "broken" in the wake of the Phoenix disaster, the person that the Cuckoos once feared most, becomes little more than frightened prey, toyed with by a superior predator. Honestly, by the time the issue closes, you get the sense the Cuckoos have joined up with Scott's Uncanny team not out of any ingrained loyalty, but simply to mess with Emma some more.

With a book called "All-New X-Men" on the stands, it's ironically "Uncanny X-Men" that features the greatest wealth of new Mutant characters. While the adults are off having a pissing contest with their former friends, Scott's new recruits are making themselves at home in the former Weapon X facility turned Xavier School. It's only now dawning on them that this is their life and it's not simply a matter of "going home". Thankfully, Bendis doesn't wallow in the angst of their new situation, but instead has fun with it. As questionable as the leaders have become, these children are 100% goofballs and very quickly find themselves getting into japes in the Danger Room. Not to mention, something as simple as picking which room to sleep in.

An unfortunate side effect of Marvel's scheduling means that this issue of "Uncanny" unintentionally spoils the big reveal of which original X-Man joined the team in the wake of last week's "All-New" cliffhanger. I'm sure the consequences of this character's "defection" will be touched upon ad infinitum, but as far as shock and awe is concerned, the cat is out of the bag. The man of the hour is none other than Warren Worthington III aka Angel. After his failed attempt to bolt back to his own time (even if he can't remember it), it's really no surprise that he wants nothing more to do with the Jean Grey School. If he can't get home, getting away from those do-gooding nutjobs is the next best thing! As evidenced by the issue of "All-New" in question, these time-displaced original X-Men are beginning to ask the right questions, ones that are making the teachers at Wolverine's school all the more uncomfortable as they struggle to justify their own lies. Say what you want about Cyclops, the man is telling the truth.

8 out of 10

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Review: Age of Ultron #5

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Bryan Hitch
Publisher: Marvel Comics

We reach the halfway point of Marvel's 2013 summer event and the story that's been quietly simmering for four issues finally boils over, bringing us to the crux of the series - time travel. After last issue's big Vision-shaped discovery by Luke Cage, namely that big bad Ultron isn't even in the same time-frame as our heroes, the survivors weigh up their options from the comfort of Nick Fury's super-secret Savage Land hideaway.

Once arriving, the question isn't so much how the heroes will strike back against Ultron, but when. As it turns out, Fury has been stashing one of Doctor Doom's old time platforms for a rainy day and it doesn't get more rainy than a shower of shiny golden robots systematically destroying the world. If memory serves correct, said time platform doesn't affect the current timeline, merely create a new alternate one. I vaguely recall a Fantastic Four annual hinging on a future Johnny Storm coming back to avert a tragedy, but rather than save his own family, he merely created a world where they continued to live. But that might just be my fanboy mind picking holes in Bendis' chosen plot device.

With the method of the remaining heroes' kamikaze mission decided, they then have to choose the perfect moment to strike at Ultron and the survivors are of two minds on the matter. While the linear side of things is covered nicely by Nick Fury's strike team, heading off into the far-flung future to attack the Ultron directly responsible for this assault, the far more interesting approach comes in the final pages, as Wolverine declares his intention to travel back and kill Hank Pym (aka Ant-Man aka Ultron's creator), before he can birth this monstrous AI upon the world. The small hairy canuck aims to misbehave and there's no telling what affect he'll have on Marvel Universe continuity as a result.

As explored in the opening pages, to much wordier effect, Pym himself had even considered travelling back to a time before Ultron and warn his past self of the horrors his creation will inflict. But as correctly pointed out by his fellow scientists, Tony Stark and Reed Richards, where does one draw the line when "correcting" past mistakes? Do they leave it at Ultron or do they travel back even further and stop Hitler from kickstarting World War II or do they go back even further and knock that insidious apple out of Eve's hand. The message Bendis is trying to relay is that altering time is a slippery slope and there's no clear end in sight. As much as the ability may aid the heroes in this time of need, it's just as likely to be abused by the wrong people. Hell, in this case, the heroes ARE the wrong people. They want to murder a founding Avenger!

Age of Ultron #5 marks a profound turning point in the course of this series, not only with the changing stakes of the situation, but behind the scenes as well. The first half of this ten part story was written nearly three years ago at this point, making for numerous visual and character inconsistencies in the opening salvo. Wrong costumes for the most part, but wrong characterisation entirely in Spider-Man's case, who fails to reflect his new "Superior" attitude. Like most characters in the book, their current status quo's weren't even an inkling in their creator's eye while Bendis was writing and Hitch was illustrating way back in 2010. As such, issue five brings to a close Bryan Hitch's work on the series, gracefully departing with some fine work, before the story kicks into another gear entirely. I'll miss the consistency of his artwork on the book going forward, but I'll be grateful for an up-to-date artist who isn't trying to jam old ideas into present day continuity. It's Marvel NOW, not Marvel THEN.

The story itself continues to tick over, giving us enough to keep our interest, but not really engaging at the same time. There's an inherent flaw in time travel stories, whereby at the back of your mind, you know everything will snap back to "how it should be". Marvel have so many plates spinning at the moment, I can't believe they'd let a three year old pet project dictate their entire line's future. This is basically Bendis wrapping up a few loose ends from his legendary run on the Avengers franchise. It's more of an encore, than a beginning. Play the hits one last time, then respectfully leave the stage. After all, Jonathan Hickman's Avengers series has shot off in another direction entirely. So much so, Age of Ultron is squarely in the rear view mirror, even as it continues.

6 out of 10

Review: Superior Spider-Man #5

Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Otto Octavius continues to masquerade as Spider-Man in the captive body of Peter Parker. The hero helplessly watches as his greatest enemy forces him to cross the most important line of all!

I haven't been the biggest fan of Spider-Man comics in recent years, what with 'One More Day' having done a decidedly good job at turning me off the character for the best part of five years. However, Dan Slott has done a wonderful job at coaxing me back with this pseudo-relaunch as the Superior Spider-Man. Where I'd grown quite bored of the regular Peter Parker status-quo (great responsibility, yada yada yada), there's a perverse joy in watching one of the biggest supervillains of modern day comics masquerade as said hero. Doctor Octopus in the body of Peter Parker has instantly become far more entertaining than the traditional angst-ridden hero. Having no guilt over his less-than-noble methods has allowed Otto to become a better Spider-Man than Peter ever was!

This particular issue brings Octavius head to head with one of Peter Parker's greatest failures (at least recently) - the mass-murdering psychopath, Massacre. Where the Amazing Spider-Man would capture the disturbed villain and seek justice, the Superior Spider-Man has no qualms with tit for tat. If Massacre is willing to kill, so too must this new Spider-Man. Peter Parker's ghostly conscious was able to stay Otto's hand once already, when the good Doctor was about to kill a hapless villain, but will he have the willpower to do it again?

To me, the most fascinating part of the book is not the hero's dilemma (or lack thereof), but instead the surreal deal a businesswoman is willing to enter into with Massacre. Having seen the negative publicity his actions have brought to her own company (where his last set of killings took place), she's quietly approached by the madman himself, angling for a multi-million dollar payday to commit atrocities wearing brand products from competitors of her choosing. At the expense of innocent lives, this woman can drive business away from her rivals and back towards herself. If it were not a horrifying loss of life, it'd be ingenious.

While this is going on, Octavius procrastinates by visiting a tutor in aid of finishing Parker's long incomplete doctorate. Scarily, this meeting had romantic overtones, at least in my interpretation. Anna Marconi is a delightfully wry little person (her words, not mine) and over the course of their session, the pair develop a playful mutual respect. Science soon turns into dinner, turns into what I think was flirting. I'm not sure though, as Octavius would no doubt be terrible at doing so and the idea of him flirting makes my stomach turn a little. The idea of Doc Ock romancing someone in Peter Parker's body is creepy on so many levels!

Another standout moment comes when Spider-Man is in the middle of saving several of Massacre's hostages. Octavius remarks just what an oddity it is to be saving so few lives, when only a short time before, he was threatening to kill billions and render Humanity extinct. He's clearly learning from his experiences as the new Spider-Man, but something tells me he's going to take all the wrong lessons along the way. He may strive to save lives now, but lots of people are going to suffer for him to achieve that.

8 out of 10

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Review: Batman Incorporated #8

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Chris Burnham
Publisher: DC Comics

Batman and Talia Al Ghul's personal war rages over Gotham City, but as they both seek to win, they both lose.

As the cover to my left may have already given away, this issue of "Batman Incorporated" marks what is potentially Damian Wayne's final appearance as Robin, The Boy Wonder. The battle between his parents has been expertly told by veritable genius, Grant Morrison, across multiple series, since his very first arc on "Batman" way back in 2006. The prodigy has long claimed his initial plans called for Damian's death, but the character proved so entertaining to write, the young Master Wayne earned himself a reprieve. It's only fitting the writer should revisit the poor boy's fate in the run up to his own final issues.

Ironically, this major event comes hot on the heels of Scott Snyder's parallel blockbuster series "Death of the Family", which ended mere weeks ago, with no fatalities. So to have Damian survive the cruelty of the Joker, only to die soon after, at his own Mother's behest, is the ultimate cruelty. This trick is somewhat of a double-edged sword, as all eyes were on Snyder's masterwork, no one would possibly suspect Morrison of such a status-quo shattering development in short order.

The character's final fate is plain to see in the structure of the issue. Morrison goes out of his way to give Damian several memorable moments that will leave tears in the eyes of long-time fans. Chief among them, the camaraderie between he and Dick Grayson. For a short time, Dick and Damian operated as Gotham City's Dynamic Duo in the pages of "Batman & Robin" and this is not lost on Grant Morrison. In what has to be one of best moments of all Batman's long history, Damian tells Dick he was his favourite partner and that they will always be the best in his eyes. That moment alone fills my heart with joy, so it's only right something crushing happens later. If this had to be their final team-up, it was the right note to end on. Seeing the pair of them jump out from behind cover and dive into battle, side by side, is downright inspirational.

It's with that same manic pride in his own abilities that Damian chooses to take on his insane clone alone and endures the most vicious beating you could ever imagine a ten year old boy taking. Remember how we all winced when Jason Todd was beaten to death with a crowbar by the Joker back in the 80's? Well this is worse. This is a knock-down drag-out brutal slug-fest. I have to give Damian credit, he absolutely went out swinging. For every cringe-inducing blow that's landed on the youngster, he gives one back. The Boy Wonder refused to stay down at every turn and he'll always have my respect for that. Robin earned his wings.

Of course, the scariest thing about this issue, isn't even in the issue itself. What we are all dreading is the aftermath. Just how the hell does Bruce Wayne cope with the death of his only son? This is a man who thought dressing up as a giant bat and fighting crime was a sane way to deal with the death of his parents. Therefore, I am genuinely terrified at what horrors Grant Morrison has just unleashed on an already Dark Knight. The death of Jason Todd was traumatic enough. It cast a permanent shadow over the next twenty years of Batman comics. You couldn't crack an issue without finding Bruce staring at that damn display case (or having someone thrown through it). Losing Damian could shatter both the man and the hero forever. There is no more status quo.

10 out of 10

Review: Star Trek - The Next Generation - Hive #4

Writers: Brannon Braga, Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett
Artist: Joe Corroney
Publisher: IDW Comics

Captain Jean Luc Picard has the fate of the Galaxy in his hands, but will his resolve remain strong in the face of potential genocide?

This isn't the first time the good Captain has been to this dance. In the classic TNG episode "I, Borg", Picard was presented with a paradoxical computer program, that if uploaded into the Borg Collective, would end their threat once and for all. But through talking to the liberated drone, Hugh, the crew of the Enterprise came to realise the innocent nature of the assimilated and hesitated to pull the proverbial trigger. Though years may have passed, our heroes find themselves in the exact same position. Only this time, the Borg are coming in force and the humanitarian approach isn't an option.

Considering the death and destruction the Borg Collective have wreaked across the Milky Way since last they had the option, you can't exactly blame these otherwise noble people for having an itchy trigger finger. However, much of this series has outright contradicted emotional journeys established in the shows themselves. Picard had already faced his demons in the motion picture "First Contact" and Seven of Nine progressively embraced her humanity throughout the entire of "Voyager", so to see them fall back into the hands of the Collective is downright heartbreaking.

For all the good that creative mind Brannon Braga brought to the Star Trek franchise over the decades, his writing has become predictable and trite. Ask any modern day fan their opinion of his stories and it's as if his very name were a dirty word. Just like George Lucas before him, he may've helped get us here, but he's treated us like cr*p ever since. His last effort being the notorious dreadful "These Are The Voyages", also known as the reviled Enterprise series finale. That episode was disrespectful to the show itself and relied far too heavily on flimsy shock tactics to get a rise out of the audience. It's unfortunate to find those same tendencies are still apparent today.

The sad thing is that the building blocks for a fantastic story were there. With only a few small tweaks, we could've had a fond farewell to several beloved Star Trek characters. Instead, we have an absolute mess, that wipes a handful of major players off the board in various unsatisfying ways. The strangest of all being Braga killing off his own ex-girfriend, Jeri Ryan! Her character, Seven of Nine, was Voyager's breakout star and her journey towards reclaiming her humanity was the best arc the show ever attempted. But with this series, she ultimately failed. She went back to the Borg, was violated anew and sacrificed her life in a vain effort to save thousands while TRILLIONS died around her. The heroic death is appreciated, but throughout the course of this mini-series, she fell so far from the heights of her time on Voyager. Captain Janeway would be genuinely saddened to see her personal pet project go out in such a manner.

Another confusing treatment of a beloved character comes in the form of resurrected android, Data. Braga went to alot of trouble to include the character in his story, but with seemingly little gain. Some convoluted story about the Borg assimilating the Daystrom Institute and salvaging his files from the B4 unit seen in "Nemesis". But for all that effort, what did Data actually do? He popped in, said hello to his friends (who aren't exactly given time to react to the return of their dead colleague), stood in the background as Picard and Seven saved the day, then disappeared as the timeline corrected itself. Braga, you just reversed your own reversal!

As a fan, particularly of the Borg, I couldn't help but notice the blatant repetition of classic plot devices throughout this mini. Picard facing his fears of Locutus, check. The Borg Queen gloating from her impenetrable fortress, check. A magic virus that will save the day, check. The brave hero feeding themselves to the Borg, check. It basically played like a greatest hits album. If you've seen "Best of Both Worlds", "Scorpion", "Unimatrix Zero" or "Endgame", you've seen Hive.

As bad as I thought this series was as a whole, I don't want this to come across as a denigration of everything Star Trek. I clearly love the characters and the concepts or I wouldn't be voluntarily reading the story in the first place. In trying to find the rare good qualities of Hive, let it be known that I thought the wrap-up was fantastic. I absolutely loved the idea of a free Borg race establishing their own colony, not to mention Picard hinting he was about to resurrect Data (again). These concepts were wonderful and left me with a tangible feeling of "okay, the Borg are out of the way, can we see THOSE episodes now?". There is a rabid Star Trek fan inside me and they will always long for the next adventure.

5 out of 10

Review: Alpha - Big Time #1

Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artist: Nuno Plati
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Oh how things change in such a short amount of time.

Mere months ago, the character of Alpha was introduced to much fanfare by Marvel. If not a resounding thud...as everyone dropped their issue of Amazing Spider-Man back on the stands and resolved to come back next month, once this awful kid sidekick had finally gone away. Now, he's back with his own mini-series to annoy you in brand new ways!

Alpha was created in a similar fashion to Peter Parker's Spider-Man i.e. the classic "science project gone wrong". However, where Spidey took to heart his Uncle's mantra about great power coming with great responsibility, Alpha went completely the other way, proving with great power comes no responsibility whatsoever. He used his powers irresponsibly, didn't care who got hurt, took revenge on those who'd wrong him (*cough*schoolbullies*cough*) and most impressively - to hit on girls. Poor Andy Maguire proved a monumental irritant and raised the ire of the internet community in a fashion not seen since Damian Wayne first reared his grumpy head. His initial reign of terror ended just as quickly as it had began, with the Avengers de-powering Alpha, leaving him with only a fraction of his true potential.

Picking up where we last left him, Andy has returned to regular life, but not quite the one he had before. His profile has been raised so high, he'd be hard-pressed to be considered "normal". Similarly, his literal power-trip has left him on the outs with the "cool" crowd. Instead, he's somewhere inbetween. Stuck in social limbo. This gives us the smallest glimpse of humility in Andy. Has he finally learnt his lesson? Hell no. We're only on Issue 1!

After being flown back to New York City for his monthly checkup at Horizon Labs with our formerly-Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the now "Superior" Peter Parker has had a change of heart. On account of Andy's good behaviour, our newly villainous wall-crawler has decided to restore Alpha's abilities, a little bit at a time. On the outside, this appears to be a gesture of good faith, but with Otto Octavius' mind currently occupying Peter Parker's body, the true intent is to exploit the Parker Particles that gave Alpha his abilities in the first place. More so than Peter ever would have thought to.

Sufficed to say, Alpha goes on to try and become the hero he's always dreamed of, but his usual reckless standards slowly begin to creep in. I have to admit, I love the narrative device of only giving Alpha a percentage of his powers back at a time. It almost acts like a metaphor for his personality. Everyone hated him at 100%, so now they're dialing him back to 10% and seeing if there's a hero worth working with at Andy's core. However, if he's still screwing up this badly at 10%, it doesn't bode well for future issues when Doc Ock cranks up the juice.

As insufferable as Alpha had been previously, I was surprised to find I really enjoyed this issue. Finding him down on his luck and slightly more modest, worked wonders for his likability. Also, coming at the story from Andy's perspective gives us the true entry point we were lacking in the previous Amazing Spider-Man arc. Where before, all we saw was Peter freaking out about having created this horrifying potential supervillain, we're now firmly on Andy's side, knowing his true intentions and just how genuine he is in wanting to become a superhero. Even when he screws up towards the end, it was in service of doing the right thing. I particularly liked the teenage point of view, where instead of thinking "oh my god, I did something terrible", he's thinking "oh my god, I'm in so much trouble".

Fialkov has done a wonderful job of re-introducing Alpha to an already-hostile fanbase. Before, Andy was nothing but a plot device in service of an anniversary issue. Now, he's his own flesh and blood person, with thoughts, drives and emotions. Human beings are complicated animals and sometimes it's easy for comic books to forget that in pursuit of "hero hits villain", but this series adds some much needed nuance to this new character. It's early days yet, but this issue proves to be a wonderful new beginning, with genuine promise.

8 out of 10

Review: Uncanny X-Men #1

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Chris Bachalo
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Cyclops was right. Or so he'd have you believe. This brand spanking new volume of Uncanny X-Men, coming not too long after the last relaunch, explores Scott Summers' role as figurehead of the brewing Mutant Revolution. But which parts are real and which are media spin? Expanding upon the use of a PR agent in the last volume, these new X-Men are acutely aware that the true battle for the Mutant cause won't be waged against a cackling supervillain, but in the hearts and minds of their followers, whether it be on the streets or on Twitter.

This introductory issue is framed around a traitor in the group. Someone close to Scott, who has betrayed the cause and gone to S.H.I.E.L.D., hoping to bring down their leader. For the majority of the story, the traitor's identity remains a complete mystery. Whilst being pumped for information by Maria Hill, the turncoat recounts the Uncanny X-Men's most recent mission to recover a burgeoning Mutant from Police brutality. Sufficed to say, things go south fairly quickly and the team are ambushed by Sentinels. Even if there wasn't a traitor amongst their ranks, this new X-team have a long way to go in regard to teamwork. Whether it be their malfunctioning powers or their cavalier attitudes, the adults have just as much to learn as the children.

But I digress, the traitor. The Mutant Benedict Arnold. In a move eerily similar to how Bendis began New Avengers all those years ago, the team has to deal with split loyalties from the get-go. Rather than have the offender sat in costume and give the game away immediately, they are sat in a prison issue jumpsuit. There's absolutely no hair on their head, perhaps as a tip of the proverbial hat towards the late Charles Xavier. They have intimate knowledge of the X-Men, their operation and even Cerebro, helping S.H.I.E.L.D. to locate the new Mutants just as fast as Cyclops can. Hell, if Professor X weren't dead, he'd be top of the suspects' list.

I won't reveal the identity of this traitor, but I personally found the mystery to be quite lazy and trite. Bendis relies far too heavily on stripping away any identifying traits, meaning it could quite literally be anyone. By the time the final page rolled around, the image itself held no shock value, as the person in the chair didn't particularly look like the one we've come to know. This unfortunately left the dialogue to carry the weight of the revelation. If that logo were removed, we wouldn't have a clue as to who the traitor is.

7 out of 10