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Post by Marvel Boy on Nov 16, 2016 19:28:52 GMT -5
Again, due to wallet restraints, I haven't read all that much of this volume, instead waiting for it on Marvel Unlimited. I have heard great things about it, really interested to see how Sunspot has grown and matured over this time as a leader. I think Ewing is a terrific writer, his Avengers work has been great (especially liked the Ultron Forever mini) and his work on the Ultimates has been nothing short of amazing.
So I'm glad he's able to continue this series over into a new volume, even under the unusual banner of USAvengers.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Nov 16, 2016 19:17:42 GMT -5
Psychic Red Skull is a large dangling plot thread but I think his latest appearance has been in Steve's new Cap title by Spencer. He was forming a home-grown version of HYDRA, using the current civil and economic crises to help foster new devout members. The surprising thing was that he consciously avoiding using his psychic powers in doing so.
Due to wallet constraints, I haven't read much of this latest volume of UA, waiting for it instead to drop down onto Marvel Unlimited in hopes of catching up. I like the concept of the Unity Squad. I loved Remender's first volume of UA, his examinations of the mutant/human relations was the most in-depth in quite some time, highlighted by the Twins' plans for a new mutant world.
I think UA will continue under the NOW banner, but in what fashion I'm not sure.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Nov 16, 2016 19:02:28 GMT -5
Welcome to the new volume of the Avengers where we see the aftermath and effects of Civil War II! Roster includes Sam Cap, the Lady Thor, Vision, Hercules, the new Wasp, and Spider-Man. As we begin.... .....our heroes are helping to stop a rampaging supernatural beast. Hercules arrives to lend a hand since Vision is absent. The team manages to prevail over the beast wherein the Lady Thor proceeds to take the beast back to it's natural realm. Sam Cap thanks Herc for his help and offers him the chance to join them. For Ms. Marvel, Mile Morales, and Nova, having grown disillusioned with the schism and morals that have split the hero community, have left the team to form their own (the Champions!) Herc accepts as the team leaves for their appt at Parker Industries HQ. At the former Baxter Building, Peter offers the team housing, tech, and support, in some attempt to make amends for his role in the civil war. Nadia is skeptical of Peter's offer and of Spider-Man (for it seems that spider and wasps don't get along). Peter offers the team usage of the top floors of the building, capped with all-exclusive skyline view of the city. Herc spots trouble, some kind of attack and the team leaves, with Peter as Spidey in tow. Upon arriving, the team is shocked to find Vision under attack from not only Kang but also his earlier temporal counterpart, the Scarlet Centurion! They seek to aid Vision but ultimately, Centurion gets the upper hand on Vision, damaging him enough to where Kang is able to download the information they need from him. The villains retreat while the team takes Vision back to the Baxter Building to heal him. There, they learn what Vision has done, gone back in time and stole the infant baby Kang as an attempt to thwart the Conqueror's assaults against the Avengers (as detailed in #13 of the last volume). Vision hid the baby, forcing Kang and the Centurion into trying to locate him. But Vision had a backup plan, he had downloaded the baby's location off of him so the info that Kang had gotten from him is useless. Sam Cap is distraught over Vision taking this action without consulting any of them but is determined to see it through now. Meanwhile, Kang realizes the truth, that Vision has hidden the knowledge of the location. Tracking his recent past timeline, the pair see where Vision downloaded the info and retrieve it. But before retrieving the baby, the pair decide to retaliate against the team for this action in the only proper way. In the present, while deciding on their next course of action, Sam starts feeling cold and odd, as if someone had 'just walked over his grave'. We then see in the past, as Kang and Centurion track down and seemingly kill the current members of the team as babies or young kids! Back in the present, the team dissolves as their past has been erased! This was a decent start to this volume. I'm glad that Waid picked up on previous plot threads from the last volume and the interaction between the members was good (especially the tension and barbs between Peter and Nadia). Admittedly, I haven't been reading the main Civil War II so I don't quite know what Peter is making amends for but the sight of the Avengers now residing at the Baxter Building is interesting. My only slight is Mike Del Mundo's art. It's certainly unique and eye-catching but depending on your particular tastes, it can require some getting used to.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Nov 16, 2016 18:22:15 GMT -5
#15...This is The End, my only friend, The End.
This last issue of this latest volume (or season considering how one wishes to view Marvel's publishing model these days), finds the Lady Thor contemplating her acceptance and possible role in meting out predictive justice through Ulysses' visions. She seeks out advice from Heimdall, whom is able to see both the present and future.
Heimdall confesses that she is not the first Thor to seek such advice. He then relates a tale of the early Avengers (Thor, Cap, Iron Man, Giant Man, Wasp). Through his munitions contacts, Tony learns of a new devastating war weapon created by a new threat, Doctor Doom, who plans to use this weapon to annex a neighboring country of Latveria for their unique mineral resource. While the FF may have gotten the better of Doom recently, Tony is confident the Avengers can take this new threat out while Cap believes they can use a legal loophole to come to the aid of this poor country. Hank and Janet think they are overstepping their bounds and authority by getting involved in a international incident.
Thor, needing assurance, takes the team to Asgard to ask Heimdall to look into the future about this conflict, who ultimately says that while the Avengers will win this battle, they will lose the war. Heedless of this potential fate, the team asks Heimdall to transport them to the battlefield.
Once there, the team works out their doubts through battle, quickly giving this country's harried forces a chance against Doom, his army, and his weapon. Finally, the team, through teamwork, is able to destroy this new dangerous weapon but in doing so, they played right into Doom's plans. Doom rigged his weapon with a fail-safe that upon destruction, would release a reaction that would destroy any and all of the unique mineral of this country. Since the majority of this country's economy was based on this mineral, they are facing imminent financial collapse. In the end, the country has no choice but to ask Latveria to intercede and annex them in order to stave off collapse. Heimdall's vision came true...
...which is what he offers the Lady Thor, trust in her own judgement and wisdom in these matters. More buoyed, the Lady Thor departs back to Earth.
Again, Waid provides a unique insight into this new conflict dividing the superhero community through some terrific characterization with the early Avengers. Frankly, after all the Secret Wars event, it was great reading an old-style Doctor Doom again. His fight and witted barbs against Cap was terrific.
And so ends the latest volume, onto to the next...
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Post by Marvel Boy on Nov 16, 2016 17:55:37 GMT -5
Hello to all newcomers!
I'm one of the newer members, probably one of the few, if not the only one, who reads the current Avengers title(s). I caught onto the team (and Marvel in general) way back in the early 80s, have a fondness for them and their history and I'm still willing to see what Marvel does with them currently (especially after the success of the MCU). Some of it good, some of it...not so good.
SW asked a good question, what current titles (if any) are members reading?
My current Marvel reading list is thus:
The main Avengers title Mighty Thor Unworthy Thor Invincible Iron Man Infamous Iron Man Amazing Spider-Man (along with current event Clone Conspiracy) Spider-Man Renew Your Vows Extraordinary X-Men Uncanny X-Men All-New X-Men (along with current event Death of X) Daredevil Champions
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Post by Marvel Boy on Sept 29, 2016 13:07:18 GMT -5
#14, the second of our Civil War II tie-ins...
....Waid shows a different perspective on this moral debate here through Nadia Pym. Her and Jarvis are still visiting with Janet van Dyne when they see on the news about the recent split forming among the superhero community over the Inhuman Ulysses' visions. Janet is concerned over this but Nadia reacts more strongly, clearly upset as she feels that superheroes, representing the best of humanity, should be above this type of quarrel and dissent.
She decides that the best way to solve this is to solve the source of the problem, Ulysses' visions. Thus, she shrinks, retreating into a lab that she has built within the Microverse that is stored within a jewel of a necklace that she wears. Concerned over her reactions, Janet quickly follows.
Even it's only been a few minutes since she followed Nadia, time flows differently within the Microverse so Janet finds Nadia in her lab, gleefully excited though tired after working for nearly a week on her latest invention, a device that supposedly alters probability, an effect she hopes will strengthen the accuracy of Ulysses' vision and thus halt the heroes' indecision over whether to trust him or not. Janet is shocked and starts to talk Nadia out of this idea when the device starts overloading. Janet barely has time to rescue both herself and Nadia before the device explodes, taking most of the lab with it.
In the aftermath, Janet tells Nadia that problems such as this have no scientific solution, it's a human problem and that, for better or worse, it needs to play itself out to it's resolution. If Nadia wants to be part of this community, she needs to accept this consideration. Nadia reluctantly agrees.
Later, Jarvis marvels over how much Nadia resembles Hank in her thinking. He's fearful that she may end up making similar mistakes as her father did. Janet doesn't believe so (even though she agrees with Jarvis that the less she knows of Hank's previous faults, the better off she may be). She feels that Nadia's optimism and genius will be an asset to herself and to the overall superhero community and thus she may not fall victim to her father's darker obsessions. In short, Janet believes that Nadia can become 'unstoppable'...
So far in these issues, Waid has shown the personal effects of this split on members of the team, foregoing any real debate on the justification of following Ulysses' visions. Previously, Vision sought out Ulysses for his own reasons and here, Nadia seeks to help him become more accurate and thus halt this moral debate which she sees as the bigger picture here. Jeff Robinson was co-writer of this issue. He's also the upcoming writer for Nadia's new solo title so this was a nice way to set up some of the foundation for that. I'm kinda interested now to see how she does in her new title.
Overall, another solid solo story from Waid. Up next, what the Lady Thor thinks of this new crisis...
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Post by Marvel Boy on Sept 8, 2016 19:40:46 GMT -5
#13, the first of our upcoming Civil War tie-ins...
....finds the Vision at a logical crossroads. Having been corrupted and manipulated by Kang twice recently, Vision has decided something must be done. Kang's ability to time-travel and manipulate it gives him a huge advantage towards attacking the Avengers at their lowest points and frankly, Vision is tired of being on the defensive when it comes to his assaults.
Vision seeks out Ulysses, the Inhuman precog whose fueling the current moral debate between our heroes. He wants his insight into the age-old question concerning precog justice; If you could, would you kill Hitler as a baby?
Ulysses is taken aback by this question but Vision has reached a logical conclusion, to save the lives of millions, Kang as a baby must die.
But where or when to find such a child? To start off, Vision supercharges himself with solar energy, power he uses when he infiltrates the old Baxter Building (now the HQ of Parker Industries) and finds one of Reed's old time machine platforms. Charging it, Vision travels back to ancient Egypt, where he knows he'll find Kang when he first started out as Rama-Tut. Hoping to find his time machine without being discovered (and causing a paradox), Vision is surprised when a shadow being attacks him in his search. The being is unaffected by Vision's intangibility so he has to resort to his diamond-hard skin and strength to prevail. During the fight, Vision stumbles across Rama-Tut's time machine, when the shadow being retreats. Puzzled, Vision accesses the craft's systems, learning the exact date of Rama-Tut's departure from the future. Vision disappears into the timestream.
He arrives in the future a week before Kang sets out, finding him planning his journey. Vision seeks to learn more of his origin and birth covertly when suddenly the same shadow being attacks him again! There's no hiding now as the attack grows violent, forcing Kang to seek out his combat helmet and activate his warsuit. This inspires Vision, who reaches the helmet first and puts it on. From the computer memory installed, Vision learns of Kang's true origin point and vanishes back into the timestream.
Vision appears 22 years earlier, in the nursery room of a young couple, watching a baby Kang softly sleeping in his crib. Though his logic dictates that killing Kang will save lives, Vision wrestles with the emotional conflict of killing a child. When suddenly the shadow being appears again, only he doesn't attack Vision this time. Instead, he tells Vision that he's been protecting him and making sure he achieves this very goal. All of his attacks so far have allowed Vision the opportunity to reach this very room. To wit, the shadow being tells him that logic cannot give him a firm conclusive answer for logic doesn't know the whole truth.
The shadow being leans in and whispers a secret to Vision, something that will echo through history to affect the Avengers. Soon, Kang's mom comes up to his room and cries out. His father arrives to see that their baby is gone, vanished into thin air. They will file a missing person's report but will never know that a synthezoid from the 21st century kidnapped their child nor with whom that synthezoid has left their child in their keeping....
This was a very good story, Waid taking this nominal tie-in with this year's main event and using it to explore impacts and consequences of previous stories. Vision seeks a measure of vengeance for how Kang manipulated him and yet also wants to save the countless lives that have suffered from Kang's despotic reign. He knows that he may end up causing numerous and perhaps endless paradoxes from taking out Kang but Vision struggles throughout this issue with this dichotomy of conflict, logic vs. emotion. The surprise twist at the end seems in fashion with Marvel's methods of late (yet ANOTHER secret to wonder about) but still in this case, Waid has done well with this character-driven installment.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Aug 6, 2016 20:42:52 GMT -5
The shine is starting to wear off.
Bendis' second story arc has come to a close and I have to wonder what the point of it all was. It seems a group of 'biohack' ninjas was tracking Madame Masque, intent on the object she stole from Stark. Tony fends off these ninjas and with help from Rhodey, sets off to investigate this new threat.
In Japan, they find the group is run by a new Inhuman, an Asian woman who calls herself the Tech Golem. Her ability allows her to manipulate electronics and armor. She handles both Rhodey and Tony and almost succeeds in killing both. However, Tony uses that moment to fake his death and go undercover as a rogue former SHIELD agent in order to infiltrate the Golem's group. Tony's absence is felt over the weeks as his Board of Directors grows increasingly concerned over his absence. Only the actions of his new Executive Assistant, Mary Jane, and the AI Friday are able to keep them at bay.
Meanwhile, Tony may be getting close to finding out what the Golem is up to but Rhodey feels the situation is growing more dire. In the end, he calls in the Avengers to take down the Golem while rescuing Tony. Tony is safe but SHIELD nabs the wrong person in the end. The Tech Golem, and her goals, vanish into the wind.
So at the end of this six-odd issue arc, we have no more resolution than we did when we started. We still don't know why this group was after Madame Masque, we still don't know what she stole from Tony nor why. The only seeming importance here was the introduction of Riri Williams, an engineering student whose managed to retro-engineer a suit of proto-IM armor and sets out to become a 'hero'. Her initial efforts are faltering of course.
The movies' effects are plainly obvious. Imagine Downey Jr's voice while reading the dialogue and Bendis has written a near-perfect imitation of movie Tony. For some odd reason, while Tony was undercover, he was using biotech to disguise himself in which he resembled Luke Perry of all people. But Bendis' usual predilection for failing to resolve various plot lines has left me less enthused for what's up next, a Civil War II tie-in which is sure to be all-encompassing seeing as how Bendis is the main author of the event.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Aug 6, 2016 20:23:54 GMT -5
Okay, a bit behind here so I'll sum up the previous three issues #10-12.
Our heroes accompany Sam out into the reaches of space to help in his search for his true father. Soon, they are dragged off-course when they have to make an emergency landing on an alien planet where they discover many other ships have crashed, all due to a large tower whose energy weapon brings down ships and prevents off-world rescue. They also find these alien crews struggling to survive as they fear a storm that occurs once a day, every day.
Sure enough, the storm breaks and the Avengers are trying to stop it or at least save as many aliens from it as possible. When, they discover to their surprise, the storm is actually a portal between dimensions and our heroes are sucked into it only to find themselves stranded in the Negative Zone at the mercy of Annihilus!
It seems that Annihilus has discovered a way to open a portal between our universes using a pair of Nega-Bands (Yes, THOSE Nega-Bands). He wears one while it's pair is used as the power source for the tower on the alien planet. He is gathering the alien crash survivors as labor to work on his newest weapon of destruction which he plans to use against our dimension. Kamala, Miles, and Sam are able to break free, leading a slave revolt while Tony, Sam, and a weakened Vision ascertain how Annihilus is doing all of this so they can escape the Zone. Things seem to go their way as they are able to fend off Annihilus long enough (and steal his Nega-Band) to open a portal back home. Everyone gets back only for Sam to realize that Miles isn't with them. He's still trapped by himself in the Zone with Annihilus!
Next comes up some nifty trickery utilizing the switching ability of the Nega-Bands (Vision disabled the tower, acquiring it's pair). Using teamwork, they are able to stave off Annhilus, rescue Miles, and even destroy his newest weapon. But their ship is disabled and after repairing it, have to make for back home to Earth instead of continuing their search. Though not without spreading a message across the populace of crash survivors as they are rescued as well, Vision asks them all to be on the lookout for Sam's father and inform the Avengers of Earth should anyone spot him.
MEANWHILE, Nadia is still bonding with Janet who, apparently, is still active as the Wasp too as Nadia helps her in her latest mission. Then Janet wants to spend quality time with her, namely a day of shopping and dining. Nadia believed that Janet would be upset or offended by her or her actions but Janet seems content with her, asking that she simply not bring shame upon the name and tech of the Wasp as it is her father's creation.
Up next, Civil War II intervenes but as any good writer will do with a forced crossover, Waid intends to spend the next few issues focusing on specific characters and their current situations.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Jul 19, 2016 9:55:47 GMT -5
Okay, so I finally decided to try out the Bob Harras run. This run occurred after I had stopped reading the title circa #337. But the information I read about his run in the first Assembled book piqued my interest, especially in connection with Dane Whitman who is probably my favorite Avenger who's never had a long running solo title.
I know that Harras' first real issue was #343 however I elected to start with #350. Immediately after #343 was Galactic Storm, a crossover that I've never read and which I'd rather read in it's entirety rather than just these specific chunks. I do know that the team's fractured decision to kill the Supreme Intelligence has lasting consequences throughout Harras' run. (Also, I'm given to understand that #348 is something of a milestone on the Vision's path to perhaps regaining his emotions).
#350-351 finds two members of the Starjammers, Raza and Hepzibah, taking a Kree soldier's contract to assassinate Dane for his killing of the Supreme Intelligence. I quite liked this two-parter, especially Raza's guilt over how he was deceived into doing this and the lengths that Carol Danvers went to calm the friction between the two groups once the Avengers realized what was going on. The sword fight between experienced warriors such as Raza and Dane was good though Dane sustains a wound that lingers and hinders him for quite a few issues after this as he recovers. I also liked the brewing love triangle between Dane, Crystal and Sersi.
Epting's art is quite good here along with the stalwart inking of Tom Palmer. #350 is a flip book, containing a reprint of #53 where the team faces of against the original X-Men under the sway of Magneto. That was nice, never read that story and it was fun.
#352-354 was a fill-in story from Len Kaminski and MC Wyman. The Grim Reaper gains vast supernatural powers from a being that is a giant hand with eyes on its' fingertips and a large mouth in it's palm. (Have to admit, both times we see this being, it was on double-page spreads which only increased how unsettling it looks to me).
He then sets about to lure our heroes into a trap with the intention of killing them in revenge for what they did to him. Kaminski does some nice characterization here as the team battles through undead hordes. Hercules recounts how this adventure reminds him of previous ones, Crystal is shocked and stunned by the zombies' very nature and actions, Sersi is perplexed. Things reach a fervor pitch when Reaper manages to revive the undead forms of former villains/associates who died at the hands of the Avengers, ranging from the first Red Guardian to Nefaria to the Nebulon Man. This undead Legion has our heroes on the ropes when the Vision manages to convince Reaper that his memories of past events is in error. This leads to his losing control of the zombie horde who then turn on him. Then the Giant Hand being returns for Reaper's failure.
While Wyman's art lacks a certain finesse, I thought Kaminski's story was solid and creepy.
#355-356 sees the return of Harras, Epting, and Palmer and another appearance of Proctor and his Gatherers. This overall story line with them is another aspect of Harras' run that I found interesting upon reading of it in the Assembled book. These issues didn't fail to deliver on that interest.
Swordsman is the wild card here, the newest convert of Proctor's. Magdalene, the Lady Cassandra and Sloth appear to be formidable foes while the Proctor's goals remain mysterious. I thought it was an extremely nice touch that the focus of this appearance was Coal Tiger who is based on the early designs by Kirby for Black Panther. His sacrifice to save his counterpart Black Panther was enough to cause the growing doubt within Swordsman over what the Gatherers true goals are to fully blossom.
I also think it's interesting seeing how the team has moved on past the schism caused by Galactic Storm. Cap's leaving over the moral questioning and later action is huge but Black Widow seems capable of marching on while Dane has assumed for the most part the de facto role of team leader. And he's doing quite a good job at it from all appearances. Now if he just can figure out what do about Crystal and Sersi.
So far, rather impressed with Harras' run.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Jul 19, 2016 9:03:07 GMT -5
From what I've seen so far, Janet is alive and well, apparently still superheroing. Jarvis took the new Wasp, Nadia, to meet her stepmother for the first time in ANAD Avengers #10. Janet was leaving on an emergency call and took Nadia with her. So maybe Janet will become some form of mentor to her?
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Post by Marvel Boy on Jul 14, 2016 17:30:00 GMT -5
Further updates - Some of Marvel's NOW titles were leaked online recently so they went ahead and confirmed these via their Previews catalog. Avengers #1 - Waid continues on the current main title. Vision, Lady Thor, SamCap, the new Wasp, Hercules (armed) and I'm unsure of who the other (new?) character is. (Also the new Wasp is getting her own title, the Unstoppable Wasp) Occupy Avengers So far, little is known about the focus or intent of this title other than Clint Barton seems to be one of, if not the primary, character(s) of it. It's noteworthy that over in his own solo title, Kate Bishop takes over as Hawkeye. (Of course, Clint's recent actions in Civil War II influence his appearance here but more on that in a moment). Uncanny Avengers will apparently carry on as normal. On the solo side, Captain Marvel is getting a restart, Unworthy Thor will focus on Thor Odinson and apparently, Riri will have competition for the mantle of Iron Man as the newly reborn Victor Von Doom steps up to 'succeed where Stark failed' as he will star in Infamous Iron Man. Myself, I'm intrigued by the new Spider-Man title, Renew Your Vows in which Peter & MJ are back together, this title being written By Gerry Conway. As for what Clint has been doing, be forewarned for SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! The first death incurred in Civil War II was Rhodey, War Machine. Next, the Inhuman prophet Ulysses had a vision of the Hulk on a rampage, apparently killing several heroes/Avengers. The question is, was that Banner or the new current Hulk, Amadeus Cho? Both sides set out to track down Banner, who has been sequestered in a lab, apparently having been cured of being the Hulk by Cho some months ago. He is still running tests and experiments to make sure the Hulk is gone but becomes agitated when confronted over these accusations of something that hasn't even happened yet. Tensions mount and just when it seems that Banner may indeed hulk out, he is killed, shot between the eyes by an arrow fired by Clint! He defends his actions by saying that he had an arrangement with Banner to do just this if it ever appeared that the Hulk would arise again. He even produces a video account of Banner's wishes in this regard. Still, Clint is held over for trial by Tony and the others for this murder while Tony begins to realize the true nature of Ulysses' power.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Jul 7, 2016 19:50:20 GMT -5
The other big hoopla news of late was the release of Steve Roger's new Captain America title. The first issue caused quite a stir with the last page reveal of a hidden loyalty/agenda of Steve, which looking back on the character's long history and success, makes little to no sense. The following issue hints that this switch may in fact be due in some fashion to the machinations of a Cosmic Cube.
Still, whether this was done for shock value or not, it put me off the title. I've never been the biggest reader of Cap and based on the prior previews of this title, I was rather looking forward to reading it. The main story throughout #1 was decent however the last surprise reveal just totally took me out of the book. To the point where, in spite of it's causes, I didn't care about reading anymore of it. It may have been a case concerning, of all the plot ideas you can have for Cap, this was the more prominent? (Of course, I think it also ties into my underlying theory of Marvel trying to inject more elements from their media ventures into the books. Or has Bucky always look like Sebastian Stan and I've never noticed?)
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Post by Marvel Boy on Jul 7, 2016 19:34:52 GMT -5
Marvel's latest event, Civil War II will apparently have a long-term effect on the MU and the Avengers (all of them) aren't exempt from the consequences. For those not reading the event, it pertains to Ulysses, a new Inhuman who has the ability of precognition. His visions of future crimes, attacks and such lead to a moral division between our heroes over how best to handle these prophetic sights, especially after one of their own is killed by apparent inaction from not preventing one of his visions. This new division will be the genesis of a new initiative of titles ala Marvel NOW! To start with, we have: The US Avengers, apparently spinning out of the current New Avengers title. Members consist of Sunspot, Cannonball, Squirrel Girl, Red Hulk, Pod, a new Iron Patriot and Luke and Jessica Cage's daughter, Danielle who is a Captain America from the future. US AvengersNo, you're not seeing things. We're getting a brand-new Great Lakes Avengers title featuring such classic members as Flatman and Mr. Immortal. Indications would suggest this title will be more light-hearted and possibly a comedic title. Great Lakes AvengersAn old team gets new members when the Champions are reborn. Kamala, Sam, and Miles quit the Avengers, forming their own group along with Teen Cyclops, Amadeus Cho Hulk, and Vizz, the Vision's 'daughter' from his current title. It remains to be seen what this may mean for the current ANAD Avengers title. ChampionsAlso of note, a new character, Riri Williams (whose made her first appearance in the Invincible Iron Man title) will take over being Iron Man. What this means for Tony Stark is also unclear at this point.
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Post by Marvel Boy on May 17, 2016 18:19:54 GMT -5
The last two issues being tie-ins with Standoff, we pick up with #9....
....where we find our heroes having some form of downtime after Pleasant Hill, Jarvis is trying to clean up around their new HQ, the Hanger. This is disrupted however by a sudden attack on the facility. The team tries to respond but can't quite detect who (or where) their foe is located. The attack suddenly stops as quickly as it began and Vision starts acting weird as well.
They do detect a new arrival, a mini someone who reveals herself to be the new Wasp. She says that she is stepdaughter of Janet Van Dyne which immediately stirs the fires of outrage of Jarvis who accosts her. Tony's attention is split between this revelation and how Vision has suddenly become immobile. The new Wasp goes on to say that she is the daughter of Hank and his first wife, Maria. Tony and Jarvis concur that, should this be true, she would be about the right age but Tony can't see how Hank wouldn't know that Maria was ever pregnant.
The new Wasp (Nadia) says that she doesn't recall her birth parents much, only a man with a red star on his shoulder (Bucky) who took her. She was then raised and trained in the Red Room till her talents for science appeared. She eventually was able to study, break down, and reproduce a Pym particle and escaped. Learning of her parentage, she assumed the identity of Wasp, hoping to live up to her parents' legacy.
Meanwhile, Vision is becoming more and more erratic, apparently suffering from a type of temporal breakdown (as it was his solar beams that caused the initial attack on the Hanger, having been fired in the future and traveled to the past). Having been recently controlled by Kang, Miles theorizes that this may a lingering effect from Kang's control. Eventually, Wasp is able to help save Vision by deactivating the leftover Kang tech, adamant about not wanting to lose this member of her 'family'.
Later, Jarvis intends on introducing Nadia to her family (the implication is Janet is still alive) while Vision starts planning to make sure Kang never uses him in this fashion (twice now) ever again.
Meanwhile, Nova contacts Tony, saying that he is going to absent for awhile as he is heading back into space to find and rescue his father. Tony offers him the team's help.....
It's a quick info dump on this new Wasp and she's willing and able. Frankly, I didn't know Hank had been married before Janet but leave it to a Silver Age comics geek like Waid to make use of that factoid. It'll be interesting to see how she fits in among the other members, both young and classic.
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Post by Marvel Boy on May 10, 2016 19:27:09 GMT -5
A fantastic film.
Excellent intros for Spider-Man and Black Panther. Every character gets a moment to shine. But what makes this film amazing to me is that the rift formed between Steve and Tony felt more real, more natural than anything put forth in such a measure within the comics.
Moral debates on accountability and responsibility are fine, everyone had their position and their reasons why. When Bucky's past action was revealed though, things became personal and the level of drama increased tenfold.
The airport fight scene was incredible almost like a classic Stan Lee-penned 'hero-vs-hero' fight come to life. For me though, the superior fight was the end scenes between Steve, Tony, and Bucky. That whole sequence was a gut-punch to watch.
Which is why I think Zemo was a great villain. Yeah, he may not have been in the classic comic version but his speech to T'Challa during that end fight was all the more damning. His motivations clear, his plan simple and elegant, his execution of it near-flawless. When he chastises Martin Freeman's character over did his plan really fail, I got chills. I hope we see more of him in the future.
With the culmination of ongoing plot threads from throughout this movie franchise, massive questions as to what is to come, and the high level of personal drama (especially at the end), this film became an instant classic for me, easily the best film Marvel has produced so far.
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Post by Marvel Boy on May 3, 2016 11:31:28 GMT -5
Standoff Omega #1....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....finds our two teams (the Unity Squad and Tony's Avengers) still trapped within Pleasant Hill. The fragments of the Cosmic Cube, the little girl Kubik, had done the same thing to our heroes that she did for all the villains imprisoned there, altered their memories and rewriting their lives into something else more normal.
In their individual titles tie-ins, we see how our heroes overcame this new diversion. Rogue, with her training and experience was the first to realize what was wrong and managed to help cure some of the others. With their memories restored but not their inherent powers, they were planning their next move when they were attacked by the revolting prisoners. Unable to truly fight back, some of them were being killed when Kubik, scared and upset over why they would be resistant to what she saw as a good change, arrived on-scene.
With help from Deadpool no less, Kubik learns the error of what's she done at the behest of SHIELD. She then reverts (and in some instances, restores) our heroes back to their true selves and flees. Our heroes repel the villains when they hear the rallying call of a newly revitalized Steve Rogers.
For it seems that in Kubik's change to Steve, she revitalized him (and frankly, now resembles Chris Evans a tad more too). With Sam and Bucky in tow, Steve rallies both groups together to rescue the hostages that Baron Zemo still holds and put down this criminal revolt and town.
Meanwhile, Zemo has had Kraven the Hunter tracking down Kubik, seeking to imprison her and use her power to his own end. Kraven succeeds, using the ploy of a birthday party no less in helping trap her. (Seriously, I never thought I would ever see Kraven wearing a birthday party hat). Bringing her back to Town Hall, Zemo attempts to revert her back into her true form of the a Cube.
With deft use of their abilities, the Avengers manage to rescue all the hostages from Zemo before launching their assault against the villains. Things appear to be going good when Graviton creates a massive shield to protect Zemo's inner core group as the transformation of Kubik is almost complete. Despairing of Zemo having access to such power, the Avengers feel they are incapable of breaking through Graviton's shield in time. The situation looks hopeless.
Meanwhile, SHIELD agent Avril Kincaid is searching through the public library of Pleasant Hill for an item that she's heard is being stored there (For it seems, SHIELD has also been using the town as a storehouse for some dangerous and powerful weapons & items as well). She encounters the head librarian who is willing to help her locate this item. She's shocked to realize that she doesn't know the true identity of the librarian. The librarian admits to her that as far as he knows, he's the only willing citizen of the town, having agreed to getting a new life from Maria Hill. He wanted to retire to a quiet life to reflect on his life and actions. As he retrieves this item, the librarian turns to Avril, revealing himself as Wendell Vaughn...and what he's holding for her are the Quantum Bands.
Things look even bleaker for the Avengers when a new hero arrives on scene that no one recognizes, it's Avril as the new Quasar. Still untested, she uses the Bands to luckily break through Graviton's shield. Our heroes renew their assault in time to see that Kubik has reasserted herself. Angry and distraught over how she's been manipulated, she teleports Zemo away. The rest of the remaining villains, seeing that the day is lost, make a run for it only to be caught up in SHIELD's heavy reinforcements.
The villains have been recaptured, Pleasant Hill has been closed yet Kubik has disappeared. But she hasn't gone far. The original members of the Thunderbolts have piqued her interest and she helped them to elude SHIELD recapture. Then, she approaches Bucky about helping them and herself to be better people.
Meanwhile, Steve and Sam agree to share the name of Captain America. Steve tracks down Rick Jones for he has a job for him. The World Security Council meet with Maria Hill over this whole fiasco. While she contends that this wasn't as bad as it could have been, the Council disagrees and basically put on a leash on her authority and power. She argues that this isn't the time for such tactics as they are unaware of the real dangers starting to emerge.
Switch to a scene somewhere in middle America as Sin and Crossbones discuss the future with the Red Skull who now seeks to rebuild a new HYDRA as a homegrown terrorist organization.
Throughout this, we hear Avril's inner monologue about the joy and wonder of seeing and working with the Avengers, the world's greatest heroes. She warns though that this time of cooperation and joy is just the calm before the storm as Civil War II is about to start and new lines will be drawn between our heroes....
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 16, 2016 17:15:56 GMT -5
Has anyone ever read Kirby's original Eternals series? Or the 12 issue maxi-series done by Gillis, Sal Buscema, and Simonson in the 80s?
My interest has been really piqued after a recent debate on the high merits of both this Kirby creation alongside his Fourth World.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 16, 2016 16:58:52 GMT -5
With Hiddleston? Man, I do think I'd retire Loki. They will never, ever replace Hiddleston's portrayal with someone that won't suffer in comparison. And interestingly. . . if they wanted to somehow revive the character in a few years, he could come back in female form! There's a precedent! HB They could get quite creative if they so choose. A female Loki would be daring (and fun). Steve could lose the serum and age to an old man. Thor may be a slight problem since he's basically immortal (or at least ages slower). Just as long as they don't bring in Teen Tony. There's no denying the actors' portrayals influencing the books though. The current young Loki running around Aaron's Thor title looks remarkably similar to Hiddleston. Read Bendis' current Iron Man title with Downey Jr's 'voice' as Tony and it's a near spot-on adaptation.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 4, 2016 19:01:24 GMT -5
In a recent interview, Tom Hiddleston teases that his upcoming role as Loki in the 'Thor:Ragnarok' film may be his last.
That got me wondering. There's been hints over the years of Downey Jr. leaving too. With these actors SO closely associated with these characters and beloved by fans (even I think Evans and Hemsworth by now), should they leave for whatever reason, should Marvel be bold and brash enough to recast those roles or perhaps retire the character(s) from the MCU in some way instead?
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 2, 2016 16:31:31 GMT -5
#7....
....tying into Standoff, we start off seeing Sam visiting Jane at the hospital. Their kiss still haunts them but Jane implies that it was more impulse than anything. Sam questions why she continues to change into Thor if doing so nullifies her chemo treatments. She replies that she feels as Thor, there are people that need her help. As Jane, her main purpose is to survive this cancer. Sam doesn't quite buy all of that reasoning, feeling that Jane subconsciously wants to die a warrior's death as Thor instead of wasting away from cancer. While he agrees to keep her identity secret, he vows that she won't undertake any suicide missions. He then departs, presumably to meet the Whisperer, Rick Jones.
Meanwhile, Kamala (Ms. Marvel) is having trouble in math class when she realizes that her teacher is actually Vision using a holographic disguise. Shocked, she meets him atop the roof where he tells her that he wants to make amends for the emotional damage she's suffered caused by his recent betrayals. And while that progress may be slow, he's there to offer a first step: a high-tech VR device. Through recorded footage and extensive usage of Avengers records, with it she's able to 'live' the history of the team from the very beginning as if she was a participant. Flattered, this moment ends when Tony suddenly summons the pair to help the rest of the team.
The team is facing off against an old foe that Tony has frankly forgotten, the Night Phantom. He's equally surprised to hear him ranting over being imprisoned and having his life stolen. Lady Thor manages to subdue him when Maria Hill arrives to take him into custody. Sam calls Tony and tells him what's he learned of Pleasant Hill. Confronting Maria about it, she agrees to take the team there.
Upon arriving, they see the Unity Squad atop a hill overlooking the town...along with another Maria. Confused, Tony starts to question their Maria when, as she's piloting their craft, Maria suddenly opens fire upon the Unity Squad. Seeing Tony's team as unauthorized upstarts, they need little motivation to attack so Cable orders Quicksilver and Rogue to take out the craft. Flying them aboard, Rogue seeks to gain control as Pietro starts to quickly knock them out. Lady Thor counters and as result, the craft spins out of control, crashing into the hilltop.
Tony and the others emerge carrying Quicksilver and Rogue. They don't want to fight but the Unity Squad gives them little choice but to defend themselves. Then suddenly it starts to snow. Then both teams notice a new force field erected over the town. Stopping their brawl, they attempt to combine forces in breaching this field to no avail.
Our vantage point pulls back as we realize why it's snowing and the nature of the force field; both teams have become trapped in a snowglobe being held and shaken by Kubik, the little cosmic girl. A bright light grows within the globe....
...and as it dies, we see Tony, in mechanic overalls, working in a garage on a car. He asks for assistance from his help, Miles also dressed in overalls. Miles reluctantly does, complaining over having a headache (as we see the familiar tingles of a spidey sense over his head). Outside of town, the Welcome to Pleasant Hill sign changes. The population number increases by the same number of members of both teams.....
While some titles included in this Standoff event may be read separately, Avengers and Uncanny Avengers seem to be crossing over with each other. Like all talented writers should do, Waid takes a crossover event and manages to include his own subplot points, making for another solid issue. Adam Kubert handles the art here well.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 1, 2016 20:08:30 GMT -5
I was just about done writing the latest review for #7 when my finger nudged a key by accident. Next thing I know, my screen backs out to the main board and I lost everything I just wrote. And the wife just informed me that supper is ready.
*sigh*
Be back in a bit. :lol:
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 12, 2016 18:21:26 GMT -5
Anyone catch the new trailer with a certain web-head in it?
Still looks amazing.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 12, 2016 18:20:21 GMT -5
Avengers #6..... ......features a nice riff cover by Alex Ross, imitating the classic cover of #57 Mr. Gryphon is indeed Kang or rather, a splinter of him. Something's happened (Bendis' 'Time is broken' again?) that has caused Kang to become splintered amongst his past and future selves. Gryphon is trapped in the 21st century and something is preventing him from leaving (though he can still manipulate objects and other people through time). His supporting these previous villains that the Avengers have fought have been efforts for him to rebuild his dynasty in the present (though he freely admits that these efforts won't bear fruit for centuries to come). He aided Warbringer in discovering the ancient Chitauri artifact because it had the ability to manipulate time as well as space. But after the Avengers destroyed the artifact, Gryphon devised a new plan and realized he needed an insider on the team to achieve his goal. Thus he managed to implant hidden protocols in Vision's computer brain back in Avengers #0 and that's why Vision is currently helping him. That goal? To gain access to Mjolnir, which is currently laying on the ground having been separated from Lady Thor by Vision's attack that propelled her and SamCap into one of Gryphon's future portals. Gryphon wants to access the hammer's ability to travel time. Meanwhile, Nova is consoling Ms. Marvel, admitting that he too was booted from the team in trying to defend her and expose Vision. He admits to her that he thought Warbringer had come back to Earth for him and how Vision was blackmailing him over it. Realizing the team is in danger whether they know it or not, the pair race off to rejoin the team. Only to find them still under assault by future versions of Equinox and now from the Vision himself. Meanwhile, SamCap recovers a recently changed back Jane Foster (whom he recognizes). She's frail because of the cancer but Sam has a plan. Gryphon's portal only projected them into the future by a few days and since Jane is the only one worthy of lifting Mjolnir, the hammer is still laying where she dropped it! Carrying her, Sam flies, seeing Mjolnir but before Jane can retrieve it, Sam is blasted by more Equinoxes. Back in the now, Tony manages to dupe Vision into making contact with his armor, allowing him the chance to download a reboot of Vision's programming directly into him. Miles enacts a clever plan to take care of Equinox. He fakes changing sides to Kang's and 'attacks' Ms. Marvel and Nova. The future clones don't flinch because they 'remember' this but the present-day Equinox does flinch because he's caught by surprise by the move. Singling him out, Miles decks him and when he passes out, all the future Equinoxes vanish! The team, with a newly reformed Vision, turn their attention to Gryphon, when they are joined by Lady Thor and SamCap! Jane just barely managed to retrieve the hammer and returned the pair to the present. The paradox of two Mjolnirs existing at the same time causes Gryphon pain and he launches a paradox assault on the team (causing them to fluctuate between their past and present selves) when the Vision, angered by his betrayal attacks him. This leaves Lady Thor the chance to unleash a powerful attack. Picking up the other Mjolnir, she slams both hammers together, causing a massive time wave that 'blows' Gryphon away. Afterwards, Vision is ashamed on his actions and while thankful to the others for restoring him, he leaves for solace. Miles advises Lady Thor to leave the other Mjolnir laying there so in the future, she and Cap can find it there. (Cool, eh?) Tony is concerned, fearing that if Kang is able to sway Vision like that in the past, whose to say he can't do it to any of the others? He asks Sam about Lady Thor but Sam protects Jane's identity. At the end, he shows up at Jane's latest chemo treatment, wanting to know to why she wants to protect her identity. Wow, a terrific issue. Full of timey-wimey stuff and some great character moments (from the kids to Sam and Jane and their bonding may be part of the foundation of the upcoming Civil War II). My only quibble, I thought Mjolnir's ability to travel time had been siphoned off, especially as shown in Avengers Forever. Either way, another strong issue.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 3, 2016 13:48:35 GMT -5
It goes on. . . Hawkhawk vs. Silversilver. . . HB Or is that Silverhawk vs. Hawksilver? If that's the case, this looks like a job for ThunderCat HO!!!!!!!!!
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 3, 2016 13:45:05 GMT -5
Standoff Welcome to Pleasant Hill Alpha #1.....
.......I'm giving you the choice to opt out of this if you don't want spoilers.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LAST CHANCE! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alright then!
As with the opening solo shot, Bucky is investigating a secretive SHIELD program that purported to use fragments of various Cosmic Cubes to rearrange reality into a more orderly form. With the help of a mysterious hacker known as The Whisperer, FalconCap helped to expose this program to the public. As the head of the Civilian Oversight committee for SHIELD, Steve watched as Maria Hill, as part of an apology public tour, destroyed the fragments.
Except she didn't.
She simply changed the focus of the program from large scale to small scale.
This is where Pleasant Hill comes into play. Pleasant Hill was set up as the idyllic perfect American hometown, with good neighbors, vibrant shops and streets, and NO CRIME. It's also a prison for some of the worst super-villains around.
Y'see, the various Cube fragments did something unexpected but natural for the fragements, they merged, forming a new consciousness. However, because the fragments came from different Cubes that were used for differing purposes, the new consciousness was divided. It assumed a form most representative of it's confused state, that of a small girl which SHIELD later named Kubik.
When a recently captured super-villain is brought before Kubik, she 'sees' the inherent goodness inside all people and reasserts that goodness within the villain, altering their nature and identity. The newly reformed villain is then given a new life and identity in Pleasant Hill, a solution that Hill sees as beneficial to all.
But things begin coming undone when an accident involving the Fixer (of the Thunderbolts) restores his previous memories. He then begins a clandestine operation in restoring the memories of the other townspeople. He hits the jackpot with the newest inmate who turns out be Baron Zemo!
Meanwhile, The Whisperer and Bucky both realize that Hill never shut down the secret program. They don't know what she's doing, but they know where she's doing it. Steve Rogers has been chasing after Bucky, who in learning these secrets has attacked several SHIELD bases. Afraid of why Bucky is doing what's he doing, Steve eventually meets up with Bucky, who explains his theory about the program.
FalconCap learns of the secret too when the Whisperer wants to meet him in person to tell him. Sam is surprised to learn the Whisperer is actually Rick Jones! Both men turn Steve and Sam onto Pleasant Hill.
Sam calls in his Avengers team on his way to investigate the town. Forcing the issue, Hill takes Steve to Pleasant Hill, showing him all the work they've accomplished. Naturally, Steve thinks this is an abomination, worse forcing a little girl into being their unwitting cosmic weapon. But Steve's arrival in town gives Zemo and his forces (which now includes other former Thunderbolts Moonstone and the Trapster) the opportunity to escape. Nitro blows up City Hall (with Hill and Steve inside) as the villains start to riot. Steve calls in the Unity Squad and Zemo and his gang enter the shattered remains of City Hall.....
I'm not the biggest Hill fan, but I like her sass and attitude here as she tells Steve about the town. It's as if she's pleased to have been caught doing something that she feels the Director of SHIELD should be doing. Of course, she thinks all will be fine and it literally blows up in her face.
This would seemingly be one of the causes behind the upcoming revival of the original Thunderbolts line-up. It's great seeing Rick Jones again and the reasoning behind his newly acquired hacking skills (and how that ties all the way back to how he helped found the Avengers) was a nice touch.
So far, this event is turning out to be better than I first thought.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Feb 23, 2016 17:22:34 GMT -5
So the shorthand for talking to YellowScarletSilverJacket would be YSSJ? Cool.
Knight Vision (aha!)
Hellbeast
Warfox
Rageclaw
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Post by Marvel Boy on Feb 23, 2016 17:11:53 GMT -5
On her part, Jane is aware of the danger and consequences. She knows full well that the efforts to save and cure her are being nullified by the magic. The offer has been made for the healers of Asgard to tend to her fully but she declines for fear that they will discover her connection. I think she feels that if Thor is no longer able to carry out his responsibilities, then it's up to her to fulfill them because Mjolnir chose her, not anyone else. Plenty tried to lift Mjolnir, even Odin, but they all failed. So, feeling so chosen, Jane may feel an obligation to fill Thor's role, even if it's killing her.
It's also an indication of Aaron's subtle alterations to the mythos, the idea that Mjolnir, due to the ancient magic, may be more sentient than first thought. So it may not just be the judgement of a person's innate worthiness, but also a personal choice of the hammer itself.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Feb 23, 2016 17:03:46 GMT -5
Being worthy seems to be a subjective point of view. In two of the examples you list, I can see where, under some form of mind control, Thor may consider his goals and actions to still be 'worthy' thus he can still wield Mjolnir against his teammates.
However, your last example may be an indication of the subtle changes Aaron has been introducing. Previously, the idea may have been that Odin's spell allowed the hammer to judge the inherent worthiness and nobility of someone to wield. That's why you can have Beta Ray Bill, Eric Masterson, Steve, able to lift the hammer.
Aaron has been suggesting that Mjolnir is now more sentient that first believed, that over the ages, the magic has evolved and changed. To the point where now Odin himself cannot lift nor even command the hammer. So this subtle change may be (in) part of the reason behind Thor suddenly becoming unworthy after Fury whispered in his ear. It's perplexing, for if Nick whispered something concerning an action Thor took in the past, then the question is, how and why did the hammer not be aware of this before now?
Aaron swears that he knows what Fury whispered to Thor to cause this and that it will be revealed at some point.
But right now, it appears the mechanics of being 'worthy' have evolved along with the hammer itself.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Feb 21, 2016 19:02:38 GMT -5
Moon Witch!
Captain Wonder!
Hawk Man (oh wait, wrong company!)
Doctor America!
Spiderbird!
Ms. Justice!
The Scarlet Knight!
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