Young and Old - Batman Beyond 2.0 volume 1 - Rewired

 

Review:

This collection of three Terry McGinnis Batman tales from the Beyond universe shows some pleasing storytelling depth on the part of Kyle Higgins.

The first multi part narrative tells the story of Rewire and his assault on Neo Gotham, including freeing the inmates of the newly opened Arkham Institute. This is the least compelling of the stories in this collection, unfortunately; a fairly standard Hero-vs-Gang-of-Villains pot-boiler. The new and therefore unknown villain Rewire kills the mayor through mysterious and remote means, then frees all the Institute's inmates and challenges an exhausted Batman to an isolated confrontation. The highlight, as captured right on the cover of this collection, is the Beyond-era appearance of old-school Batman,  Robin, Nightwing and BatGirl to battle our Batman.

This weak opener is followed by a much stronger Man-Bat tale, as author Kyle Higgins hits his stride with this complex, nuanced story. Kirk Langstrom, stuck in Man-Bat form but with his full human intellect, takes city workers hostage and demands a rare mineral for his device that will give all Man-Bats the same human faculties and self-awareness that he has managed for himself. Packed with loads and layers of relationship drama between Dick, Terry, Bruce and Kirk, this is a rich and moving tale. It leads to a tragic final twist as Kirk / Man-Bat struggles with the memory of his beloved wife and what he has become.

Tucked into the end is another beautiful if brief chapter of the aged and grey Dick / Nightwing and Barbara / Batgirl reflecting on what might have been. If only decisions had been different, and interpretations of actions more generous. It's a short story of choices and paths not taken, and the regrets that can come later in life.

Throughout the art is heavily inked and highly stylized, but stunning. Page after page shows intelligent awareness of the power of layouts, with action popping off the pages over top of detailed, usually urban backdrops that themselves are part of one or more of the panels.

The weak start drags this otherwise strong volume down to 3.5 capes out of 5.

Description:

A lot has changed in Neo-Gotham over the last year. Now balancing college, family, and crime fighting, Terry McGinnis still dons the red and black suit as Batman. Bruce Wayne is no longer chirping in his ear, however, replaced by the former Nightwing himself, Dick Grayson. One thing that never changes, though, is someone’s always looking to bring the city to its knees.

Called in to investigate the death of Mayor Davis, Batman and his allies sense foul play. When someone frees the inmates held in Davis’ pet project, the new Arkham Institute, those suspicions become dangerous reality. But the menace behind these attacks is someone Batman has never faced before, an unknown quantity. Calling himself Rewire, this electrically charged villain has plans for Neo-Gotham -- starting with the end of Batman!

It’s a new era for Batman Beyond as writer KYLE HIGGINS (NIGHTWING, DEATHSTROKE) and artist THONY SILAS (Venom) plug you into BATMAN BEYOND 2.0: REWIRED (collects stories from BATMAN BEYOND UNIVERSE #1-8)!

Collects: Batman Beyond Universe #1-8 (2013-14) aka Batman Beyond 2.0 #1-16 (Online)

Authors: Kyle Higgins
Artists: Thony Silas
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Nov. 11 2014
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN-10: 1401250602
ISBN-13: 978-1401250607
Language: English
Pages: 176 pages

Thick but Thin: Wonder Woman and Justice League America volume 1

Review:

With nearly 300 pages of early-90s Justice League action, this is an appreciably thick Trade Paperback collection. Unfortunately, in all those pages, author Dan Vado tells an overly busy series of tales that is very thin on characterizations.

Forget character development, these stories often leave the heroes one-dimensional, failing even to borrow from already-defined traits of these heroes. Booster Gold is almost exclusively brash and arrogant; Blue Beetle, despite a long-running sub-plot of self-doubt over his place in heroic circles, is buried in his lab and research, with only the barest wrestling with his demons; Ray is young and naive; Maxima rides a knife's-edge between team player and weapon of destruction. Even the cameos by Jay Garrett are exclusively smile-filled pep-talks.

The only two with any second dimension or hints of depth in their characterizations are Wonder Woman, who struggles with feelings of inadequacy in her role as team leader, and Guy Gardiner, who is as big a hot-headed jerk as ever, but with occasional nuances slipping in, especially in the included bonus Guy Gardiner #15 chapter.

The bulk of the collection is taken up by a tale of escaped political prisoners and extradition requests. Blake and Corbett are on the run from their Kerrilian captors. When they crash-land in Alaska, the Kerrilians contact the UN and the government of the USA. Captain Atom and a small squad of brave but less than disciplined heroes seek to honor the request, while Wonder Woman and the JLA take the side of offering protection to the escapees at least until they have a better grasp of the situation. It's a wild ride mixture of super-powered confrontations and inter-planetary intrigue, climaxing in Guy Gardiner killing Blake in cold blood. The shocking behavior leads to the discovery of a Guy imposter and the entertaining story of trying to tell which hot-headed jerk is the real one.

Kevin West and Rick Burchett do a decent job with the artistic duties of these stories. The layouts are fairly cookie-cutter, with an occasional breaking of the edges in a given panel but for the most part standard team fare. Booster Gold's new armor is somewhat laughable, and the characters often have really tiny feet - a detail that, once noticed, becomes distractingly hard to ignore.

The flat characterizations and fine but run-of-the-mill art, plus some quality issues with the order of pages in the binding, ultimately undermine this otherwise entertaining volume. We give it 2.5 capes out of 5.

Description:

Wonder Woman takes over as leader of the Justice League of America, whether other members like it or not! Acting at the behest of the United Nations, the team must respond to a human rights crisis in a remote African nation, only to find the populace under the thumbs of the super-powered Extremists. The team must then jet to Norway, where the young superhero called Ice struggles to keep the nation out of the hands of her older brother. All this plus the mystery of two Guy Gardners!
 
Comics writer Dan Vado is joined by a team of veteran artists that includes Kevin West and Rick Burchett, who introduce Wonder Woman as the new leader of a very different kind of Justice League!

Collects: Justice League America #78-85, Guy Gardiner #15 and Justice League America Annual #7

Authors: Dan Vado
Artists: Kevin West and Rick Burchett
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: April 4 2017
Parental Rating: PG
ISBN-10: 140126834X
ISBN-13: 978-1401268343
Language: English
Pages: 280 pages

"Strengh-Related" Incidents - Review of A-Force Presents volume 2

   

Review:

Like any collection of single issues from vastly different series, this one suffers from incomplete and disjointed stories. I applaud the ideas behind the creation of this book - creating an all-women team of heroes, the A-Force. In an effort to cross-sell titles, this collection reprints issue #2 from each of six different characters' solo series. The result is a group of stories that have no relation to each other, and often that are mid-stream into the plot evolution of their own series. It's a risky way to put stories together, and it sometimes works and other times not.

Let's look at the individual stories.

Black Widow leads the collection. Phil Noto's panels and pates are almost pieces of art unto themselves, beautifully painted with a watercolor feel. This is a complete, self-contained story, showing some of our hero's espionage and combat skills at work. Nathan Edmondson varies the tempo in the telling, almost matching the energy level of the all too human Natasha Romanov.

She-Hulk's tale nicely establishes the basis for the whole series. After a shall we say "strength-related" incident at work, Jennifer / She-Hulk leaves to start her own law firm and finds the hunt for clients to be as challenging as her super-powered villains. The art style is overly cartoony for my tastes but seems not inappropriate for this giant green woman.

Ms. Marvel is also a charming tale. It demands a little more knowledge of the first issue, compared to the other series in this collection, as we are dropped into the middle of a multi-part origin. How did Kamala Khan, the 16-year-old Muslim awkward teen, get her powers? See issue #1, but here in issue #2 she continues to try and figure out exactly what she can or cannot do. G. Willow Wilson's tale is engaging, with nice nods to what it would actually be like to fight crime in thigh-high boots, a leotard and long hair. Adrian Alphona's art is quirky and stylized and seems perfect for this body-distorting teen tale.

Squirrel Girl, Captain Marvel, and Thor the goddess of thunder round out the set. None of them is especially noteworthy, although the interplay between Thor's Norse/Asgardian language and the internal thoughts of a woman still getting used to wielding the magical hammer is worth checking out.

This is a mixed bag, and we'll give it a middling score of 3 capes out of 5.

Description:

Prepare for excitement and action as Marvel's most spectacular heroes continue their adventures! Black Widow's quest for atonement takes a dark and mysterious turn! Will Captain Marvel survive on the front lines of a war on an alien world? The all-new Ms. Marvel adjusts to her strange and immense new powers, but can she come to terms with her Inhuman legacy? She-Hulk opens her own law practice, but her first client proves to be a ton of trouble! Witness the new Thor in all-out action against an army of invading Frost Giants! And Marvel's most unbeatable hero, Squirrel Girl, must invade Stark Enterprises!

Collects: Black Widow (2014) #2, Captain Marvel (2014) 2, Ms. Marvel (2014) #2, She-Hulk(2014) #2, Thor (2014) #2, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015) #2

Authors: Various
Artists: Various
Published By: Marvel 
Published When: Nov. 24, 2015
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN-10: 0785198997
ISBN-13: 978-0785198994
Language: English
Pages: 136 pages

Deluxe Edition and Jaw-dropping Art: Review of Inhuman graphic novel

 

Review:

This hefty hardcover deluxe edition book, released in the runup to the short-lived Inhumans TV series, collects the entire run of 14 issues and one Annual of the 2014-15 Inhuman comic series, as well as a tie-in story from Original Sins #3.

It is a handsome, startlingly premium, superb treatment for a group of characters that has lived much of its life in the backgrounds and shadows of the larger Marvel universe. If you've focused your comics reading on the world of the Avengers or X-Men, the Inhumans would have only rarely come to your attention. Yet they have been hanging around for decades, since their debut in Fantastic Four #45 in late 1965, and have earned a cult following of their backup-story features and usually short-lived or limited series.

The Inhumans featured prominently in the 2013 mega-crossover event Infinity, a story that brought major changes to their people. The story captured in this volume follows directly on those Inhumanity-shaking developments, including the death of Black Bolt, destruction of Attilan, and release of the green mist of terrigen triggering deaths and transformations worldwide.

Charles Soule jumps off from that starting point to tell a terrific tale, packed with tension, twists, betrayals and a myriad of emotions, from grief to anger, fear to hatred and more. He deftly weaves together several threads. To the main story about Medusa struggling to gather and hold Inhumanity together, he connects sub-plots of the unclear motives and alliances of Lineage; or Reader scouring the world for the next great Inhuman and stumbling upon Iso; or Black Bolt's death being perhaps untrue; even the return of Karnak. A lot is going on in these pages, and the reader never feels lost in the sub-plots.

A character guide, however, might have helped at points. So many new NuHumans get introduced, often with overlapping back-stories and not always wearing distinctive super-hero threads. Yet kudos to Soule for pacing their growth from extreme rawness into their new powers and community.

For at heart this is a story about lost and lonely individuals finding a place of belonging. It results in a beautiful, accessible, self-contained story set between the major events of Infinity and Secret Wars.

The chapters switch artists several times, leading to some inconsistencies in style and presentation of some of the characters. Andre Araujo's work in particular in chapters 13 and 14 suffers in comparison to the rest of the volume.

Several artistic highlights do shine through. Most notably the occasional silhouette panels, that add a touch of beauty and poignancy at key moments, or Medusa's ever-present flowing, living, never-still hair, a challenge to show such dynamism in static comic panels but the art team pulls it off, especially Ryan Stegman.

But the gold medal for art goes to chapter 12's visually stunning climax of Medusa and Black Bolt battling over the throne of New Attilan. These pages are packed with emotion and a balance of both fluidity and stillness, capped by the silent silhouette of tears following Medusa's victory.

With a gripping story, powerful visuals and deluxe format, this collection stands out on the comic collector's book shelf. 4 capes out of 5.

Description:

Marvel's newest heroes are born! The Terrigen Mist spread worldwide, triggering latent genes and transforming normal people into Inhumans! But as the mysterious Lash takes an unwanted interest in the new Inhumans and the newly transformed Flint's world falls apart, Medusa finds herself ruling the Inhumans alone, her husband Black Bolt believed dead. When the Unspoken stages a coup, Flint and his fellow NuHumans must step up and embrace their destiny! Meanwhile, Black Bolt is alive and allied with his mad brother Maximus...but why? What is the Ennilux Corporation, and how does it affect the Inhumans' future?

Collects: Inhuman #1-14, Annual #1, Original Sins #3

Authors: Charles Soule
Artists: Joe Madureira, Ryan Stegman, Pepe Larraz, Andre Araujo
Published By: Marvel
Published When: March 15 2016
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN-10: 0785195572
ISBN-13: 978-0785195573
Language: English
Pages: 352 pages

To Japan with Love - a review of Y: The Last Man volume 8 - Kimono Dragons

 

Review:

Even after seven critically acclaimed volumes, there is still room for surprising revelations and emotionally powerful character development in Yorick, Allison Mann and Agent 355. This volume collects issues #43-48 of the series and rewards readers with deeper insights into both major and minor players.

The main plot in this collection moves our protagonists to Japan, in pursuit of Ampersand, the monkey who may hold the secret to curing the globe-spanning gendercide that killed all the male mammals four years earlier.

Dr. Mann, as a "4-toed dragon" per the description of her father's mistress - meaning half Japanese and half Chinese - is a natural for a deeper dive into her "origin story" and history. We learn more here of her philandering but brilliant father, her equally brilliant and somewhat emotionally cool mother, her own rebellious youth and willingness to break the rules, especially if it means beating her own father to key genetic breakthroughs.

Brian K. Vaughan's storytelling is as gripping, textured, dramatic and multi-layered as ever. In places these chapters get a bit bogged down in scientific explication, but eventually emerges to return to its usual brisk clip of plot twists and dramatic cliff-hangers.

We also see a more human side of Agent 355 in these pages: a shocking awareness of pop culture for someone who has so intentionally isolated herself; and (more realistically) grief over her willingness to kill a child - even though she did not, she squeezed the trigger and it was only her empty chamber that saved the child's life.

And in some bonus character development, the final chapter in the collection gives us Alter's back-story. Another who, like 355, would without qualm put a gun to the head of an innocent and fire. We see how she was forged by a blazing fire of anger, revenge and hatred, even as her own self-told mythology is shown to be false.

The art, as always, is a mix of striking painted covers, startlingly constrained panel layouts and powerful visual storytelling in between. In all, this eighth volume is another strong entry, with solid art, absorbing dramatic conflicts, tension and humor. 4.5 capes out of 5.

 Read all 10 reviews of Y: The Last Man here: Volume 1 Unmanned; Volume 2 Cycles; Volume 3 One Small Step; Volume 4 Safeword; Volume 5 Ring of Truth; Volume 6 Girl on Girl; Volume 7 Paper Dolls; Volume 8 Kimono Dragons; Volume 9 Motherland; Volume 10 Whys and Wherefores.

Description:

KIMONO DRAGONS brings the hunt for Ampersand—the monkey who could unlock the mystery of the male-killing plague— to its explosive climax, as the last man on Earth and his companions finally reach Japan and discover the truth behind Ampersand's abduction. Collects issues #43-48 of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra's award-winning Vertigo series.

Collects: Y: The Last Man #43-48

Authors: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Pia Guerra, Jose Marzan
Published By: Vertigo 
Published When: Nov. 22 2006
Parental Rating: Mature
ISBN-10: 1401210104
ISBN-13: 978-1401210106
Language: English
Pages: 144 pages

When Past Meets Present - a Review of X-Men: First to Last

Review:

This book's premise has so much to like. It blends both the present and the past of the X-Men; separate art teams handle each era, lending distinctive visuals and cues on a page by page and even panel by panel basis; it introduces a powerful new team of villains, capable of wiping out entire species instantly; and it plays on some of the classic themes of the X-Men - their place as outsiders, youthful learners, and tensions with non-mutants.

Author Christopher Yost blends these elements into a gripping, well-paced multi-part story. His exposition does get a little convoluted in places, and he leans heavily on expository dialog too often in order to carry us through these sections. But he deftly juggles a large cast of characters, including some for whom he needs to balance their present adult selves with their youthful earlier incarnations in the classic X-Men era. This task he handles with cool aplomb, none more so than for the central character Cyclops.

The talky bits are dwarfed by page after page of conflict, battle and intense action. Battles in the present or past, or even far past between primitive species and earlier steps in humanity's evolution.

With Paco Medina and Juan Vlasco handling the art for any panels set in the present, and Dalabor Talajic covering all the art for the classic, historical X-Men sections, we are set up for a fascinating visual treat. Unfortunately, the stylistic differences, while present, rely nearly as much on clothing as on artistry. The similarities and differences in each style are on side by side display several times, with full-page spreads split down the middle of one character's face. I commend the teams on this creative dual approach, although it ultimately is not as stark a difference as promised.

One of the largest disappointments though is with the villainous Evolutionaries themselves. They initially seem almost godlike in their power and authority. Yet they prove surprisingly easy to defeat and their motivation devolves into little more than personal vendetta, hardly worthy of eternal monitors of species evolution.

This is a book worth keeping and re-reading, a loving nod to classic X-Men set in a contemporary world and modern conflicts. 3.5 capes out of 5

Description:

Think you know everything there is to know about the original X-Men? think again! Something happened to Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Angel, Iceman and Professor X years ago - a secret so horrible it's been locked away in a dark corner of Cyclops' mind until today. What crisis strikes in the present that calls upon memories of the past? Witness the astonishing debut of the Evolutionaries! Who are they, and why doesn't anyone remember when they fought Xavier and his original five X-Men? Cyclops and his crew on Utopia better figure out quick, or the Evolutionaries are going to wipe out every human on the planet. that's right, every HUMAN..

Collects: X-Men 12-15, Giant-Size X-Men 1

Authors: Christopher Yost
Artists: Paco Medina, Dalibor Talajic
Published By: Marvel 
Published When: April 4 2012
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN-10: 0785152881
ISBN-13: 978-0785152880
Language: English
Pages: 136 pages

Batman: His Greatest Adventures - a delightful mix of cartoonish rogues

 

Review:

The collection Batman: His Greatest Adventures includes six stories spanning nearly fifteen years, and with a remarkably consistent tone in the writing and cartoon-inspired flair to the art. 

The marketing text on the book makes no mention of it, but the vibe of all included tales owes much to the animated Batman TV shows of the day, from Batman: The Animated Series in the early 1990s through the New Adventures of Batman in the late 90s and the groundbreaking Batman Beyond in the early 2000s.

The artists still manage their unique spins on the characters - note especially the subtle differences in the cowl's famous ears, or the small changes in the shape of Penguin's most prominent features. But the square-jawed hero anchors these stories, all of which exude a clear adherence to their version of a "brand book" defining the look.

It is a sharp contrast to the mainline Batman comics of the same era, which underwent some wild swings in tone, vividness, and many littler details like cape length during the years spanned by this collection.

The stories are a fun delight. The adventures themselves may not reach the titular level of his "greatest" adventures, and some stories end with at least one major plot point unresolved. Rather, it's the mix of stories blending such an array of his rogues' gallery that makes this set dazzle.

The Penguin takes hostages at a zoo, seeking to strike Batman with his radio-controlled attack parrots. The Riddler is bored by his new, reformed self and tries repeatedly to goad Batman into a confrontation, until Batman turns the tables and poses a riddle-stumper of his own. Flirtatious Catwoman's heist collides with a James Bond-sized villain bent on laser-driven conquest, and Batman must stop the theft and also keep the Cat out of trouble. Joker is a late-night TV personality. Truly a wonderful mix of tales that will have you smiling throughout.

4 capes out of 5

Description:

The best of Batman’s adventures and trials are here in BATMAN: HIS GREATEST ADVENTURES, an all-ages anthology graphic novel. With over seven decades of storytelling from some of the greatest writers and illustrators in comics industry, Batman has become one of the most beloved characters of all time. Now you can catch up with some of the Dark Knight's best tales with this collection, which boasts stories by talented creators including Kelley Puckett, Ty Templeton and Rick Burchett.

Born without super-strength or a magic lasso, Bruce Wayne decided to become a caped crusader after the tragic death of his parents at the hands of a petty criminal. Gifted with only a brilliant mind, the man who would become Gotham City's protector honed his skills through hard work and perseverance. After years of rigorous training, the hero known as Batman was born!

BATMAN: HIS GREATEST ADVENTURES includes stories featuring Batman’s greatest enemies and allies, including the Joker, Robin, Catwoman, the Riddler, Commissioner Gordon, Penguin and more! 

Collects: Batman Adventures #3, Batman Adventures #11, Batman Adventures #19, Batman And Robin Adventures #4, Batman Beyond #1 and The Batman Strikes #6

Authors: Various
Artists: Various
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Sept. 19 2017
Parental Rating: PG
ISBN-10: 1401276938
ISBN-13: 978-1401276935
Language: English
Pages: 128 pages

A Wanna-be Map to Battleworld - Spider-Verse: Warzones!

 

Review:

Marvel Comics produced dozens of separate stories set in the Battleworld, each in their own planetary sector. Battleworld is a clever idea, giving the story creators ample scope to reimagine well-known Marvel characters in different scenarios, spanning different histories and origins in the multiverse.

One weakness of the approach is that the stories can be almost completely independent of one another, save for the altered-reality, godlike Victor von Doom ruling Battleworld, and the presence of Thors in one form or another.

So this Spider-verse tale stands out from the Warzones! pack by articulating more of an awareness of the strange Battleworld reality. Using the on-point image of a web, it strives to become a nexus of the different threads knit together in Battleworld.

And while it falls short of that ambition, it is still loads of fun. Author Mike Costa brings together six spiders: Spider-Gwen, Spider-man Noir, Spider-man India, Spider-man UK, Spider-girl and Spider-ham. They need to find one another, learn to work together, and figure out whether or not to trust Norman Osborn. A powerless but still alive Peter Parker and brief appearances by Venom and Carnage round out the wide variety of spiders herein.

Their interplay is half the fun, as they all share the classic Spider-man wit and comic outlook on life. 

Andre Araujo's art is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it is appropriately chaotic and filled with humorous background elements to watch for and enjoy. On the other, the facial expressions are somewhere between blocky and excessively stylized. They often feel rushed and unfinished. I have not been a fan of his hyper-stylized look elsewhere, and here his work continues to be visually abrasive.

With so many Spiders, the narrative voice shifts several times over the course of the 5 chapters / issues. The use of text-block color changes and subtle logos help distinguish the specific narrator, another clever writing technic that works hand in hand with the art in the exposition.

This is one of the better Warzones! stories, and deserves more care in its visuals, which pull it back down to 3 capes out of 5.

Description:

Spinning out of the SPIDER-VERSE event, a team of Spiders finds themselves face-to-face with Battleworld! Starring SPIDERGWEN, SPIDER-MAN NOIR, SPIDER-MAN: INDIA, MAYDAY PARKER, SPIDER-UK and SPIDER-HAM!

Collects: Spider-Verse (2015) # 1-5

Authors: Mike Costa
Artists: Andre Araujo
Published By: Marvel 
Published When: Dec 22 2015
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN-10: 0785198873
ISBN-13: 978-0785198871
Language: English
Pages: 120 pages

Stuck in Oil and Rusted Shut - Armor Wars: Warzones!

 

Review:

James Robinson pens a layered tale with mystery, some forensic police work and a handful of innovative and imaginative plot twists. Personal favorites include the armored Spyder-man, whose powers come from a virus infecting his armor, and James Rhodes as an armored Thor.

But Technopolis is no tech-utopia. Beyond the stunning urban architecture in the panel backgrounds, the premise of it being an "amazing domain of science and wonder" in the marketing hype is not conveyed in either the story or the art.

On the contrary, Marcio Takara's art is gritty, grimy, blocky, heavily inked and dark. Human emotion and expressiveness is limited to partial faces, when the armored city denizens retract some portion of their protective headgear. It is a constraint that Takara's art is unable to overcome, which loses much of the human impact of the story.

Takara does however do a solid job with visual distinctions in our characters, despite the limitations of everyone wearing full body armor. With limited ability to give people distinguishing facial or physical characteristics or visual gender cues, his approach relies more on trim, cogs and other armor features.

The Battleworld Warzones! framework gives Marvel creators a platform to try some unusual experiments, and this one sounded particularly imaginative and promising: a disease that causes all people in the city to become armor-wearing mini Iron Men and Women, all produced by two rival Stark brothers. Alas the story fails to hold our interest beyond its potential-filled premise, nor do the dark and oil-coated visuals. With "War" so prominent in the book's title and series, it is no surprise that it breaks into large-scale armored battles in the end, but even with the violence and shocking revelations, the reader is left ultimately disappointed.

2 capes out of 5.

Description:

A SHADOW FALLS OVER AN ARMORED UTOPIA. TECHNOPOLIS: Amazing Domain of science and wonder created by rival genius brothers TONY AND ARNO STARK. A utopia except...a unique disease forces EVERYONE to wear armor to live and breathe. In this armored land a hero is murdered and the killer's identity a mystery Baron Tony Stark must solve. But in doing so, will Technopolis be forced into a civil war?

Collects: Armor Wars #1/2 and #1-5

Authors: James Robinson
Artists: Marcio Takara
Published By: Marvel 
Published When: Feb. 9 2016
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN-10: 0785198644
ISBN-13: 978-0785198642
Language: English
Pages: 112 pages