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Of Embassies and Origins - Justice League International Part 2 (Eaglemoss Collection v77)

  Review: Since we are doing a series of reviews focusing on Booster Gold over his nearly 40-year history, we include this one as a collection of some of his earliest appearances, dating to late 1987. That places the original publish date of these tales while his original solo series was still going strong.  This book is a beautiful, glossy hard-cover with smooth and heavy-stock paper inside, although the sometimes-low print reproduction quality leads to blurred and hard to read word balloons on occasion. It is also a rare book here in North America, as Eaglemoss Collections targeted UK fans with this series. At this point in the history of the 1987-rebooted Justice League, they have gained official United Nations recognition and sanction. To ensure their reach truly is global, they rebrand as Justice League International (as does the title of the series!) and they open new headquarters buildings around the world: New York, Paris and Moscow are included here. As this is a product of 19
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All Those Lost Scotts - Astonishing X-Men - Volume 9: Exalted

 

Cover of Astonishing X-Men - Volume 9: Exalted


Review:

The strongest of superhero team titles needs a strongly defined and complex cast of characters. Layers of relathipship and history between them is a must. By this point in the Astonishing X-Men series, there is a vast set of major and minor characters and many sophisticated and mature elements to their personalities and intra-team dynamics.

In Exalted, Greg Pak weaves a fascinating and multi-dimensional narrative with a subset of those characters, ones who have both deep connections and yet no shared history. Cyclops (Scott Summers) is ripped from home into one of the infinite dimensions of the multiverse. Storm is there, but exhibits subtle differences. Emma, Kurt and Logan too: recognizable yet clearly different.

They discover they are mutant batteries, being drained unto death to save and power a shattered world. Hostage to the cleverest subtle twist of all: the Charles Xavier of that place is now pronounced "Savior" for his role in trapping, chaining and killing mutants from other dimensions. Most poignant is their discovery of the crypt, filled with dozens of visors from all the previous Scott Summers who have died in Savior's hands, as well as phoenix emblems and other mementos of fallen heroes. All of which drives home the scope of Savior's monstrous crimes. Can our heroes free themselves and still find a way to prevent the destruction of Savior's world?

Pak is at the top of his game with the depth and complexity of their reactions to this horror, and to the relational dynamics. So, too, is artist Mike McKone, whose work matches Pak's in subtlety and nuance. It is strong, sexy and visually striking art, with the passion and strength of the characters shining through each page.


Description:

Cyclops - destroyer of worlds? After presiding over a mutant schism as leader of the X-Men, it looks like a visit from Storm may make Cyclops himself again - but it quickly becomes apparent that Storm is not herself, either. She's from another reality - one in which Cyclops soon finds himself a prisoner. And the key to his survival rests in his fellow captives, although they aren't the X-Men he knows. Alongside General James Howlett, Cyclops will battle this world's so-called "Savior" to save himself and countless other mutants. But there's a reason Savior has been gathering and sacrificing mutants from other worlds. And if Cyclops is to liberate himself and his strange new friends, it may mean dooming this planet and all its inhabitants!

Collects: ASTONISHING X-MEN (2004) #44-47 and material from ASTONISHING X-MEN: GHOST BOXES #1

Authors: Greg Pak
Artists: Mike McKone
Published By: Marvel 
Published When: Nov. 7 2012
Parental Rating: T+
ISBN: 978-0785161783
Pages: 112 pages


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