It's been a big week folks and we had some great comics reviewed for you and now we bring the final new-release reviews for the past week - two monster reviews of books you really should be checking out in our estimation. Enjoy!
- Akshay the Amused
AvX Consequences #4 of 5
(Marvel)
Story : Kieron Gillen
Art : Mark Brooks
(Reviewed by Mayank Khurana)
Who knew that the mediocre AvX
summer event could lead to such a fantastic series!
For me it was all marked by inscrutable
agendas, out-of-character actions and an overdone “fight
first-speak later” mentality. The entire event left a sour taste,
despite it being a culmination of so many story lines that I've been
following and collecting avidly these last eight years.
I'd almost decided to not read AvX
: Consequences as I thought it'd be a cash grab from the
“House of Ideas” and didn't think that it would matter. Shows how
much I know! I only picked it up because of the writer attached to
it, Keiron Gillen, the man behind the awesome Journey
Into Mystery and a brilliant run on Thor. He
once again rewarded my faith in him by making AvX Consequences
THE story to follow if you are remotely interested in the mutant side
of Marvel-U.
The first issues have focused on trying
to create a rationale for the untimely demise of Prof. X during AvX.
We've learnt that Cyclops has turned suicidal because of his actions
and wants to martyr himself, thereby becoming a larger than life icon
for mutant kind, one who'd inspire the newly (re)birthed mutants.
We've also seen him communicate with an unknown ally from the prison
in a very interesting way (read the book, no spoilers here!) and has
refused his ally's offer to bust him out because he won't let the
Avengers make him a common criminal.
This issue focuses on the rest
of the outlaw mutants as we get to visit Magik, Colossus, Namor and
Magneto. Gillen knows these characters inside out, no dialogue, no
step is out of place and we can really see the impact of AvX on them.
So far Cyclops has been averse to breaking out of prison, but an
incident happens now that makes him think otherwise and he
communicates his wishes to the ally, who “surprise! surprise!”
turns out to be Magneto! Trust me folks, all of this makes sense in
the context of the series, even if this shabby review is giving away
too much.
The last page with Magneto assembling
his team of riff-raff for an attempt to rescue Cyclops and walking
towards us with swagger is what made me want to write about it. Yes
these scenes have been done before, but to see Magneto walking
towards you with fire in his eyes gave me goosebumps.. He seems to
say “It's On B*tch!” Can't wait to read the final issue
and see where Cyclops and his new extinction team ends up. Gillen has
turned me into a fan of the X-Men.
The art duties this time around is
handled by Mark Brooks and the book is so much the better for
it. Sharp lines, refined pencils and the aforementioned swagger.
Brooks does a magnificent job as compared to the relier artists on
the book. The story required for the art to be expressive when it
comes to delineating facial expressions and Mark really handles that
well.
In conclusion, the best book to come
out of AvX and a must read if you are into the X-Men. If you are
looking for consequences of AvX on the Avengers, look elsewhere.
SCORE : 9 / 10
Bedlam #1
(Image)
Story : Nick Spencer
Art : Riley Rossmo
(Reviewed by Anubhav Dasgupta)
What if Joker stopped being Joker? What
if he took off his clown makeup and gave up his persona? How would he
do in the real world? Those are among the many questions Bedlam
tries to answer. It is a mostly successful comic book, quite
“Nolan-esque” in a certain vein, that hits more than it misses.
Madder Red is to the city of Bedlam
what Joker is to Gotham. Heath Ledger’s amazing
interpretation of the Clown Prince Of Crime is more than an
inspiration here. Madder Red IS The Dark Knight's
Joker, just with a different costume. He schemes like the Joker,
behaves like the Joker and shares the same disdain for humanity.
The comic begins with the once-Madder
Red waking up in his dingy apartment. The comic gives us just enough
backstory to ease us into the setting without annoying us with
unnecessary information. The exposition though, is a hit and miss
affair, much like the Nolan films that inspire it. Some of it works
wonderfully, some, not so much.
The best thing about this comic is how
it treats its title character. Madder Red hasn’t forgotten his
past, and definitely hasn’t got over it and at the same time his
old persona is trying to possess him once again. Writer Nick
Spencer has created a very compelling character in Madder Red.
The art, and subsequently the
colouring, is also a hit and miss affair. Most of it is quite
striking, with gritty line-work and mostly black and white colours.
But sometimes you get some really ridiculous panels, like one in
which Madder Red confronts a gang member and… licks the barrel of
his gun (there is no way I can make this sound less gay) which will
either make you retch in disgust or laugh out loud.
Bedlam is an interesting comic. It
doesn’t entirely succeed in what it set out to do, but it does fare
quite well and has a very compelling story to tell.
SCORE : 7.5 / 10
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