X-Men: Scarlet in Glory, Chris Claremont

"When Angel is kidnapped by the freakish mutants known as the Morlocks the X-Men head into the sewers beneath New York to rescue him. Once there Storm is forced to fight their leader Callisto in a vicious duel to the death. Upon returning to the mansion, the group are shocked to discover the former mutant terrorist Rogue at the door begging for sanctuary. Next the team travel to Japan to attend Wolverine's wedding. But the happy day is marred by the arrival of the Silver Samurai. Finally, the group face a terrible spectre from the past as the Phoenix rises from the ashes to torment the group once more."








It constantly amazes me how much of X-Men lore comes from Claremont. Say what you will about his writing style, and how he shaped the majority of the major X-Men storylines. Here for instance we have Storm fight Callisto for control of the Morlocks, the 'return' of Phoenix (by way of Mastermind and everyone's least favourite Jean Grey contrivance, Madelyne Pryor) Storm gets a mohawk, Kitty and Colossus have their first kiss, the almost-wedding of Wolverine and Mariko, Rogue joining the team, Wolverine fighting Silver Samurai.

That is an insane amount of material for what's a tiny fraction of an epic run.

Virtually every single great X-en storyline has its roots in these issues, so it makes for compelling reading, even when the outcome is now so well known that there's little mystery (see Madelyne, Storm's Mohawk, Kitty and Peter, eveyone hating Rogue). Whilst some of those can drag a little bit there's never a lull in the action - this is anything but decompressed. In the spand of a few issues you get the introduction, set up, reveal and defeat of villain after villain.

The art's a little inconsistent, especially compared to the early Byrne work, with Wolverine's head changing size and shape a little through his time in Japan, but otherwise it's a solid representation of the X-Men, especially in their battle against Cyclops and Phoenix towards the end.

Also Try:

Chris Claremont, Uncanny X-Men

Avengers: Avengers World, Jonathan Hickman

"The greatest heroes in comics together on one unbeatable team. The Avengers ""go large,"" expanding their roster and their sphere of influence to a global and even interplanetary level. When Captain America puts out his call -who will answer? Big threats, big ideas, big idealism these are the Avengers NOW!"














The first volume of the all new Avengers run by Jonathan Hickman is something I've been waiting for since the first issues was released. I picked it up as a comic but decided it was more cost effective to wait for the trade instead, so as this was released in mid-week I decided to treat myself today.

It was well worth it. Whilst not a decompressed storyteller in the style of Bendis, Hickman's Avengers run is one which is best enjoyed when you can see the bones of the whole arc. Unlike his Manhattan Projects, a comic which exists to be read monthly, this is a more epic, focussed run. Whilst some of the talking-head tropes of Bendis's run still exist, especially in how Tony and Steve interact in choosing the team, this is much more action focussed. Unlike many books on the shelves now Avengers is a comic that can be read monthly - the first six issues include three one-and-done origin stories (for Smasher, Hyperion and Captain Universe) as well as a three issue introduction to the new team.

The biggest controversy here is the expanded roster of the Avengers to include mission specific teams, including Shang Chi, Cannonball and Smasher. Whilst Cannonball is an established character in the X-Men and Shang Chi has a long history, if no real pedigree or status in the Marvel Universe, it's Smasher who's my early favourite new Avenger.

The first human member of the Shiar's Imperial Guard, she's one of many 'Smasher' class heroes, which nicely brings in the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. If Bendis was all about street level heroics, then Hickman seems to be about every level - five of the characters included in the team could be classed as individual heavy hitters, yet they mix alongside Hawkeye and Black Widow - essentially, the Avengers movie team.

The book itself is of a different style to the standard Marvel Premiere edition design that they've used for whole Bendis era. It's obviously Hickman designed, showcasing his flair for branding and mechanics - it's a lovely book and stands out from the rest of the shelf, although its bare spine and blue on white treatment lends it a little too much of an Image title feel.

Definitely pick this up, it looks to be going some really good places. I can't wait to get the next volume!

Also Try:
Brian Michael Bendis, New Avengers
Jonathan Hickman, The Manhattan Projects
Matt Fraction, Hawkeye
Grant Morrison, New X-Men

Captain America; Hail Hydra, Jonathan Maberry

"From the dark days of World War II to the Heroic Age, witness the brutal battle between Captain America and the immortal evil known as Hydra! How far back has the gruesome group been killing its way to capture the secrets of eternal life? What can Steve Rogers do to halt its sinister spread when the horrific hordes of the undead rise to stop him? Find out as award-winning horror novelist Jonathan Maberry (DOOMWAR) teams with five different artists to capture five different time periods - including Sergio Cariello (Lone Ranger), Tom Scioli (Godland), Phil Winslade (Wonder Woman), Kyle Hotz (ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST - WRAITH) and Graham Nolan (X-MEN FOREVER)! Guest-starring the Falcon, Black Panther, Nomad, Nick Fury and the Avengers! Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA: HAIL HYDRA #1-5."







Because I've been picking up the Brubaker run of Cap stories I figured I would give this one a shot - the art looked nice and it was about Hydra, who are usually fun to see beaten up. But I definitely wasn't expecting this book to be quite so good.

Let me go further than that. This is the single best Captain America book I've read. Better than Brubaker.

It has everything you could want from a Captain America book - opening with a mission to destroy a Nazi science project reanimating the dead and continuing through the ages, from Classic Avengers, to Cap and Falcon, through the Busiek era and finally to the Heroic Age Cap. Each issue stands as a chapter in the ongoing war against Hydra and their mission to overcome death and create a new race of immortals.

It adds significantly to the Capt Mythos, positing that the Lazarus serum introduced here is what kept Cap alive alongside the Super Soldier Serum. Whilst it conveniently ignores Nick Fury's Infinity Formula, something that one would imagine would be of use to anyone gathering together materials for an elixir of youth, it ties in all sorts of great ideas, such as Thor being a target for his God blood.

But its the art that really makes it - a collection of excellent, but lesser known, artists each take the different ages and its great to see the different styles next to one another. Tom Scioli in particular draws one of the most fascinating versions of the first Avengers team I've ever seen. His art is so atypical of conventional superhero looks, yet so Kirby-esque in its design that it can look almost ridiculous - giants heads and massive smiles leave everyone looking like Puppet Master, but for some reason it works perfectly for a storyline that is all about the boundaries of science. It's made me want to hunt down more stuff by Scioli, because I absolutely love his art here, and that's a pretty fantastic thing for me to find.

If you're at all a fan of Captain America, Marvel or just great comics you need to read this.

Also Try:
Captain America: Winter Soldier, Ed Brubaker
Secret Warriors, Jonathan Hickman
Wolverine: Enemy of the State, Mark Millar

Hulk: Broken Worlds, Various

Across the infinite stretches of the multiverse, countless worlds are forever changed by the monster known as the Hulk... but must his tale always end in tragedy? Join us as we revisit Marvel's alternate worlds for new tales of the rampaging green goliath! Go on a journey to the House of M, the Microverse, a Future Imperfect, Age of Apocalypse, the Days of Future Past, the Marvel Mangaverse, and the years 1602 and 2099! Then, you know the HULK, but it's time you met his whole family. From Bruce's cousin She-Hulk to those who've inherited his irradiated genes, Hulk's family tree is looking a little greener all the time. Featuring: The Sensational She-Hulk, Skaar, The Daughter of Hulk, and Thundra! Plus: legendary scribe Chris Claremont delivers an epic battle between the Hulk and Colossus! Collects Hulk: Broken Worlds #1-2, Hulk Family #1, and X-Men vs. Hulk.

A collection of random Hulk-centric Elseworlds tales - Future Imperfect, the Microverse, Days of Future Past - and Hulk Family bio's, featuring Skaar, She Hulk and Scorpion, in one volume - interesting, but not why I bought this.

Sadly for the Hulk I actually picked this up for the X-Men story at the end (Colossus and Kitty Pryde fight the Hulk so Wolverine can see how tough Colossus is). That was worth the price of admission alone, and is a nice showing of how Colossus might take down the stronger, tougher Hulk.

But actually the other stories are pretty good - I like alternate universe tales and the massive number of artists (eleven for 5 issues) used to draw each different one makes this an incredibly interesting showcase of talent. Especial highlights are a really sweet Days of Future Past issue in which the Hulk breaks out of his concentration camp to post some letters and a hilarious issue from Future Imperfect where the hulk hurling Captain America's shield has some fairly bad consequences for a random thug a few miles away.

Also Try:

Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, Greg Pak

World War Hulk: X-Men, Christos Gage

Days of Future Past, Chris Claremont

Animorphs: Megamorphs 3 - Elfangor's Secret, K. A. Applegate

"We found out who Visser Four is, And he has found the Time Matrix. The machine Elfangor had hidden in the abandoned construction site. The same place we met him on a night none of us will ever forget. Especially me. Now Visser Four has the Matrix and he plans to use it to become Visser One.

But Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Marco, Ax and I can't let that happen. We can't let him alter time so that the Yeerks will win this invasion. So we're prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.   And, ultimately, one of us will lose this fight ..."









Animorphs is hands down my favourite series of books of all time, an epic set of young adult books detailing the war between five shapeshifting teenagers and their alien ally battling a massive invasion of brain-occupying slugs. It was the second biggest selling childrens series of the 90s (after Goosebumps) and had probably the best story arc of any childrens book series ever written.

Seriously. Because whilst Harry Potter may have killed off a lot of its supporting cast, it didn't have the chutzpah to kill of one of six main characters from the 50 books and then end the series with the implied death of all but one of the others as they go out against unbeatable odds for no benefit whatsoever.

Oh, and the romantic subplot was upended when one half of the ongoing will-they-won't-they became a war criminal responsible for the genocidal slaughter of thousands of prisoners in a last ditch attempt to stop the conflict dragging on for years more.

Years after I read them (they were first published from 1996) I still try and bore people with a full run down of individual stories and why I loved them. At some point, I will get round to blogging the whole series I'm sure, but suffice it to say that you should read them.

The holes in my collection of the physical books I'm always on the lookout to fill, and I picked this up in a charity shop. It's a short book - even the extended 'Megamorphs' won't stretch you more than an hour, but it's well worth a read, because this is a book that veers into my other favourite genre: Alternate History.

The idea is this; the war isn't going as smoothly as anticipated (mainly because of the guerrilla tactics of the Animorphs) so the Yeerks, the alien brain slugs, have decided to break up the course of human history. And they succeeded. So now the world is a fascist dystopia, slavery and genocide are accepted as normal and the war against the Yeerks will be over in a matter of months.

In an attempt to stop it the Animorphs are given the chance to pursure the agent responsible for changing the past back through time, encountering him at Agincourt, Trafalger, the crossing of the Delaware and the Normandy Landings. most of which end up being changed, to disasterous (and lethal) effect.

So you get a bit of information about each of these major historical turning points (Napoleon wins, America never breaks way from England, British Empire ends up going to war with a united Europe in World War Two) with little of the usual battles between aliens and people. It's a great introduction to history, and the idea of time travel and its repurcussions.

It's also the second Megamorphs in a row that deals with time travel, as Megamorphs 2 is about the Animorphs fighting aliens in the Time of the Dinosaurs. It's like these books were written for me.

Also Try:
K A Applegate, the entire Animorphs series - http://animorphsforum.com/ebooks/
K A Applegate, Everworld
Michael Grant, Gone
R L Stine, Goosebumps (or a review of all the Goosebumps books - http://www.bloggerbeware.com/)

The Best of Spider-man Volume 4, J. Michael Straczynski

"This deluxe hardcover collects AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 7: THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 8: SINS PAST, plus AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #501-502 and a hefty helping of DVD-style extras."













This is a weird mixture of really good and really bad stuff, but for £8 this collection of some hugely significant stories was a steal. Whilst I'm not a fan of John Romita Jr at all, this is exactly the kind of book where he can excel - his loose pencilling style and over abundance of cross hatching make his magical warfare scenes look suitably mystical, and the fight between Ezekiel and Peter, like the fight from Volume 1 between the pair and Morlun is fantastic. It's reminiscent of the Ryan Ottley art when Invincible fights Conquest - entire pages filled with multiple moments in a titanic battle, which each strike illustrated together, giving a sense of the speed of each attack.

Alongside this incredibly strong opening arc however, we get the much more attractive art of Deodato with a truly awful story - the one story that Spider-fans point to as being a terrible legacy of Straczynski. The decision to retcon a relationship (and offspring) for Norman Osborne and Gwen Stacey is ridiculous, and time hasn't been kind to that idea at all. In amongst all the Spider Totems, Spider Gods and Loki showing up it just seems ridiculous.

Its a shame that Deodato, who draws fantastic people, is wasted on this arc, as he's a more accomplished and readable artist than JR Jr. The less said about this the better, to be honest. At least it ends after just a few issues, and can be quietly forgotten about.

I've read a few of these collected volumes and all advertise a plethora of DVD style back-ups - there isn't much, just a few pages of uninked artwork. No commentary, no scripts, no introduction. It's pretty vanilla disc.

Also Try:
Brian Michael Benids; Ultimate Spider-Man
Dan Slott; Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Mark Millar and John Romita Jr, Wolverine: Enemy of the State

Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl

"Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of those he treated in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory—known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")—holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful."



JJ and I had a disagreement about this book, based on the fact that I think it's a too psychology heavy history book, and she thinks it's just a psychology book. Admittedly, Frankl is setting out his 'lifes work', an explanation of his theory of Logotherapy, and illustrating it with examples and anecdotes from his time in a concentration camp.

Weirdly, reading it now the book is a victim of its own success - too much of it reads as common sense, and it was hard to take it seriously because it seemed far too simple. Presumably when first released the insights Frankl brings from his own experiences had a larger impact on the field of psychology and therapy (certainly the quotes and back-ups would suggest so).

Whilst it was enjoyable in its own way it never seemed to be able to set the tone - not quite historical enough to captivate my interest (and the wartime stories are the most powerful pieces, never failing to shock) and not quite revolutionary enough to make me want to know more.

The back up on Logotherapy again serves as a simple primer - interesting in its own way but not memorable and far too brief to constitute anything other than an introduction to ideas, something already covered in the main section.

(I have no idea what you could also try, sorry).

Captive State, George Monbiot

"A devastating indictment of the corruption at the heart of the British State by one of our most popular media figures.George Monbiot made his name exposing the corruption of foreign governments; now he turns his keen eye on Britain. In the most explosive book on British politics of the new decade, Monbiot uncovers what many have suspected but few have been able to prove: that corporations have become so powerful they now threaten the foundations of democratic government.Many of the stories George Monbiot recounts have never been told before, and they could scarcely be more embarrassing to a government that claims to act on behalf of all of us. Some are - or should be - resigning matters. Effectively, the British government has collaborated in its own redundancy, by ceding power to international bodies controlled by corporations. CAPTIVE STATE highlights the long term threat to our society and ultimately shows us ways in which we can hope to withstand the might of big business."


Much like Bad Science, this is a book that made me so angry about the role that big corporations play in shaping society, and the way in which the Government and institutions have collaborated or been undermined to the extent that they set policies for the benefit of the rich multinationals instead of their own people.

Looking at a series of different (but often interlinked) cases, Monbiot demonstrates how under New Labour the corporations and businesses were given more and more access and more and more power, to the point where they essentially control vast swathes of government policy at both a local and national level.

Essential reading for anyone interested in how the privitisation of Government is likely to benefit only those who take over, whilst ignoring and actively hurting the rest of the country, this is a brutal takedown of the way in which corporations present themselves as efficient, beneficial or ethical.

Also Try:
Ben Goldacre, Bad Science
Naomi Klein, No Logo
Mark Thomas, Belching Out The Devil

The Yiddish Policeman's Union, Michael Chabon

"For sixty years Jewish refugees and their descendants have prospered in the Federal District of Sitka, a "temporary" safe haven created in the wake of the Holocaust and the shocking 1948 collapse of the fledgling state of Israel. The Jews of the Sitka District have created their own little world in the Alaskan panhandle, a vibrant and complex frontier city that moves to the music of Yiddish. But now the District is set to revert to Alaskan control, and their dream is coming to an end.

Homicide detective Meyer Landsman of the District Police has enough problems without worrying about the upcoming Reversion. His life is a shambles, his marriage a wreck, his career a disaster. And in the cheap hotel where Landsman has washed up, someone has just committed a murder—right under his nose. When he begins to investigate the killing of his neighbor, a former chess prodigy, word comes down from on high that the case is to be dropped immediately, and Landsman finds himself contending with all the powerful forces of faith, obsession, evil, and salvation that are his heritage."

This one was excellent, a police procedural detective novel set in an alternative version of the US where the almost immediate destruction of Israel in 1948 forced the Jewish homeland to be created in Alaska. With the lease about to expire on their territory and all factions plotting to maneuver around the others, Chabon creates a murder mystery that brings in the key players in the region.

The alternative history is interesting, but by no means as big part of the story as in many other books. It reminds me of Fatherland by Robert Harris in that its a murder mystery where the changed post-war situation is almost incidental to the story until nearly the end.

Chabon is a master storyteller. and this is one of his finest. In building the world aroun Sitka and its competing groups and rundown society his book feels much older than it is. This isn't a divergent world where everything's better - it feels worn down. The best comparison I can make is to The Wire (and that's a great show to be compared to), in that this is a police force held together by a few obsessive personalities and very little else.

Whilst I loved Summerlands and liked Cavalier and Clay this is probably the easiest to get people reasing Chabon - it's a Raymond Chandler-esque mystery with Yiddish thrown in.

Also Try:
Michael Chabon, Summerlands
Robert Harris, Fatherland
Guy Saville, Afrika Reich

X-Men Legacy; Sins of the Father: Mike Carey

As Professor X searches to fill the gaps in his memory, someone else searches for him. His psyche rebuilt from the ground up after he suffered a near-fatal gunshot wound, the former leader of the X-Men has set out to rediscover his forgotten past. But when one of his former students, Gambit, tracks him down, he brings news of an assassination plot centering on Xavier, among others. The reason for the plan is obscure, but all the targets share a history with the recently deceased X-Men foe Mr. Sinister. Though he no longer walks the earth, the man once known as Nathaniel Milbury has managed to reach beyond the grave, by way of a plot conceived decades ago but only coming into effect upon his death. In the process of defending Professor Xavier, Gambit is forced into an uneasy alliance with one of the X-Men's oldest foes. Can they put their differences aside long enough to uncover the truth about Sinister's plot and the attempts on Xavier's life? This volume also includes a story by X-Men co-creator Stan Lee, in which "The Man" himself explores the relationship between Xavier and his sometime foe, sometime friend Magneto. Plus: a recently uncovered X-Men story by classic creators Roger Stern and Dave Cockrum!

I am a huge fan of the X-Men, but a surprisingly poorly read one - I have a lot of the early Claremont run, and am picking up a lot of the current Bendis run, but I like to pick up random back issues where I can to supplement my knowledge, and I am a sucker for anything featuring Cyclops, especially post-House of M. So I picked this up on the basis of Cyclops on the cover, only to find it was all about Charles Xavier.

Sure, Cyclops shows up for a few issues at the end so that he can have a heart-to-heart with Xavier, but it's mainly about the Professor, Gambit and Sebastian Shaw teaming up to take down Mr. Sinister. Of those characters, I actually only like the two bad guys, so this wasn't a huge draw.

It does however feature a back up in which Magenton and Professor X kidnap Stan Lee to ask him to stop making them fight as they want a holiday. That one is excellent.

Also Try:
Joss Whedon, Astonishing X-Men
Brian Michael Bendis, All New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men
Chris Claremont, Uncanny X-Men
Grant M|orrison, New X-Men