Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death #2 Review #PoisonIvyLeague

…So yeah, this is kinda late. lol My fault, I hadn’t been uptown for a bit, so I wasn’t able to grab my copy. Regardless, I have it now, so let’s go over my thoughts regarding Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death #2.

So, as anyone who read last issue knows, we’ve got a murder mystery. And, as is typically a good move in murder mysteries, a lot of this issue sets up the most likely candidate for who the murderer is…and then ends with them being the newest victim. So yeah, not gonna lie, I’m not 100% sure I know who the killer is, which is good, because I don’t wanna be a mere two issues and know how it’s gonna end. With that said, I REALLY hope the character of Darshan is innocent as he seems to be, because I find myself really sympathizing with his situation. I’m also interested to see where they go with what Ivy’s been working on, although I hope for her sake that it doesn’t end up going where I think it is. And, of course, as always, Ivy is a delight to read. There’s just something about how unapologetically confident she is in herself and what she believes in…Well, minus one point.

As it pertains to the cons of this issue, I REALLY didn’t need to see her killing the dog abuser. He needed some kind of comeuppance, no doubt, but Ivy killing him seemed kinda forced, as if to hammer it home that she’s not a superhero. Just came off as completely unnecessary. And while it is nice to see her in a costume that kinda harkens back to her old days, I gotta admit, I’m gonna miss her New 52 costume. And no, it’s not because it covered her up more. It’s just, for situations where she’s shown in a more positive light and oftentimes working with the heroes, it looked like a superhero costume. Again, kinda feels like they’re trying to make it clear she’s NOT a superhero. And granted, she’s more of a neutral, all things considered, and it could just be me wanting to see her eventually transition into being a superhero, but it’s just a little distracting to me.

Speaking of distracting, that brings me to an issue some people are having with this book: The artwork, specifically whether or not Clay Mann is showing Ivy off a bit too much and if Ivy is designed far too much to favour the male gaze. And I’m just gonna say this right now, to make my opinion as clear as I can: I’ve seen WAY worse. I mean, do you people even REMEMBER how the New 52 started? If you don’t, allow me to jog your memory. It had…

And…

And…

And…

And…

And…

And…

And…

…Please, dear God, don’t let Rebirth be a repeat of some of the crap we’ve gotten in the New 52. Just a little less female objectification and a lot less dark and dire stories…Oh yeah, I’m supposed to be giving my thoughts on that, aren’t I? Yeah, should probably do that pretty soon.

But yeah, overall, still enjoying this book, and can’t wait to see where it goes from here. Leave your own thoughts below, and be sure to check back in next month when I review issue 3…Hopefully, a little more on time than this one. lol Ja né!

Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death #1 Review #PoisonIvyLeague

Sorry this is coming out a day late, but it was kind of a busy night. Comics to read, fundraisers to go to, yada yada yada. Regardless, I wanna give my thoughts on Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death #1. Given that I’ve been a member of the Poison Ivy League for quite some time now, I figured I’d go ahead and let everyone know if it met my expectations.

So, this book is awesome. lol I’m sorry, it just is. It does a great job of returning Pam to her…well, for a lack of a better term, ‘roots’, and letting her be Super-Awesome, Super-Sexy, Brilliant Science Woman. And while she doesn’t explicitly kill anyone, she does give a fair amount of assholes trying to have their way a good beating, so there’s plenty of her being a badass, too. She even rides a sweet-ass motorcycle (or crotch rocket, as a friend of mine on Twitter called it), although…maybe it’s just because I watched Batman TAS as a kid, but I always figured her vehicle of choice would be pink. 😛 And yes, for drooling fanboys (and drooling fangirls, let’s be honest, you exist, lol), there is a scene of her naked, although it is…erm, semi-tastefully done. Most of the book, though, focuses on her being a scientist and getting a second chance at working in a legitimate lab without being judged for her criminal behaviour, and while she insists that she’s better off alone, you can tell it’s having a positive influence on her. She is completely in her element here, and it’s a joy to watch.

If I had one minor issue that kinda rubbed me the wrong way, though, and I fully admit that I could be reading too much into this, but it felt like, much in the same way the Harley Quinn book disregards Ivy’s growth as a character, this book seems to neglect Harley’s growth and that she’s been living a life away from Joker and outside his influence for some time now. I get that Harley’s growth occurs in a VERY problematic book, especially for Ivy fans, and for those of us who found the implications at the end of the Harley/PG team-up offensive as all hell, and that continuity between books at DC right now is loose as all hell. However, that just makes me think of a bigger problem. Really, it just annoys me that, while I’m glad the writers are allowed to do whatever stories they want now, the fact that there’s little to no continuity from one book to another just means that the editors have one less job to do that they’re being paid to do and instead have more time to pretend to be writers. Honestly, I just wish we had a solid continuity where everyone was written and treated fairly, and that we didn’t need to have apparently separate universes in order to have a well-written Poison Ivy.

Regardless, though, this book is frigging awesome. Granted, from a story perspective, it’s all pretty much set-up for the rest of the mini-series, but it’s all well-done, with the exception of a character death that I probably would’ve seen coming even without being spoiled by the solicitations. But, it’s still great, I can’t wait to see where Amy Chu goes from here with the book, and I hope that, when it’s over, we get the ongoing solo series we’ve been wanting for years now…although, with said series, might be a good idea to simply call it Poison Ivy. Otherwise, it’s kind of a mouthful. lol

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the book. Lemme know what you think of it, and we’ll see how things go from here on out. Ja né!

A-Force #1 Preview

…And thus, Singularity absorbed the enthusiasm of animated Starfire. lol Here’s the preview for A-Force #1!

• A-FORCE, ASSEMBLE! From the ashes of Battleworld, Marvel’s newest hero SINGULARITY has risen and entered the Marvel Universe. But she didn’t make the journey alone. To combat the most fearsome threats from across the multiverse, Singularity will summon the world’s mightiest team of Avengers to her side: SHE-HULK. CAPTAIN MARVEL. DAZZLER. MEDUSA. NICO MINORU. Together, they are A-FORCE to be reckoned with!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/a-force-1-marvel-comics-2015-2015-12

A-Force #1 Unlettered Preview

Glad to see the events of Secret Wars will have lasting ramifications beyond setting up the new status quo, although I’m curious to see how much of it will or won’t be remembered in general. Either way, here’s an early preview for next month’s A-Force #1.

• From the ashes of Battleworld, they rise. A new super team for a new era. Today, Marvel is pleased to present your first look at A-FORCE #1, the brand new ongoing series and follow up to the smash-hit Secret Wars series. Blockbuster creators G. Willow Wilson and Jorge Molina return from Battleworld in force, but they’re not alone. Marvel’s newest hero Singularity has returned from the breach, making landfall in the Marvel Universe. Yet much has transpired in the eight months since the end of Secret Wars. To combat the most fearsome threats from across the multiverse, she’ll re-assemble this world’s mightiest group of Avengers to her side: She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Dazzler, Medusa and Nico Minoru – even if they don’t remember her! Together, they are the unstoppable A-Force! And they are A FORCE to be reckoned with! Don’t miss their explosive debut this January in the can’t-miss A-FORCE #1!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/a-force-1-marvel-comics-2016

Meet the All-New, All-Different Avengers

Well, doesn’t look like we’ll have to wait for May after all. Ladies and gentlemen and others, I present the All-New, All-Different Avengers. 🙂

So, going by this, the team consists of Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Ultimate Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Nova (Sam Alexander), Vision, Captain America (Sam Wilson), Iron Man (Tony Stark?), and Thor (we’ll find out in a month or two). So clearly, several big changes to Marvel’s roster, particularly their big names, are sticking for some time to come. The one big question mark, however, is on Iron Man. Currently, Tony Stark is evil, having been inverted by the events of AXIS, and wearing an all silver suit. So, the question now is, does Tony become a good guy again and ditches the Superior Iron Man suit, or is someone else wearing the hot rod red and gold? Also, one has to ask about Miles. If he’s on the Avengers as Spider-Man, what does this mean for Peter? Has he retired, or are they both operating as Spider-Man?

Regardless of the answers to these questions, this nonetheless looks to be a great, well-balanced, and powerful team to be representing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Now, for those out there that are screaming and accusing Marvel of pandering, insisting that we bring Steve Rogers and Thor Odinson back, and that the others are little more than Marvel trying to make a buck and stuffing various minorities down our throats, I have a piece of advice: Think about how the real world works. And I know, Marvel comics take place in a world very much unlike the real world, but we the readers don’t have that. We live in a world with multiple races, religions, and nations. Marvel is trying to reflect that very real fact. They’re trying to be more inclusive to various minorities. That’s why we have a female Thor, an African-American Captain America, a Pakistani-American Ms. Marvel, and a Black Hispanic Spider-Man. And besides that, if I know Marvel, this won’t be the ONLY Avengers book out when Secret Wars ends, so don’t be surprised if we see another one that DOES have Steve Rogers and Thor Odinson on the team. But yeah, ultimately, this is about change. Will this change be permanent? Who knows? But for now, these are the faces of the Marvel Universe. And ultimately, it’s like Superboy once said: “It’s simple. Either get on board, or get out of the way.”

Anyway, that’s my two cents on the new Avengers team. What do you all think, though? Lemme know in the comments below, and let’s all at least be willing to give this team a chance to impress us come Free Comic Book Day. Ja né!