The X-Axis – 8 July 2012
Two crossover issues this week, plus the comic you’ve all been waiting for – Jeph Loeb returns to Wolverine! May God have mercy on our souls.
Age of Apocalypse #5 – First up, though, Age of Apocalypse shifts gear by giving us what looks to be a single-issue story. The focus here is on the AoA version of Quentin Quire, who turns out to be a wildcard in that universe. He’s still a powerful telepath, but without anyone to teach him, it’s driven him a bit mad. The result is a character who mainly talks gibberish but, in an echo of the original’s iconoclastic pretensions, is steadily building a street-level following of other psychics who fall under his influence.
Charts – catch-up
I’m two weeks behind on this, so let’s race through the current week’s charts (albeit late) before it turns into three when tomorrow’s chart comes out. Fortunately, they’ve been pretty quiet weeks.
The previous week’s number 1 was (as expected) “Payphone” by Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa, evidently not suffering too badly from the sales of spoiler cover versions. Perhaps it even benefitted. I still think it’s a pretty uninspiring song, though Samuel Bayer’s video cheerfully ignores it entirely in favour of blowing things up.
House to Astonish Episode 87
We did promise that we’d be back midweek, and we are (just). We’re talking – a lot – about Marvel NOW and Marvel’s publishing plans in general, Monkeybrain Comics, the Amazing Spider-Man opening day box office, Marvel’s future movie plans and the Harvey Award nominations. We’ve also got reviews of Infernal Man-Thing, Atomic Robo: Flying She-Devils of the Pacific and The Hypernaturals, and the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe can keep its hat on (except it can’t seem to keep its hat on). All this plus a taste-test of Hershey’s chocolate, pants with Spider-Man on them and the Legion of Super-Heroes with a moustache.
The podcast is here, or here on Mixcloud, or available via Stitcher.com (or their free iOS or Android apps). You could also just use the player below, of course, or get hold of it via iTunes.
Let us know what you think, either in the comments, on Twitter, via email or on our Facebook fan page.
The X-Axis – 1 July 2012
The stop-start world of Marvel scheduling gives us a nice quiet week this time. Three X-Men titles, and two of those are part of the big event…
Wolverine and the X-Men #12 – This is one of those books that you can feel struggling to assert its identity in the face of a crossover. The plot is basically written in the margins of Avengers vs X-Men – the X-Men are hunting down the Avengers and this book is doing it from the perspective of Rachel Grey.
Jason Aaron clearly understands that if you’re going to do a Phoenix crossover in a book where the main cast includes Rachel Grey, at some point you’re going to have to address the fact that she’s a former host. That’s presumably why we’re getting a whole issue about her. Unfortunately, the moment you acknowledge Rachel as a former host, you blast the plot of the wider crossover to smithereens, since it begs the question of why everyone outside the X-Men is ignoring the fact that the Phoenix has been here before and caused no real trouble at all.
Housekeeping
Just a reminder that, as we mentioned on the last show, the next podcast will be up midweek.
The X-Axis – 25 June 2012
One day late, and there’s an awful lot to write about here. Loads of Avengers vs X-Men tie-ins bloated the line last week, but for a change the publicity centres on a book that’s sitting the crossover out…
Astonishing X-Men #51 – Yes, it’s the much-hyped gay wedding issue. I now pronounce you man and supporting character.
As I said last time, if you leave aside the promotion and focus on the actual story, this is quite the odd little arc. It has two distinct threads which, so far, appear to be wholly unrelated to one another. There’s Northstar proposing to his boyfriend to demonstrate his commitment and set up their wedding in this issue. And then there’s the mystery villain mind-controlling villains and getting them to attack the heroes. It’s there to provide the obligatory action, but thus far it’s had no apparent connection to the wedding story – except on the purely mechanical level of having Northstar and Kyle get caught in the crossfire.
Housekeeping
Reviews probably tomorrow, people. Busy, busy, busy.
House to Astonish Episode 86
Paul and I are a couple of days late due to super-busy schedules, but we’ve got discussion of Chris Roberson’s Monkeybrain Comics, Grant Morrison’s MBE, the DC cancellations and launches, Carlos Pacheco being honoured by Getafe and a canter through the solicits. We’ve also got reviews of The Massive, Spider-Men and Extermination, and the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe takes tea with the vicar. All this plus the Phantom Stranger’s business card, the embroidered teacosies of Amanda Conner and a knighthood for services to disco.
The podcast is here, or on Mixcloud here, or on Stitcher.com (or their free iPhone or Android apps) or available via iTunes. Or, y’know, you can use the player below.
Let us know what you think, either in the comments, on Twitter, via email or on our Facebook fan page.
Charts – 17 June 2012
With the Jubilee receding from view, Gary Barlow’s “Sing” drops back to number 3. No surprise there. The album is still holding up remarkably well, with a third week at number 1, but it’s surely got to peter out sooner rather than later.
There are a couple of very unlikely new entries on this week’s chart, but first, one that’s entirely predictable…
1. Cheryl – “Call My Name”
Yes, officially it’s now just “Cheryl”. For the benefit of readers overseas, this is Cheryl Cole, who you may remember from when she wasn’t on X-Factor in the USA. Cole is her married name, but her marriage to footballer Ashley Cole broke down some time ago. (“How do you think I feel when you call my name?” Well, if the tabloids are anything to go by, I’d guess at “relieved”.) Her maiden name of Tweedy has evidently been deemed insufficiently glamorous for the demands of the celebutainment industry.
The X-Axis – 17 June 2012
This week: three more crossover issues, Brian Wood takes over X-Men, and X-Force mercifully continues to do its own thing.
AvX: Versus #3 – Two more fighty scenes from the tie-in book that does what it says on the tin. The question with a book like this is, since there’s essentially no plot and no character, does it either have spectacular art, or come up with some inventive way of doing the scene? Since this issue has art by Ed McGuinness and Terry Dodson, if you’re feeling charitable, you might well judge that the visuals just about carry it. Plainly, there’s not a great deal more to it than that.
Both of this issue’s stories are expanded from the Avengers/X-Men fight on the moon in Avengers vs X-Men #5. Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness are reunited to do Colossus versus the Thing, which is actually not bad for what it is – namely, a fight scene with above average art and a bit of effort put into adding a bit of imagination into the moves. What’s odd about it is that Loeb spends the entire story trying his damnedest to sell the current Colossus-as-Juggernaut plot, and the tragedy of Colossus’ condition. In a book that prides itself on its aggressive disdain for any sort of actual content, this seems very out of place. It’s like Loeb didn’t get the memo. Even so, the story is none the worse for trying to make some sort of point, even if it’s one that Uncanny X-Men has already been making on a regular basis.
