X-men: Legacy (Vol. 2)
Remember Charles Xavier's son? The chap
with the funny hair who caused the Age of Apocalypse? Well they gave
him his own series. Living up to the title, David Haller aka Legion
must deal with the death of his father and whether he should try to
follow "Xavier's Dream" or go his own path. He also has to deal with a
“legion” of personalities with different superpowers who could
take over his mind if they get the opening. Si Spurrier has crafted
an interesting journey and has redeemed the character for me. It also
helps that the series has some of the most interesting covers out at
the moment.
Avengers Arena
The premise is that Arcade has
kidnapped a bunch of super-powered teenagers and is demanding that
they fight each other until there is one character standing. It
seemed very Lord of the Flies, Hunger Games, Battle Royale... and so on. It didn't
seem like my sort of book but I gave issue one a shot. Dennis
Hopeless won me over with a mixture of great characterisation and a
feeling that anything can happen. Death is the
end and can occur at any time. Arcade has become a badass and
Hopeless and Walker have created a bunch of great new characters (I
would love to see a book about the Braddock Academy). Another series
with great covers.
Indestructible Hulk
I was never much of a Hulk fan but Mark
Waid has taken an interesting idea that fits the character of Bruce
Banner and has run with it. Thinking of his legacy and realising that
he can't cure the Hulk problem (for now at least), Bruce Banner has
decided that he wants to be known for his inventions and not for
random property destruction. He has done a deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. to
accomplished this and surrounded himself with a cast of scientists
who seem to have secrets. Waid nails the character and has created an
interesting supporting cast. I wasn't always a fan but Leinil Yu is
doing great work on the art side in this book. Also, Walt Simonson
has stepped in for a Thor story. What more do you need?
Superior Spider-man
Like the Hulk, I never really read
Spider-man. I have always liked his rogues gallery though. My favourite of these
was Doc Ock. With Otto Octavius taking Peter Parker's place, this book is the one for me then right? Well not at first. It
took a Comixology sale to get me to pick up issue one. Once I had
read it, and understood what the premise was, I was hooked. Otto
Octavius wants to prove himself to be a better Spider-man than Peter
Parker, a Superior Spider-man. The interactions with the other Spider-villains is interesting as Otto has a history with some of them too. Dan Slott seems to be building to
something great with another one of my favourite Spider-villains too. I like it. This storyline also has the side-effect of the very funny interactions in the Avengers books. Those people are beneath him.
Hawkeye
I don't think I need to say much about
this book. Hawkeye. Greatest sharpshooter known to man. He then
joined the Avengers. This is what he does when he's not being an
Avenger. That's all you need to know. Matt Fraction writes. David Aja
and Francesco Francavilla draw. Matt Hollingsworth colours. More great covers.
