Once again I’ve got a random collection of Marvel graphic novels (some new, some legacy titles) and, rather than doing the smart thing and read all the previous issues, I’m jumping into the middle to see how well that works.
The result? It works pretty well.
Read on for reviews of Jessica Jones Volume 3: Return of the Purple Man, Legion Son of X Volume 3: Revenants, Iceman Volume 2: Absolute Zero, and Spirits of Vengeance: War at the Gates of Hell.
Jessica Jones Volume 3: Return of the Purple Man
Not only have I not read the previous two volumes of Jessica Jones, I’ve never read any Jessica Jones or Alias book, so 99% of what I know about her is from the Netflix show. But I was a little disappointed by the second Jessica Jones season, so I figured I’d read this one to see if it made me love the character again.
I’m happy to say it really, really did, and it’s all because of Bendis’ writing. He’s so good with quippy responses, and he can pull off a passionate speech without it sounding overdone.
I love how every character has a distinct voice; Luke Cage’s quippyness is different from Jessica’s quippyness, and Captain Marvel…man. Captain Marvel was just a delight in this book. It’s like she realizes how ridiculous the life of a superhero is and she just shrugs and owns it, like when Jessica was asking her about her space station.
“I can’t believe you have a space station and you never mention it.”
“Because if I did, I’d be the pretentious, half-Kree super hero, Avenger, military commander bragging about her top-secret space station….and no one likes one of those.”
But one of the things that disappointed me in the second season of Jessica Jones was the lack of a clear, decisive, honestly terrifying villain. I was really hoping we’d get someone like Kilgrave.
Nah, if I’m being honest, I didn’t want someone like Kilgrave, I wanted Kilgrave to come back. And that’s exactly what we get in this book. Now, I’m not saying he’s David Tennant (he’s drawn differently, for one, and is completely purple besides) but I am saying that if you imagine David Tennant’s voice when you read his lines, it makes it that much better.
And he’s terrifying. I hadn’t realized that the Netflix show actually toned down his powers. And it’s even more horrifying to watch him try and be nice, because he has absolutely no moral compass so what he thinks is reassuring is flat-out nightmarish.
..have you noticed I’m not grabbing you by the brain with my considerable power and making you desperate to lick my feet? And I’m not making you watch your husband beat the Avengers to death? I could do that. You know I could.
If you were cringing at every awful thing David Tennant’s Kilgrave did in the show, but secretly wanting to see a little more of what he’s capable of, this is the book for you.
Michael Gaydos’ art took a little getting used to, it’s a sketched style with a realistic depiction of faces, which sometimes feels a little too realistic to me; lots of lines and extremely well-defined lips. But it’s not bad at all, just different, and after a while you see how it matches the tone of the story extremely well, especially when matched with Matt Hollingsworth’s colors. And David Mack’s watercolor covers are gorgeous in a wonderfully disturbing way. (Though between you and me there’s something a little awkward about that kid’s head on the cover. Only a little.)
This volume is available April 25.
Legion Son of X: Revenants
The only thing I know about Legion is that he’s Professor Xavier’s son, he was responsible for the original Age of Apocalypse storyline, and he’s crazy. And if you know that much, you can jump into this book pretty well, though it’ll take a few pages to fully understand what’s going on. And that is: well he’s crazy, but he’s got plans to do good, but almost everybody who knows him doesn’t want to have anything to do with him (because: crazy. Also scary powerful) but he’s frighteningly intelligent so he honestly has good ideas, but it doesn’t win him any friends because he’s also a big jerk.
The book takes place long before last year’s Death of X, so Cyclops is still running around shouting revolution in everyone’s faces (being easily as much of a jerk as Legion) and the confrontation between the two of them was extremely fun to watch.
I didn’t recognize a lot of the characters, which made things a little confusing sometimes, but I got caught up in the story fairly quickly, enough that one section near the middle just broke my heart; it’s tough to make me care about a group of characters in less than three issues, but Spurrier pulled it off.
I enjoyed the art at the beginning and end of the book, but Paul Davidson’s work on the fourth issue (#16) was my favorite, something about the definition of the lines and the faces was really appealing (there’s a great shot of Magik holding a sword to someone’s throat and it just looks awesome.) Also Mike Del Mundo’s covers are just delicious, I love his work.
This volume is available May 8.
Iceman Volume 2: Absolute Zero
It’s a shame that this book was cancelled after issue 11 (the final issue of this volume) because it’s got a ton of heart, with a lot of positive messages, humor, and action. Sina Grace was given advance notice that the book would end with issue 11, so the pace didn’t feel rushed to me, and it felt like a good wrap up at the end.
That being said, I’d recommend reading the first volume instead of just jumping in on this one. I knew most of the characters in this book, but I’m not familiar with Daken and Zach, and they had a major role half-way through the book that left me a little puzzled (but like I said, I jumped in at the final six issues, so it’s hardly Sina’s fault that I was lost.)
Watching Bobby (elder Bobby, since younger Bobby makes an appearance) navigate his way through life as a newly-out gay superhero was fun, and interesting, and sweet. I loved that his teammate Hercules, who sometimes seems a little out-of-it, didn’t need any coaching in being supportive.
Bobby, you are one of the finest warriors of this realm — these men should bow at your feet and offer themselves in reverence.
I’d love to hear from any LGBTQ folks who read this series, did you think it was fun and respectful? What were your thoughts?
This volume is available April 25.
Spirits of Vengeance: War at the Gates of Hell
This stand-alone adventure is a very fun read, pairing up anti-heroes (or just plain villains) Ghostrider Johnny Blaze, Hellstorm, Satana, and Blade as they try to save the world.
Fans of Supernatural will definitely find the story familiar: the War between Heaven and Hell reaches a turning point, and mere mortals get caught in the middle. You don’t have to have read any previous books to jump in on this one, the exposition for each character is done subtly and (most importantly) briefly. We get glimpses of underworld shenanigans, ancient demons disguised as ultra-rich humans, and lots of Johnny Blaze’s fiery face.
So it’s awesome that Andres Mossa was on colors, because he does amazing things with fire. Whole pages are filled with flames and dramatic explosions, and it’s very, very, pretty. And paired with David Baldeon’s lines, it’s even prettier than that. (I especially liked Satana’s expressions, as she spent most of the book being ticked off, annoyed, or both.)
Out of all the books this one was the easiest to read: it’s a quick, fun, kickass adventure.
This volume is available April 25.
Review copies provided by Marvel.