Welcome to the weekly Marvel Universe Comic Book review by Stu Somers! Each week, Stu reviews a handful of titles from the last week, letting you know the most important elements of each story. Then, he takes a look at the most exciting titles coming out next week!

REVIEWS

Deadpool #27:

I thought this issue was very interesting in a few different ways. The first is that Deadpool was not even the main character of his own book. This was very much a Steve Rogers and Phil Coulson story with Deadpool being used as nothing more than tool for Captain America to use to keep his plans quiet. The fact that Phil Coulson is now onto the Captain after the botched cover-up means that we might be seeing the first chink in the armor for his Secret Empire. I am also hoping to see Phil Coulson pop up in different books where Captain America appears being a connective link throughout the Marvel Universe.

Invincible Iron Man #4:

I am really enjoying the Riri/Pepper Potts storyline that has been the focus of the past 2 issues. While the Techno Golem was a pretty mediocre villain from the previous volume, it appears that Bendis has a better grasp of the villain this time and has shown he can definitely adjust characters as needed to make the stories entertaining. Between the dialogue and great physical comedy, this was a fantastic issue and I recommend picking up on this volume from the beginning.

The Clone Conspiracy #5:

I do read other people’s reviews of comics after my weekly reading, but I have to disagree with a lot of people that said the conclusion was more of a whimper than a bang. Granted, this was no Spider-Verse, but it was not the disaster people thought it would be with the bleak history of Spider-Man and clones. I am excited to see what they do with the Scarlet Spider going forward, especially after they thankfully adjusted his costume back to this original style.

Captain America: Sam Wilson #19

This is really turning into an intriguing storyline, and one that echoes a bit too close to reality right now with the trial of Rage and racial/political overtones in it. That being said, are comics not at their best when they can mirror real-life and bring a new perspective to social issues like racial injustice and the generational cycle that comes from it?

Mighty Thor #16:

So Thor has been thrust into a contest against a pair of Shi’ar gods and the first round is decided on who gets prayed to the most. How wonderfully absurd and despicable is that? Jason Aaron has really cut loose with this story and it is just getting better and better now that Asgard has declared war, and not because the Shi’ar kidnapped Thor, but because Asgard was made to look foolish. I am sure there is going to be plenty to be answered for when Odin wakes up from his slumber and sees this mess.

Monsters Unleashed #3:

This issues was a bit underwhelming (can’t anything just be “whelm”) after how the first 2 issues started out. To have the storyline basically use an Inhuman as the main driving point when Civil War just did the same thing is a bit disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy watching the Marvel Universe classic monsters battle new ones, but I wish there was just a bit more meat to the story than there is so far.

PREVIEWS

Amazing Spider Man #24:

With Clone-Conspiracy wrapping up, we will now start to see the fall-out of so many of Peter’s friends and enemies returning from the grave. While some that most important to the mythos are staying dead, there are still quite a few that have returned to cause the wall-crawler a lot of headaches in the coming year.

Captain America: Steve Rogers #12

How unsettling was it to see Captain America and Zemo hug it out last issue? Now we have a full blown team-up and the Masters of Evil cannot be far behind. There is also the problem of Taskmaster and Black Ant knowing Steve Rogers secret, but if he was willing to plant a gun on a dead body, what is he going to do to 2 full blown villains that no one will blink an eye at if they removed.

Infamous Iron Man #5:

Doctor Doom as Iron Man has been pretty refreshing. Ok, Ben Grimm being in the mix has helped out a lot too since the first thing I think of when I think ‘Doctor Doom’ is not ‘funny’, but every time the 2 of the interact it has brought a smile to my face. We now get to add Doctor Doom’s mother to the equation and I think we are going to see an unlikely team-up happen that 2 years ago no one would have thought possible.

IvX (Inhumans vs. X-Men) #5:

I am very excited for this issue because two of my favorite characters in Fantomex and Karnak are going to go at it. Fantomex’s egotistical ways won me over in his Uncanny X-Force run and Karnak’s contrasting calm confidence is going to make for a quite entertaining confrontation. Medusa going after Black Bolt is going to be a huge turning point because he is not going to be happy after being beaten and imprisoned.

Uncanny Avengers #20:

Red Skull has beaten the Unity Squad and is using Professor Xavier’s brain to make them live out their worst fears and failures. It is only a matter of time before Cable reboots and starts to rescue his comrades but they are going to suffer in the meantime. I fully expect to see a Phil Coulson or Steve Rogers appearance soon to tip the scales against the Red Skull, both who want to see him defeated, although for different reasons.